Last weekend, Big Brue arrived in Bruton, a new festival built around live conversation and debate, held at Hauser & Wirth Somerset. Across Saturday and Sunday, an impressive range of voices, journalists, authors, scientists, and campaigners among them, took to the Marquee for talks spanning culture, the environment, and global affairs, with music and a Hub space of local food, drink and craft running alongside.
We spent the weekend moving between as many talks as we could, before holding our own Slow Scent Class on Sunday morning.
Our Slow Scent Class
Our workshop was held inside the Radić Pavilion, set at the far end of Oudolf Field. We guided participants through our natural perfumery workshop, building a scent slowly from botanical oils with each participant setting their own intention behind the fragrance they made. The morning sun poured through the pavilion as we worked, catching the light in the aroma bottles lined up along the table. Visitors walking through the field were drawn in by the scent of perfume, pausing to smell the oils and raw ingredients we had on display.
Crafting for Survival
A talk that has stayed with us since is Crafting for Survival in an Iranian Prison, a conversation between Helena Lee, features director at Harper's Bazaar, and Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, author and human rights campaigner. Nazanin spoke about the role that craft played during her almost six years of wrongful imprisonment. She shared how sewing and knitting became a way of holding onto herself during her time there and functioned as a means of solidarity between her and her fellow prisoners. She told a story of prisoners coming together to sew a wedding dress for another woman, granted furlough and determined to get married while she had the chance, a small, defiant act of joy inside an impossible situation.
She spoke too of the nine months she spent in solitary confinement, and how books carried her through it, laughing as she recalled rereading War and Peace several times, a novel she had never expected to pick up once. And she shared a project close to her heart: a “freedom pinafore” made for her daughter, formed from small pieces of wool that women who were being released into freedom had left behind. It was a powerful reminder of how much craft can hold, even in the hardest of circumstances.
Making Space for Nature
Another highlight was Making Space for Nature, with Ben Goldsmith, Tom Calver, and Rachel Salvidge, environmental journalist. Ben, an environmentalist and re-wilding advocate, spoke about how he transformed his family farm near Bruton by re-wilding and how fast biodiversity can return to a landscape when it is allowed to. He spoke of all the birds and animals that began to populate the farmland after he began re-wilding the space, adding that he brought other species that historically had inhabited the area back as well.
Tom, director and cheesemaker at Westcombe Dairy, described how regenerative farming methods can be incorporated in a business setting. He detailed the ways in which Westcombe Dairy are working to increase biodiversity on their farm, from herbal leys to planting fruit trees. Sharing how the shift in farming methods over the past few years has shown up both in the health of the land, and in the flavour of the cheese itself, a reminder that caring for the land and making something better aren't separate goals.
Life Lessons
The talk titled, Life Lessons, brought together musician and activist Bob Geldof and psychotherapist and author Julia Samuel. Bob spoke candidly about the parts of his life that have played out in public, the decades of music and campaigning alongside losses that were equally shared in the media. It was an extremely heartfelt talk, and a reflection on the challenges of grief and profound loss, especially in a life lived so publicly.
Music From the Frontline
Another highlight was the final session, Music from the Frontline, marking the publication of Don McCullin's new book on Vietnam, and chaired by Helena Newman of Sotheby's. Here, some of his most powerful images were projected while the Cavatina Orchestra performed live alongside the conversation. He reflected his experiences of working in warzones around the world, as well as his love for the quieter landscape in Somerset and the need for a peaceful space. It was a striking way to experience already incredibly poignant photographs, and a powerful ending to such a thought-provoking weekend.
Reflecting on the Weekend
Reflecting on the weekend, what struck us most was the sheer range of conversation on offer, and how much ground two days of talks can cover. There was a real thread of resilience running through so much of what we heard, people finding ways to hold onto meaning, care and connection. We left the festival grateful for two days of good company and conversation, carrying a renewed appreciation for what a weekend of listening can offer. We hope Big Brue becomes a lasting fixture on the Bruton calendar.