Piazza PalazzoAi Weiwei : Sewing a button24h live streaming
Piazza Palazzo
24 hours performance
not recommended for under-16s
free admittance
A 24-hour live stream connects L’Aquila and Manchester to follow Ai Weiwei’s performance at Factory International.
Fifteen years ago, Ai Weiwei was held in secret, without any formal charges, by the Chinese Public Security authorities. In the performance, the artist recalls his 81 days in detention, recreating a typical day in which reflections and interrogations alternate with moments of rest and physical activity.
The title is inspired by a specific moment during his detention when, after two months without a button to fasten his trousers, he was given a needle and thread by a guard to sew it back on.
On the LED wall in Piazza Palazzo, in the heart of the city, you can watch the live stream and accept the artist’s invitation to bear witness to his experience.
credits
co-creation Ai Weiwei and Low Kee Hong performance Ai Weiwei commission and production Factory International set design Hawkins/Brown costumes Ai Weiwei Studio
The live stream of “Ai Weiwei: Sewing a Button” is also being broadcast at ACMI (Australia), ARTHAUS (Argentina), Dover Street Market (Paris) and the Cafesjian Centre for the Arts (Armenia).
