Creating New Memories: Roskilde Festival 2019 in Moments

You know when a colour, person, flick of a light, a piece of art or a certain mood catches your eye and creates a small moment in your mind? For me that is what Roskilde Festival gives me every year – moments. Some are volatile – some turn into memories.

At this year’s Roskilde Festival, I tried with a little help from fellow guests to catch some of the moments on camera and visualize what the eye catches. 

Dream City has been at Roskilde Festival since 2012 and is a sustainable audience driven community based on responsible dreams. “I like the idea of guests creating for guests,” says Isuru Perera, of his photo/moment (above). “Big dreamers creating a sustainable space within the festival with amazing and unique ideas to elevate the experience.”

Below Left: “Boys being playful and relaxing in the sun. The wonderful contrast between the soft pink surroundings and the guy’s sweatshirt saying ‘Stodder’ meaning bastard/geezer made me smile. The moment can’t be explained in words – capturing it says everything.” – Moment and photo: Velua Frost

Above Right: “The wonderful crowd – creating a moment for themselves and also the people around them. A glimpse of a feeling that that person is taking in right there.” – Moment and photo: Isuru Perera

For me it is always the installations or the wonderful and versatile graffiti art at the festival that attracts me. The steady hands behind it, the idea that turns into something visual amazing, the colours and different ‘strokes’.

Below Left: Roskilde Festival always has us go a little nuts and have fun in different weird ways. When I saw the sharks mouth I for some reason just wanted people to get in there and “get eaten” and the colourful strokes of sunlight created amazing lights for “the shark attack.” – Moment: Camilla Trodyb / Photo: Isuru Perera 

Above Right: “I was not entirely sure what it was when I caught this piece in the corner of my eye and I had to go close. It was a woman sitting there naked and somehow vulnerable (in my interpretation) and I was drawn to her. When I got closer, I saw how the artist had integrated everything their canvas had provided for them – the little water tap and the square electrical cabinet, and that just made it even more beautiful.” Moment: Camilla Trodyb / Photo: Velua Frost

Below Left: “Roskilde Festival since 1995. A jacket and a man with 24 years of Roskilde Festival stories. There are some many guests at Roskilde Festival that comes back year after year to catch that orange feeling, and that says a lot about the festival and how it touches people in different ways.” – Moment and photo: Isuru Perera

Above Right: “Colourful lights captured at Arena Stage on Thursday night” – Moment and photo: Isuru Perera

Below Left: “Roskilde Festival is very colourful and you get served with so many impressions at all times. But in the midst of it all a panda in it’s simple colour scheme turned up, and I couldn’t take my eyes of it. So simple and yet so powerful.”  Moment and photo: Velua Frost  

Below Right: “This is just a frame of a larger piece – there was just something about how the blues and greens melt together but still express a soft contrast that creates a little corner of magic for me.” – Moment and photo: Velua Frost 

Last year the four 10 feet tall Trump walls at the festival ground made a huge impression on me. This year, especially, it was the mural of the late Danish music icon Master Fatman – a life celebrated and honoured in the midst of the festival by the Pavilion Stage. A visualisation of a person that touched a lot of people. No words needed.

For other people it’s movement, music, moods or something entirely different that become moments. For four days we create a space for endless expression and the moments starts to grow – and what they all have in common is that we create them together. 

Below Left: “Master Fatman 1965 – 2019.” – Moment: Camilla Trodyb / Photo: Velua Frost

Above Right: “The mood, buzz and anticipation waiting for an artist (Danish singer Hans Philip in this case) that you have been looking forward to experience creates a little pocket of joy and unity that feels special every time.” – Moment and photo: Velua Frost  

Below Left: “The iconic alien and cow (having their own moment) that has visited Roskilde Festival more times than most of the guests. It turns up at so many shows every year, and always has people smiling and laughing. I am not sure if it is the same people bringing it year after year, or if it gets passed down. But I do know that Roskilde Festival somehow would not be Roskilde Festival without it.” – Moment: Camilla Trodyb / Photo: Isuru Perera 

Above Right: Bubble in the Roskilde air.” – Moment and photo: Camilla Trodyb

Below Right: I am a huge Hunter S. Thompson fan, so this piece just screamed at me when I walked by. So expressive and colourful, just like him. Hunter’s Fear and Loathing at Roskilde Festival. That seems just about right.” Moment: Camilla Trodyb / Photo: Velua Frost

Collectively or individually we should take these moments and cherish them, as these pockets of bubbles that vanish into the Roskilde air are what makes our festival an experience to remember. 

Beauty is really in the eye of the beholder and at Roskilde Festival there is beauty for everyone. Moments for everyone and memories that last a lifetime.

Above Left: “Bye Bye, Roskilde Festival 2019. You were lovely as always. I enjoyed all the amazing moments and I will treasure all the new memories and keep them with all the other fantastic memories from a Roskilde experience that has lasted 20 years this year.” – Moment: Camilla Trodyb / Photo: Isuru Perera

Photos: Velua Frost & Isuru Perera

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram