The Borderland is a participatory festival of art, music, community and co-creation. It was inspired by Burning Man, an annual gathering that takes place in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. Like most other Burning Man events, The Borderland is guided by ten principles that explain how participants should behave towards each other. These principles are radical inclusion, gifting, decommodification, radical self-reliance, radical self-expression, communal effort, civic responsibility, leaving no trace, participation, and immediacy.
The first Borderland took place in the small town of Hjo in mainland Sweden. It moved to the island of Gotland in 2013 and then to the neighboring country of Denmark in 2015. The festival is held at Boesdal Kalkbrud, a limestone quarry south of Copenhagen.
The organizers of The Borderland provide three things: a location, toilet facilities, and community power. Everything else, from water and food to entertainment, is up to the participants to provide. The Borderland is an event created by the participants for the participants. Here, everyone is in charge.
At The Borderland, anyone can create an event or gathering for other participants. As we’ve already mentioned above, it is a participatory event. The Borderland is not open to spectators: you either sign up as a co-creator and actively contribute to the festival, or you don’t come at all. The number of participants is limited. Every participant becomes a member of the non-profit organization that runs the event and is required to pay the membership fee. The money goes to cover basic costs and towards Art Grants.
The participants of The Borderland are typically referred to as co-creators. They are encouraged to create theme camps that contribute to the community in any way imaginable. Many of the camps host live performances, workshops, masterclasses, art installations, chill-out spaces, bars, parties, and other events and activities to keep people entertained.
And there’s a lot of hugs! At The Borderland, hugs are a way of radical inclusion. This is a ritual to show that you want to interact with people. Just keep in mind that consent is important and don’t initiate any physical encounters unless the consent is clearly granted.
Photo: theborderland.se
