Ai Weiwei: Behind the Scenes Twitter Chat with Alison Klayman

Alison Klayman, the director of upcoming Independent Lens documentary Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, will be participating in a Twitter chat on Monday, February 25, 2013, at 11am PST/ 2pm EST. She will be taking questions and providing insight into one of the most celebrated (and controversial) artists/activists of our time, Ai Weiwei.

Ai Weiwei is arguably the most internationally celebrated Chinese artist of the modern era. The inscrutable bearded visionary burst onto the scene with vast conceptual installations, such as his eight million hand-painted ceramic sunflower seeds inside Tate Modern, and went on to design the iconic Bird’s Nest stadium for the Beijing Olympics. But at heart, Ai Weiwei is a troublemaker with a serious agenda: to challenge the oppression of the Chinese people by their government with rebellious and irreverent gestures. His activism has cost him his freedom repeatedly, but he never seems to lose his childlike approach to serious dissidence executed with a wink.

As the director and producer of Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, Klayman started filming in 2008 hoping to use the film as a way to help people around the world learn something new about China through the eyes of Ai Weiwei. During her time filming, she spent countless hours with the charismatic and fascinating artist, learning the motivations behind both his art and activism.

Ask Alison a question either before or during the chat by posting to Twitter with the hashtag #AWWchat.

Here is an overview of the #AWWchat event:

Ai Weiwei: Behind the Scenes with Alison Klayman

When: Monday, February 25, 2013 at 11am – 12pm PST (2pm – 3pm EST). If you can’t make it, you can send your questions ahead of time using the hashtag #AWWchat or a comment below.

Who: Alison Klayman, director/producer of Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, will be tweeting from @AWWNeverSorry. Independent Lens (@IndependentLens) will be moderating the chat.

How: To submit a question, send a tweet with the hashtag #AWWchat from an active Twitter account or leave a comment below if you don’t have an account. To follow the conversation, search the hashtag #AWWchat on Twitter or follow along at tweetchat.com.