Glastonbury has introduced a new site called Terminal 1 – designed to celebrate migration and encourage diversity.
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The new area for 2024 is located next to the iconic Carhenge space at William’s Green, taking inspiration from the former terminal at Heathrow Airport. In keeping with its name, it has been designed to celebrate the diversity that comes from migration.
Laid out as a visual guide to the journey that many face as they look to move to the UK, the visual and digital design showcases the pros and cons of the migration process. To enter the space, visitors need to go through the recreation of the UK Border office, and correctly answer one of the questions on the UKGOV citizenship test.
From there, they are shown to different levels of the three-story space and given a visual recreation of the journey faced by those looking to migrate to the UK – all in a bid to promote compassion and support for the different cultures around the country.
“It’s a celebration of travelling communities,” performance director Miguel Umba told NME about the inspiration behind the space. “Glastonbury has a history of having welcomed marginalised communities, and by repurposing the design from the old Terminal 1 we intend to make this a space where we celebrate diversity and emphasise the idea that no one is legal.”
He continued: “It’s been curated by international artists – artists from Rwanda, Colombia, Latin America, California. Notting Hill Carnival is also involved, it’s staffed by CAIWU which is a Cleaners Union, and we have musicians from diverse backgrounds as well.”
Glastonbury Terminal 1 area. CREDIT: NME
A section of the site also makes a nod to the Tories’ controversial idea to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. After being interrogated in the UK Border office, visitors are shown into a section where a host explains the culture in the country, as well as various traditions they have.
“The political situation in the UK has been quite difficult over recent years, migration has increased, so has the understanding of it. So this was a perfect opportunity to talk about something that is crucial for us,” Umba explained, adding that it was no coincidence that the site arrived in time for the upcoming general election.
“I hope people leave thinking that just because we’re in Glastonbury enjoying ourselves, that doesn’t mean it’s the same situation for everyone in the world. For some people, their lives depend on someone ticking a box for a question in a test, or on the decision of a government.”
Umba added: “Yes, migration is a very difficult topic to talk about, but also it requires us to connect and be compassionate. So many of us are migrants or will need to migrate at some point, so we should all be compassionate and attack the policies that don’t help welcome people.”
Glastonbury Terminal 1 area. CREDIT: NME
Terminal 1 also features contributions from visual artists including Love Watts, La Linterna and Yoshi Sodeoka.
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