A 42-metre sculpture of Big Ben made out of political books, a new film featuring Cillian Murphy and a theatrical performance of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s essay about grief are among the standout works at this year’s Manchester international festival, which will take place throughout July.
The large-scale arts event will be one of the first to be held after 21 June, when Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, and organisers say the lineup – which also includes the Turner prize-winner Laure Prouvost, Patti Smith and an animation by Akram Khan – is filled with work that reflects on the coronavirus pandemic and the impact it has had.
John McGrath, MIF’s artistic director, said: “People have been through a lot and we’ve often had to move on from one knock to the next, pick ourselves up and keep moving forward. I think the festival provides a space to acknowledge that, and to share experiences.”
He added that because of the pandemic there had been a focus on outdoor events, such as Deborah Warner’s new work Arcadia that will take place on the site of MIF’s new cultural centre, The Factory, which is being built.
The Argentinian artist Marta Minujín’s Big Ben Lying Down with Political Books will be situated in Piccadilly Gardens, with McGrath saying it is a “reflective but joyous” work after a year in which relations between the Greater Manchester region and Westminster became increasingly strained.
The actor Cillian Murphy and the author Max Porter are reunited for the film All of This Unreal Time, after collaborating on the stage adaptation of Grief Is the Thing With Feathers in 2019 at the Barbican. The work is directed by Aoife McArdle and the music is provided by The National’s Aaron Dessner and Bryce Dessner alongside Jon Hopkins.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s New Yorker essay Notes on Grief will be reimagined for the stage by director Rae McKen, while Akram Khan and animator and director Naaman Azhari are collaborating on a film, and Arlo Parks and Patti Smith also performing.
Other work includes Forensic Architecture’s installation at the Whitworth about the notorious Cancer Alley in Louisiana, photographer Cephas Williams will have his portraits of black British subjects shown in the Arndale shopping centre, and Laure Prouvost’s immersive installation entitled the long waited, weighted gathering, will reopen the Manchester Jewish Museum.
But the threat of future restrictions does hang over the festival. Promising “a unique snapshot of these unprecedented times”, McGrath said audiences should expect physically distanced performances and social spaces, such as Festival Square, which will be mostly seated and offer table service.
Some work, such as French choreographer Boris Charmatz’s performance, which is scheduled to take place along Deansgate in the city centre and involve 150 local performers, could be affected by Covid restrictions, said McGrath, who is anticipating some changes to the lineup.
“I will be very surprised if there isn’t something that we can’t do for one reason or the other by the time it opens,” he said.
The Guardian is co-hosting a keynote lecture by a to-be-announced artist on the opening night of the festival as part of its 200th birthday anniversary.
The Manchester international festival runs from 1-18 July
