Ai Weiwei: Sewing a Button 2026

Directed by Ai Weiwei

Fifteen years ago, Ai Weiwei was secretly detained without any formal charges by Public Security in China. For 81 days, he lived in a single cell, eating his meals, washing and exercising between interrogations. Now Ai Weiwei presents Sewing a Button – a day-long live performance work re-enacting this brutal, life-changing experience. Sewing a Button condenses the artist's detention into 24 hours, inviting audiences to bear witness to his experience live at Manchester's Aviva Studios. In a re-creation of his cell, he will sleep, eat, write and wash – sometimes, he will be interrogated. Unsettling and provocative, Sewing a Button exposes the fragility of personal freedoms in today’s uncertain world.