ArcTanGent feat. WaterBear
Post-Rock Festival teams up with Sustainability Streaming Platform to inspire Visitors to take Care of the Planet
Do you know these very rare events that feel like everything is finally coming together how it should do? One of them happened when the ArcTanGent festival announced sustainability video streaming platform WaterBear as their new sponsor. Don't get me wrong here: I don't just think post-music and sustainability are a perfect fit because they're the two main topics of my blog – they really are one of those two-of-a-kind couples that cannot be separated. And here is why:
This music we all love so much is not only experimental and dreamy – it is always open to exploring new things, very future-driven and highly energetic.
Also: the people who are involved into post-rock/post-metal/post-hardcore/post-punk/post-whatever music care. They care about the planet, they care about other people, and they care about animals.
The fans saved ArcTanGent
I am looking forward to ArcTanGent for two years now. Yes, it's been a while since we went there. But unfortunately, when COVID hit us and the world suddenly stopped, they had to postpone the event two times. But, while many other festivals died or had to change their vision, ArcTanGent made it. They stayed true to themselves and saved the event – thanks to the fans.
If you are a visitor of ArcTanGent, you know about the crowdfunding they started and its outstanding success. We didn't just save the festival; we made it even better with our donations. So, there will be more fun, comfort, hygiene, and sustainable solutions this year.
I know: This may sound like a small step, and I know, ArcTanGent is just a small festival, but: It gives you hope! Hope that there are more people out there supporting the good cause with more in mind than their own pleasure and wealth.
ArcTanGent 2022 will be more sustainable
So, to summon this up and draw the bow to the topic of this article: I am excited to revisit ArcTanGent in a few days – finally, after waiting for so long. I am looking forward to it because of the great music, the fantastic people and a festival team who invites great sponsors like WaterBear into the boat.
No big US soda producer or meat company but WaterBear. Not only a young company with a good cause, but also the first free video-on-demand platform dedicated to the future of our planet.
If you don't know WaterBear by now (I posted some stories in German on this page every now and then): The streaming platform is UK-based, just like the ArcTanGent Festival. Its home city is Brighton – one of the UK's most exciting cities for music and art.
Passionate people who care
Behind the name, WaterBear stands a group of passionate people who got together to use storytelling as a tool to make a difference in a world of pollution and greed.
They wanted to show a different perspective, so they built the first interactive streaming platform dedicated to the earth's future. Their service gives people access to award-winning content that empowers them to dive deeper, learn about biodiversity, sustainability, community, and diversity and take action.
As a WaterBear member, you control what content you wish to watch. And the best thing is: It is free. So, you can just create an account, download the app and start streaming. You can also do that in your web browser, though.
You can join WaterBear for free
WaterBear is full of locally told stories, NGO campaigns, on-the-ground grassroot outreach, volunteering, and eco-travel documentaries. The goal is to inspire people to start making a difference. So if this sounds good for you: just join. I can tell you from my personal experience that it doesn't hurt, and it is worth the three minutes it takes you to create an account.
And who knows: maybe there will also be a documentary about a unique festival soon? A festival that does things different from others? A festival near the post-music city of Bristol? A festival where people love to listen to The Mars Volta all over again in the silent disco?
I don't know about you guys, but I am very excited about what happens next.
Bring your own bottle
ArcTanGent has not only partnered up with WaterBear for stage sponsorship. WaterBear also wanted to create work-based learning opportunities for their students – the program is called "The College of Music". In case you're visiting the festival and want to know more about it, you can speak to WaterBear at their stall in the merch tent.
The festival team decided to change a few things in order to make ArcTanGent more sustainable. One example is that they wanted to get rid of single-use plastics. So at ATG 2022, there won't be any plastic cups and no deposits required any more – they changed to recyclable paper cups.
Also: to keep the rubbish pile as small as possible, visitors are encouraged to bring their own refillable water bottles. There will be plenty of taps on the site to reduce the number of thrown-away bottles.
Thank you, ArcTanGent, for teaming up with my favourite streaming platform, WaterBear!
Btw: Did you know why it is called WaterBear? Well, the platform is named after the tardigrade – also known as the water bear. The eight-legged animals (most of them are less than a millimetre long) look like tiny underwater teddy bears. Their habitat is the sea, where they like to settle in moss cushions. A notable characteristic of the tardigrades is a death-like state in which they can survive extreme environmental conditions. Afterwards, they wake up and continue to live.