An audio essay and documentary made in response to ‘Radical Translations’ – an interdisciplinary project which explores the role of translation in the spread of radical, democratic ideas during and after the French Revolution – and in anticipation of ‘An Anarchist Playbook‘, an anthology of radical translations published by Tenement Press.

The project involved the collaborative translation of Sylvain Maréchal’s ‘Manifesto of Equals’ (1796) by a group of students at King’s College London, who translated the manifesto during a series of workshops led by the poet and translator Cristina Viti. They also interpreted and adapted the text to the stage with the help of the dramaturge Simon Hatab and the French theatre collective La Phenomena, which culminated in the presentation of ‘Performing Utopia’ at Sands Films Studio in London.

The documentary follows the students as they perform various acts of translation – from one language into another, but also from another time, context and medium – and explores how translation relates to both theatre and politics through a dialogue with the work of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and the philosopher Jacques Rancière, as well as the music of Mozart in ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ (1786).

Written and produced by Patrick Bernard, it explores how politics, theatre and translation transform our understanding of the world, and reflect a desire to make words and ideas manifest.

Featuring Giovanna Demopoulos, Ben Anderson, Simon Hatab, Cristina Viti, Dr Sanja Perovic and Dr Rosa Mucignat. Translations by Karen Lacey-Holder.