Ai Weiwei's 24-hour live performance 'Sewing a Button' at Aviva Studios' Factory International demands patience but offers a thoroughly surprising experience. The piece recreates the artist's 81-day imprisonment by Chinese State Police in 2011, during which he was subjected to continuous surveillance and interrogation under false 'tax evasion' charges. As one of the world's most famous contemporary artists, Ai's work is deeply political, criticizing state censorship.
The Cell Recreated
On stage in Factory International's Andrew Law Hall, Ai has built a nearly windowless 7.2m by 3.6m space representing his cell. The room contains a single bed, a table, a glass-walled bathroom, and a wooden chair covered in plastic sheeting with handcuffs dangling from an armrest. Two guards watch the 68-year-old continuously, matching his every step as he paces nine to 12 miles within the confined space daily. He cannot do anything unobserved and must ask permission to drink water, sit down, or wash his face.
Audience as Complicit Observers
Visitors book two-hour slots to watch Ai eat, sleep, exercise, and use the bathroom. A huge screen above the cell broadcasts a blown-up version from multiple angles, sometimes splitting into four perspectives like a CCTV livestream. The experience makes the audience complicit in extreme surveillance while fostering empathy for the agonizing boredom and suspense of such confinement. A timestamp in the top right corner counts through the 81 days at an accelerated rate, accompanied by ominous music that builds tension.
Interrogation Sessions
The performance includes 'interrogation' sessions where famous journalists and cultural figures question Ai. During one session, poet Lemn Sissay probes into Ai's childhood, family relationships, and his kinship with his poet-father, who was also incarcerated for political activism. Ai jokes deadpan, "If you keep me in here for much longer, I'll turn into a poet too." The exchange covers topics from Ai's hatred of his own name to dreams, religion, and the West.
Connection to Manchester
Ai discusses Manchester, the Aviva Studios space, and his exhibition 'Button Up!', which features a huge blow-up dinghy filled with refugees, giant flags made of buttons, and a 400-year-old Chinese structure above a carpet of tea leaves. He has spoken about the city's 'openness and ambition' and explored its connection to British imperialism and the industrial revolution. When Sissay asks if he has enjoyed being in Manchester, Ai breaks into a smile, and they agree for a moment before the guards re-enter and the oppressive atmosphere returns.
