Reality Sandwich on The Bloom
If you’re a frequent festivalgoer, you’ve probably heard of The Bloom series and might even appear in it, at least as a drop in a cuddle puddle or an ocean of undulating bodies. If you’re not a regular reveler, you may well be inspired to become one solely by the trailer for the four-part, web-based documentary subtitled “A Journey Through Transformational Festivals,” created by Jeet-Kei Leung and Akira Chan.
Leung, a 15-year veteran of the circuit, obviously wants you to be inspired, and for all the right reasons. His approach as director and host is to bypass the freakiness and frivolity and head straight into the spiritual heart of festival culture. The first episode, entitled “Fundamental Frequencies,” illuminates three core elements of the movement, namely Inspiration, Connection, and Healing, each of which is brought to life through brief interviews with participants, organizers, and elders, breathtaking footage from nearly two dozen festivals around the world, and sensory stimulation by some of the scene’s most celebrated artists. Yet this is no popularity contest, for what emerges is a clear, colorful picture of a new paradigm in which the usual boundaries—between performer and audience, teacher and student, art and life, sacred and profane—become blurred beyond recognition.
Share Post
