Wonderfruit Moments with Om & Away’s Founder, Charlyn

Music festivals around the world are notorious for their huge environmental impact- from the waste they create to the carbon footprint of those who attend the festival. However, Wonderfuit is more than a festival. It’s vision is to promote creativity, sustainability and community engagement. Thailand is a perfect place in Asia to host it. The festival is held annually outside Pattaya in Chonburin Province. Dance away to rock, independent music, hip hop music and electronic dance as the stars lit the night. The design and art scene is equally unique and interesting, there are so many layers to it. And that’s makes this festival sexy. Om’s founder tells us why.

1) What are some of the artistic highlights in Wonderfruit this year?

The music curation was just top notch, I was so happy to be able to catch my drum and bass idol producer, Goldie and others like Nightmares on Wax, Dubpates and Pancakse and many more. As there were so many gigs happening at the same time, it was a great platform to discover new musicians and genres. It was a feast to the ears, mind and body.

But I would have to say, the main highlight of the festival was The Waldorf Experiment. The organizers turned off all the lights at 8pm on Sunday night and we streamed towards the field. It was supposed to be an experiment on engineered empathy. There were a few thousand people lying on the field in triangle shapes. Dancers wearing LED lights moved around the field to manipulate the crowd, other than that you were left to your own devices, the music that was playing and the stars. I had an intense moment of clarity, the connection I felt with the earth and the sky – it was so super powerful, tears streamed down my cheeks.

2) What is your favorite art piece in Wonderfruit and why?

My favorite installation was the Wonderfruit scarecrow. He was very big and greeted you with awe. At at night, he transformed to a glowing monster.
The best part is that there is a room under his legs and and workshops are held in it.

3) What is a typical day in Wonderfruit for you?

We go to the festival grounds in the day, attend a few workshops, and have lunch. The food is totally amazing. There were hundreds of stalls, all selling delicious food, we were spoilt for choice. I attended a oriental massage workshop, did sound yoga, orgasmic yoga(check out our all women’s retreat led by Dr Martha Lee here!), and a thai herbal compress workshop.

In the late afternoon, we would go back for a rest, and will go back to the festival dressed up, ready to dance the night and for some people (the morning) away!

4) What inspiration did you draw from Wonderfruit?

My main takeaway is that the earth is so rich and wonderful, so generous in giving. We have received so much and will continue to do so. We need to treat it right.

5) How relatable is Wonderfuit for the man in the street?

I would say its not for your everyone out there. You have got to be interested in the music, art, wellness or architecture. If there is nothing at the festival that relates to you, it might feel as if you have been thrown a curve ball. The curated music and art is world class. It is also not a rave party as some would expect.

6) Can you tell us why is Wonderfuit the world’s most sustainable festival?

The organizers of the festival were indeed very conscious of their environmental impact. The structures and furniture were almost all made of bamboo, which is strong and the most sustainable building material. The were no plastic cups, food containers, or straws used. Instead, we used metal cups that we brought along with us and straws made out of wheat. There was no cash used on site or receipts issued, all transactions were made electronically through the wristbands.

7) What did you pack for attending Wonderful?