Festival: Crunch: The Art and Philosophy Festival, The Globe, Hay-on-Wye, November 18-20 2011

Amid economic tumult, during all the pleading for cultural pillars to be spared the proverbial axe, perhaps the most intelligent argument to be drawn has been the one which positions creativity as more vital than ever during difficult times.

The arts, so the thought thread goes, allow us a tangible yet priceless sense of escape, as well as value for modest investment.

The makers of Crunch subscribe passionately to this view, and their 2011 forays on a picturesque edge of the Black Mountains take a theme of being alive and awakened by great art.

"Escape the everyday and venture out into the world as you would like it to be," they implore by way of introduction, and although that might sound easier in a secluded corner of the valleys than it is behind a desk on a weekday morning, their admirable mission is one backed by an invigorating programme.

The musical line-up is brilliant and full of eccentricity but, to concentrate on the art side of things, you can take your pick between exhibitions and talks, including Bob and Roberta Smith discussing the autobiographical nature of their trade, filmmaker Nicolas Roeg (listed by Danny Boyle as his key inspiration), a journey into surrealism with Susan Hiller and the moot point of whether art should play a leading role in political change, debated by Martin Kemp and University of the Arts chair Sir John Tusa.

Bob and Roberta Smith is back for a film by John Rogers as he "fights the power", and another of his provocative peers, Jake Chapman, speaks to Paradise Row founder Nick Hackworth about the driving forces behind his dark forces.

Much of it takes place in a special Art Salon, complementing an Art Pavilion where the Crunch Art Fair will showcase work from some of the best contemporary practitioners across Europe in a suite of nine spaces.

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