Alternative Cultural Heterotopia: ConFest as Australia’s Marginal Centre Submitted by Graham St John (BA Hons, Deakin University) A thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Sociology, Politics and Anthropology Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences La Trobe University Bundoora, Victoria 3083 Australia July 1999 Contents {warning – contents page numbers do not correspond to thesis page numbers in this PDF) Contents ..........................................................................................................................i Plates .............................................................................................................................vi Chronology..................................................................................................................viii Summary....................................................................................................................... xi Statement of Authorship ............................................................................................xiii Acknowledgments........................................................................................................ xv Introduction................................................................................................................ 1 Chapter 1. Alternative Cultural Events: Heterotopia Now.......................... 7 Introduction............................................................................................................... 7 Part I. Alternative Culture........................................................................................ 7 Alternative Cultural Events................................................................................... 10 Folk Festival ......................................................................................................... 14 Dance Party .......................................................................................................... 15 Protest.......................................................................................................... 16 Alternative Lifestyle Events.................................................................................. 18 Free Festival ................................................................................................. 18 Gathering ..................................................................................................... 20 Mega-event ................................................................................................... 22 Alternative Cultural Heterotopia ........................................................................... 22 Part II. Alternative Lifestyle Event Ethnography ................................................. 26 Stonehenge Solstice Festival.................................................................................. 27 The Rainbow Gathering......................................................................................... 28 The Nimbin Lifestyle Celebration........................................................................... 30 Maleny Fire Event.......................................................................................... 32 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 34 Chapter 2. The Organic Hyper-Liminal Zone .............................................. 35 i Introduction............................................................................................................. 35 Part I. Victor Turner: What is This Thing Called Liminality?............................. 35 Part II. Turner’s Essentialism: A Critical Deconstruction .................................... 39 The Sacred: Decline and Resurgence .................................................................... 41 Privileged and Transcendent Ritual....................................................................... 43 Homogeneous Community and Apoliticism.......................................................... 47 Part III. ConFest: the Internal Logic of Design ..................................................... 51 Temporary Organic Matrix ................................................................................... 52 Hakim Bey and the TAZ/Immediatist Project.......................................................... 53 ConFest as TAZ? ........................................................................................... 57 Hyper-liminal Modalities and Authentication........................................................ 59 1. Play/Subjunctivity.............................................................................................. 60 2. Drama/Reflexivity.............................................................................................. 61 3. Community/Affectuality............................................................................... 62 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 63 Chapter 3. The Down to Earth Movement ...................................................... 65 Introduction............................................................................................................. 65 The Movement in Historical Context .................................................................... 66 Phase One (1976 - 1980): Down to Earth ............................................................... 70 Cotter: the ‘Call for a New Society’...................................................................... 75 The Rise and Fall of ADTEN................................................................................ 78 Phase Two (1981-1994): DTE Victoria................................................................... 87 ‘We Are at the Threshold of Major Change’: the New Age? ................................. 90 Conference and Festival: an Ambivalent Union .................................................... 94 ‘It’s Always the Darkest Before the Dawn’......................................................... 100 Phase Three (1995 - ): The New Society? ............................................................. 102 Recent Developments ......................................................................................... 104 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 110 Chapter 4. ConFest: Alternative Cultural Diversity Celebrated............ 113 Introduction........................................................................................................... 113 Part I. Event Foundations..................................................................................... 113 The Events.......................................................................................................... 113 Participants......................................................................................................... 115 ii Planning Chaos: Proto-Community..................................................................... 117 Event Preparations.............................................................................................. 116 ConFest Ethos .................................................................................................... 120 Part II. Spaced Out: The ConFest Topos............................................................. 123 The Gate ............................................................................................................. 123 Information Centre.............................................................................................. 125 Pt’chang Peacekeepers........................................................................................ 125 Community Kitchens............................................................................................ 127 Community Toilets/Showers................................................................................. 127 Fire Circle........................................................................................................... 128 The Market.................................................................................................. 129 Villages and Workshops ..................................................................................... 131 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 151 Chapter 5. Going Feral: Eco-Radicalism and Authenticity ..................... 153 Introduction........................................................................................................... 153 Part I. Australian Radical Ecologism ................................................................... 153 Part II. The Feral Emergence............................................................................... 158 Roots.................................................................................................................. 158 The Feral Spectacle............................................................................................. 160 Semi-Nomadic Subsistence................................................................................. 163 Postcolonial Primitivists: Heritage Defence ........................................................ 164 Eco-tribes ..........................................................................................................