BRIGHTON FESTIVAL CO-GUEST DIRECTOR TRISTAN SHARPS DISCUSSES HOW ART CAN PROMPT CHANGE
It’s been a long two years, but Brighton Festival is finally due to return in its familiar format, in-person and bigger than ever. “It’s just great that it’s back to full strength,” says Tristan Sharps, dreamthinkspeak founder and 2022’s Guest Co-Director at the festival. “It’s been a couple of years, so it’s just great.”
For the first time, the festival is welcoming two Guest Co-Directors. Celebrated Syrian architect and author Marwa Al-Sabouni joins Sharps, enabling both local and international perspectives in the programme. So, what kind of guest director is he intending to be? “I don’t think of it as a figurehead situation. Both myself and Marwa Al-Sabouni have been heavily involved in the creation of the programme. But it’s a joint effort. There’s a fantastic team at the festival, who’ve been having conversations with artists for years. It’s joining up these with all the new conversations that she and I have ignited.”
The pair have chosen ’Rebuilding’ as the theme to inspire this year’s programme. “It can be seen as quite a broad umbrella,
