Without the volunteers, there would be no Tønder Festival. It's as simple as that.

In 2024, Tønder Festival celebrates its 50th year. One part of the celebrations is the art project Folk Tales, which examines the festival's DNA through a series of portraits in word and wood. The portraits are based on personal interviews and stories. The project is the work of writer Sanne Flyvbjerg and artist Søren Assenholt, who have been talking to musicians, audience members and others at the festival since 2017. In 2023 it's the Tønder Festival volunteeers who are under scrutiny. The sample portraits will give an impression of the many individuals and functions involved in the volunteer corps, though naturally the artists cannot cover all 2500 volunteers responsible every year for the practical running of the festival. All the new portraits will be exhibited on the festival site.

Following the old folk art of wood-carving, Søren Assenholt cuts both reliefs and small wooden figures. Sanne Flyvbjerg contributes stories which give the portraits voice. All her texts about place and origin are based on interviews with people she has met at Tønder Festival. When text joins figure, the portrait is complete.

The artists have worked together for 15 years on a variety of exhibitions and publications.

For more on the project, see: flyvbjerg-assenholt.dk

Tønder Festival 24th, 25th, 26th and 27th August 2023
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