The Noise We Make: Pauline Bourdon on Care, Justice, and Collective Joy

“What would the sound be of a rested, cared-for, and nourished network of professionals? I can already hear a whole lot of laughter.”

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Every sound tells a story.

The Noise We Make is a Hope Solutions series that listens to the people behind the noise: the artists, organisers, and changemakers using creativity as a force for good. Together, we explore what progress sounds like, and how the choices we make today will echo in the future.

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Pauline Bourdon doesn’t just understand how live events work: she understands how they could work. Founder and Director of Soliphilia, Pauline is a sustainability consultant and joyful disrupter whose work sits at the intersection of logistics, creativity, and climate justice, helping the music industry imagine, and build, a fairer future.

Her career began on the ground, working in artist logistics and accreditation management across some of the UK’s most influential festivals, including Glastonbury Festival (Silver Hayes), Boomtown Fair, FORWARDS Festival, Love Saves The Day, and Simple Things Festival. That hands-on experience gave Pauline an unfiltered view of the live events ecosystem: its pressures, its possibilities, and the points where meaningful change can no longer be postponed.

In 2021, she took a bold step and founded Soliphilia: a consultancy born from a belief that touring and live events can be powerful spaces for imagination, solidarity, and systemic transformation. Pauline reframes sustainability not as restriction, but as opportunity to test pioneering ideas and technologies, rethink how communities come together, and create moments of collective joy, advocacy, and connection. Her work is guided by optimism, honesty, and a deep sense of care for people, culture, and future generations.

Alongside her consultancy practice, Pauline is a committed educator and advocate for knowledge-sharing as a catalyst for change. She lectures on climate and social justice in the music industry at BIMM Bristol and London, regularly guest lectures across the UK, and plays an active role in a growing network of industry changemakers shaping the sector’s transition. In 2025, she was recognised by AAA as one of the 100 most influential and engaged music industry professionals in the UK.

So, without further ado, let’s turn up the volume - and explore the noise Pauline Bourdon is helping to make.

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The Noise You Make: What kind of impact are you (or your organisation) making through your work right now?

I’m currently working on an industry wide sustainable and regenerative transition. From social justice advocacy, mental health and wellbeing to the more practical environmental impact of Festivals and live events. 

On the touring side, I’m exploring how we can find the right formula to support grassroots artists in making an impact, whether internally with greener, fairer and kinder touring practices or public led with campaigning and advocacy!

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The Noise You Hear: What signals, movements, or shifts in the industry are catching your attention?

I’ve been working with MUTEK in Canada, and their work around new technologies (especially AI) has really caught my attention. It speaks to a growing need for a more radical, locally owned technology movement, something that feels closely aligned with solarpunk thinking.

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The Noise That Needs to Change: What’s still too loud, too quiet, or missing altogether in the sustainability conversation?

The social justice element of decarbonisation is still a little too quiet. We don’t yet have all the answers or solutions when it comes to the ethics of mining minerals or recycling batteries (lithium and cobalt in particular) but I’d like to hear more conversations about how we ensure the green transition isn’t stripping communities of their resources, their health, or their dignity.

The Quiet Work: What behind-the-scenes actions make the biggest difference?

Learning, communicating, and listening. Some of the most transformative moments in my career, with clients or on my own journey, have happened when we talk openly, share resources and ideas, and the “penny drops”. After that, you can’t look away, and it naturally leads to a deeper commitment to weaving your ethos through everything you do.

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The Next Sound: What’s next for you? What sound would you love the future of live events to make?

I’d love to hear the sound of an artist and industry professional’s basic income: or, better yet, a universal basic income for everyone. Financial security has the power to change everything - our experience of collective joy, the simple pleasure of making music, and the way we care for one another as an industry. What would the sound be of a rested, cared-for, and nourished network of professionals?

I can already hear a whole lot of laughter.

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Connect with Pauline on LinkedIn or Instagram. 

Discover more about Soliphilia on their website here. 

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