Jeremy Deller
‘Procession’

Valerie’s Snack Bar, 2009, Replica cafe, 274 x 366 x 610 cm
2009
Replica cafe, 18 banners, film screened on TV
Dimensions Variable
  • Valerie’s Snack Bar, 2009, Replica cafe, 274 x 366 x 610 cm
  • Unrepentent Smokers, 2009, Banner made by Ed Hall, 200 x 120 cm, 78.7 x 47.2 in
  • Carnival Queens, 2009, Banner made by Ed Hall, 120 x 200 cm, 47.2 x 78.7 in
  • Ramble On, 2009, Banner made by Ed Hall, 182 x 152 cm, 71.7 x 59.8 in
  • Working not Begging, 2009, Banner made by Ed Hall, 182 x 152 cm, 71.7 x 59.8 in
  • Cathedral Gardens Saturday Afternoon, Rain or Shine, 2009, Banner made by Ed Hall, 182 x 152 cm, 71.7 x 59.8 in
  • The Last of the Industrial Revolution, 2009, Banner made by Ed Hall, 175 x 128 cm, 68.9 x 50.4 in
  • We miss the world of Twist, 2009, Banner made by Ed Hall, 120 x 200 cm, 47.2 x 78.7 in
  • Lest We Forget, 2009, Banner made by Ed Hall, 133 x 181 cm, 52.4 x 71.3 in
  • Our Ancestors were at Peterloo, 2009, Banner made by Ed Hall, 120 x 200 cm, 47.2 x 78.7 in
  • Remember Ian Tomlinson, 2009, Banner made by Ed Hall, 120 x 200 cm, 47.2 x 78.7 in
  • You're Rendering that Scaffolding Dangerous, 2009, Banner made by Ed Hall, 120 x 200 cm, 47.2 x 78.7 in
  • Smoking Kills, 2009, Banner made by Ed Hall, 120 x 200 cm, 47.2 x 78.7 in
  • Rose Queen, 2009, Banner made by Ed Hall, 182 x 152 cm, 71.7 x 59.8 in
  • The Adoration of the Chip, 2009, Banner made by Ed Hall, 182 x 152 cm, 71.7 x 59.8 in
  • 16th Aug 1819 Stalybridge Old Band, 2009, Banner made by Ed Hall, 182 x 182 cm, 71.7 x 71.7 in
    Array

‘I like what has happened in Manchester — historically, politically, musically — and I’ve always enjoyed being there, so when I was asked to make a public artwork for Manchester International Festival in 2009, I assembled a procession of the city’s people and their activities. It was mostly a celebration of public space and the people occupying it: buskers, smokers, car modifiers, The Big Issue sellers and so on. One of the elements was Valerie’s Snack Bar, this café in Bury Market, which just seemed to be a great gathering place for OAPs, the snack bar was almost exactly replicated and put on the back of a lorry and taken for a spin. As with any procession, there are lots of contradictory elements: some are traditional, others are contemporary or even futuristic. I wanted in a way to try and make something a bit like a procession you would see on The Simpsons, a sort of social surrealist event full of bizarre, funny, wrong-seeming things.’



Jeremy Deller