Ai Weiwei Will Be Incarcerated for 24-Hours in Manchester

Artist and activist Ai Weiwei is set to present a new 24-hour live performance work, Sewing a Button, and a major site-specific exhibition at Aviva Studios in Manchester. The performance is scheduled from July 3-4, with the exhibition running from July 2 to September 6.

Both works will explore themes central to Ai Weiwei's practice, such as his secret detention, imperialism, globalisation, human rights, and the complexities of Chinese and British relations.

The audience will be able to watch the artist sleep, eat, exercise, write, wash and be interrogated. They will also be able to observe Weiwei, as the guards could, through footage from 3 CCTV cameras set up in the Hall.

The performance and show are presented by Factory International and will occupy The Hall and The Warehouse spaces at Aviva Studios.

Tickets for the events are slated to go on sale from March 24.