Ceremony

Phil Collins, artist nominated for the Turner Prize in 2006, delves into the history of Manchester, and embarks on a journey in search of German philosopher Friedrich Engels, who co-authored the Communist Manifesto in 1848 with Karl Marx. Engelslived in Manchester for twenty years; his political thought matured there. Collins found an intact statue of him, similar to the many destroyed portraits of leaders of the Soviet era, in a small town in Ukraine. He arranged to have it transported on a truck across Europe and placed in the center of Manchester, in the square in front of the building of the HOME Art Center. In Collins’ film, images of the statue’s long journey are associated with those of the great popular festival for the installation ceremony of the monument, held in 2017 for the Sixth Edition of the Manchester International Festival. Europe’s first industrial city gives a “welcome back” party to the man whose writings contributed to a radical change in history and modern society. In addition to witnessing the statue’sjourney, Collins, whose film MarxismToday (Prologue) was presented by Lo Schermo dell’Arte in 2010, follows the stories of some working class Mancunians today, to analyze their current status as workers and reflect on the historical, economic and social changes of the last century. Ceremony is a tribute to the German thinker’s i mportance in the history of the English city that was instrumental in the development of his theories, and affirms the crucial role they played in the development of radical thought, not only in Europe. Phil Collins