Festivalland by Cleo Campert

 The carnival atmosphere of Cleo Campert’s work is a sharp contrast to the forest on the cover. Throughout the book, he photographs hoards of young people flocking to outdoor concerts all over the Netherlands. For each of the photos of the concerts, he provides a photo of the same space, but without the people.

Ever since Woodstock, and perhaps more so since the breakup of The Grateful Dead, there has been greater effort to replicate the spirit of these events. In the USA we have the Burning Man festival, held in the Southwest deserts, among other events. But in Festivalland, Campert’s photographs are from a much cooler climate, and they often take place in the woods.

Campert began his career by photographing nightlife, but in this book all the action takes place outdoors. There’s a picture of Zwarte Cross, which resembles Coney Island more than a music venue. Perhaps that’s the point of these photographs, that outdoor pop-up concerts have taken on more of a carnival atmosphere than before. The juxtaposition of the festival goers against the deserted forests also creates a more natural feeling, one that the attendees are uniting with the natural environment.

Cleo Camptert’s photographs recapture the spirit of Woodstock, in his perfect combination of the music venue and natural landscape.