David Sefton: director of the Gulbenkian Arts Centre

Meet David Sefton, director of the Gulbenkian Arts Centre and Institute of Cultural and Creative Industries: festival-maker, risk-taker and Kent’s cultural champion. We talk big ideas, Bowie dreams and why live events still have magic

Your career has taken you around the world. What drew you to Kent?

I’ve got quite an odd career history, spanning major international festivals, large venues, and work with big university campus programmes in America. The opportunity at the University of Kent wasn’t dissimilar – smaller in scale than UCLA – but with matching ambitions. I’ve been an artistic director previously, but with the institute’s expansion into the digital domain and future technologies, its scope is incredibly exciting. The role fits with where I’ve been before, and where I’d like to see myself heading.

You’ve worked with some of the world’s most influential artists. Looking back, which project was your favourite?

It’s hard to pick just one, but Meltdown continues to be a major success, so I’m pleased about that. However, in my line of work, it’s all about what’s next. We’re launching a major new international music festival next July, which I’m very excited about. Shadowlands will bring together 32 bands from all over the world. Inevitably, that’s going to be my next big thing.

Where do you start when organising a festival of that scale?

It’s clearly not a one-man process and requires a strong team. Also, when you’ve been working in the industry as long as I have, you build connections. I wouldn’t have been doing a very good job if not. You start with your wishlist and begin talking to artists, explaining the idea. For me, maintaining strong relationships with those I’ve worked with before has always been a priority. It means people trust you and are more likely to come on board with your ideas.

You’ve founded Meltdown Festival and led major art organisations. What advice would you give to someone starting in the arts?

It’s important to have a good team behind you, and sharing your enthusiasm with them is the best way to do that. It takes a small town to deliver big festivals, so being able to communicate your passion encourages people to get stuck in and helps them appreciate your vision. For anyone starting out, I’d say communication and networking are crucial.

(Image: Getty)

How did you get started down this career path?

There’s no obvious route into this industry, and I actually began as a music journalist picked up by Spotlight Publications. That morphed into putting on gigs and working in local venues and evolved from there.

At Southbank Centre, I began in marketing, and it was a case of right place, right time as my skills led me into programming and launching Meltdown. In hindsight, that was a big turning point for me, as I took what was an old classical music event and blew it out of the water. It was the first festival that took people from the rock and pop world and called them creators.

What do you think people gain most from cultural events like this?

It’s interesting how with every new technological development, the death of live events is predicted, but that overlooks the importance of collective experiences, like 400 people in a room sharing an amazing concert. That’s never going away. Those experiences can’t be replicated. You can record it, transmit it, document it, but it’s not the same as being in that space at that very moment.

Name one live event that you attended in the last five years that you loved.

I attended a Polish festival, Unsound, which took place in Krakow and Warsaw. It was exceptionally well organised and rather ambitious and adventurous.

I also recently attended a new music festival in Blackpool, The Black Lights. They had some fantastic venues, including Blackpool Tower Ballroom. I love the things that get off the ground against all odds!

Are there any upcoming Kent experiences you’d encourage people to check out?

I may be a little biased, but for families, they should definitely visit bOing! Festival. It takes place annually on the beautiful University of Kent campus and will return next year. There are lots of performances and activities to enjoy, and much of it is free. It’s actually the largest public engagement piece the campus sees in the year – we usually get around 10,000 people rocking up across those two days. So much of what we bring onto campus has a wider focus. You Are Here is a new initiative that emerged from conversations with Sam Bailey of Free Range. A dozen local music producers, venues, and presenters come together for a weekend to celebrate artists from a variety of genres. We’re always keen to let people know there’s so much on offer and it’s not just for students; it’s for everyone!

If you could bring any artist, living or dead, to perform at the Gulbenkian tomorrow, who would it be?

It would have to be David Bowie. He was my childhood hero, and I feel blessed to have met him a couple of times, but I never actually got to work with him, so he’d definitely be my first choice.

One daring career risk that paid off?

When I was in Adelaide, we held the first-ever art event at the Adelaide Oval, the newly refurbished cricket and Australian rules football stadium. It was huge, very expensive, and would’ve been a total disaster if it failed. But we sold 37,000 tickets, which I believe remains the highest-ever single ticketed event in the festival’s history. That’s probably the largest professional risk I ever took, but it absolutely worked!.

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