MICK MCSHANE is roused by a band whose socialism laces every line of every song with commitment and raw passion
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ALEX HALL is disgusted by the misuse of ‘emotional narratives’ to justify uninformed geo-political prejudice
SUE TURNER welcomes a thoughtful, engaging book that lays bare the economic realities of global waste management
JOHN GREEN welcomes an insider account of the achievements and failures of the transition to democracy in Portugal
SIMON PARSONS applauds an imaginative and absorbing updating of Strindberg’s classic
PETER MASON is enthralled by an assembly of objects, ancient and modern, that have lain in the mud of London’s river
Manufactory
Barbican, London
THE CLINKING and clanking of industrial machinery, the infinite monotony of the factory floor and the rhythmic beauty of working are starkly demonstrated in this innovative new production that uses music, video and performance to explore the physicality of labour.
Live installation Manufactory is the brainchild of German art collective Transforma and is the culmination of years of artist residencies in France and Switzerland, with research for the piece taking them from a seafood-packing plant to the biggest postal sorting office in the south of France.
Most notable is the trio’s collaboration with electronic mastermind Sascha Ring, best known for his work under the moniker Apparat, who is hands-on-deck to provide the pounding industrial sounds.
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