Elevation blog post

My name is Alapelode Oluwatobi and I was the Assistant Director for Elevation 2025. My role was both practical and deeply human. It began each day an hour earlier than everyone else, when I would set out the chairs that welcomed our guests. Those quiet moments of preparation — checking the equipment, running test transmissions, swapping batteries — became a ritual. They weren’t just about logistics; they were about creating a smooth passage for the guests to step into this unusual journey. 

Once our guests arrived, I became the first point of contact. My responsibility was to greet each person with warmth, to hand them their headphones with care, and to encourage them to breathe deeply, to notice the freshness of the air, and to allow themselves to slow down. On the moors, the smallest gestures matter. A smile can set the tone for how someone enters the experience. 

Working alongside four cultural pioneers across eight days, I quickly realised that the role was as much about adaptability as it was about planning. On the moors, nothing is guaranteed — not the weather, not the technology, not even the pace of the walk. Each day brought its own surprises, and I learned to respond with speed and calm. A sudden gust of wind, a technical glitch, or an unexpected change in the group’s energy — these moments called for quick thinking and quiet confidence. 

Elevation stretched me professionally. It demanded attention to detail, time management, and a balance of being polite, professional, and present. It gave me the chance to guide other cultural pioneers, to manage a budget responsibly, and to step into leadership with humility and resolve. But more than that, the experience reaffirmed the kind of creative leader I want to be. Someone who holds space for others, who pays attention to detail without losing sight of the bigger picture, and who finds joy in the small, human acts that make an experience memorable. I am sincerely grateful to Parvez Qadir and Jodie Ratcliffe for giving me this opportunity. 

Looking forward, I know this role will shape how I approach future projects. I’ve not only sharpened practical skills but also deepened the understanding that art — especially community-rooted art like Elevation — is about connection. Connection to place, to people, and to the stories that bind them together. 

As I stood on the moors, watching guests walk slowly into the mist with Rochdale’s voices in their ears, I realised that this is the kind of work I want to keep doing: work that grounds people, elevates stories, and reminds us all to slow down.