“Carro Largo,” 2008, Manifesta 7, Rovereto, Italy

Side view with the artist, “Carro Largo,” 2008, Manifesta 7, Rovereto, Italy

Rear view, “Carro Largo,” 2008, Manifesta 7, Rovereto, Italy

Poster for Manifesta 7, 2008.

Poster for Manifesta 7 (reverse), 2008.

Space Rendezvous

In: Manifesta 7
19 July – 2 November 2008
Rovereto, Italy

Apollo Soyuz
17 – 19 July 1975
17 – 19 July 2008

Parata (Parade):
“Carro Largo,” Christian Philipp Müller with Coro La Valle

During his first site visit in March 2008 at Rovereto’s former Manifattura Tabacchi, Müller by chance found a package of Apollo Sojuz still wrapped in cellophane, produced in Russia for Philip Morris. Intrigued by the image of the copulating space ships, he started to research its history as well as its relation to the former Manifattura Tabacchi. He discovered that in 1936 Futurist Fortunato Depero conceived a float (carro allegorico) for the factory that resembled a cross of a tank with folkloristic allegories. In direct analogy to this late regional adaptation of a utopian art movement, Müller took the 1975 space rendezvous as a model for his Manifesta float.

The opening parade started at the train station, physically connecting the historical center of Rovereto with the venues of the show. Müller’s “Carro Largo” was populated by people in traditional costumes for the 1936 festa dell’uva by Depero.