MIDWEEK COLUMN WEDNESDAY 15 JULY 2026
- STEVE COOKE AATA
- 2 minutes ago
- 7 min read
An oasis of positivity celebrating the creative arts with previews, reviews, interviews, and recommendations.
MIDWEEK COLUMN WEDNESDAY 15 JULY 2026
Previews: Oldham's Annual Festival of Joy is Returning Next Month, All the people we are yet to meet and The Fabric of Rochdale
Review: Ai Weiwei: Button Up!
Oldham's Annual Festival of Joy is Returning Next Month!
Preview by Steve Cooke
The annual Khushi Festival is back this summer on Saturday 1st August, at Oldham' Cultural Quarter, just outside of Oldham Library.
Khushi Festival is a one day festival of happiness, celebrating family, South Asian culture and community spirit. Think theatre, dance, music, DJ-ing, crafts, puppets, workshops, market stalls, free face-painting, reality arcade games and even bubbles. The day is packed with both free activities and ticketed events, so get down and enjoy the celebrations!
This year's exciting line-up includes award-winning comedian Shazia Mirza - who brings her acclaimed stand-up to Oldham; a rare chance to experience the mesmerising performance of a Whirling Dervish; Move Manchester’s energetic family show Lilo Lost It! and the premiere of Love or Sacrifice, a newly commissioned musical work performed live by Satnam Galsian. You can also enjoy the comedy-drama piece My Mum Told Me Not To Marry A [ ] presented by Ajeeb Studios & Amina Aaliya Beg, along with much more!
The state of the world has changed since Shazia was teaching in an East End Comprehensive.
Kids have changed, language has changed and no one’s got any shame anymore.
Bring a bit of it back as Shazia's mum would say! Have some shame, just a bit! A good romp full of laughs and hilarity, about the state of the world and how different things are to when Shazia was teaching and how she was brought up in Birmingham in the 90’s. Family, love, relationships, the internet and celebrity.
Shazia Mirza is an award winning British stand-up comedian and writer. In 2023 The Telegraph named her as one of the 50 defining comedians of the century.
Shazia’s TV appearances include: Eastenders (BBC) ‘QI’ (BBC), ‘Would I lie To You’ (BBC), ‘The Jonathan Ross Show’ (ITV), ‘Rhod Gilbert’s Growing Pains’ (Comedy Central), ‘Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls’ (C4), Top Gear (BBC), ‘The One Show (BBC), ‘Loose Women’ (ITV), ‘The Late Late Show’ (RTE) ‘Have I got News for You’ (BBC) Celebrity SAS Who Dares Wins (Channel 4) and ‘The Wright Stuff’/’Jeremy Vine’ (C5) as well as the ever popular ‘F*** Off, I’m a Hairy Woman’ (BBC).
Ages 16+
£15 [concessions £12]
17:15 -18.15 on Saturday 1 August
Khushi Comedy: Shazia Mirza in the Khushi Festival at Studio 1, Theatre Workshop, JR Clynes Building – (The Old Library) Greaves Street, Oldham OL1 1DN
All the people we are yet to meet
Preview by Steve Cooke
All the people we are yet to meet Exhibition & Workshops with Mary Naylor at Ebor Studios.
On Friday 31 July 10:00 - 12:00: Workshop: Paint a Face, Children's Drop-In
A fun and creative drop-in portrait painting workshop created especially for young artists. Over two hours, children will explore paint expression and character as they make their own painted portraits. Guided by artist Mary Naylor, participants will learn simple techniques for capturing faces and emotions while experimenting with brushes, textures, and their imagination. No experience needed — just curiosity and a love for art! All materials are provided, and children can join at any time during the session.
On Saturday 1 August 10:00 - 12:00 Workshop: Portrait Painting
Make your own portraits, guided by artist Mary Naylor, who will share her secrets and tips for building.... and experimenting with faces. No experience needed — just curiosity and a love for art! All materials are provided.
Then 13:00 - 15:00 Exhibition Opening
A collection of painted portraits, inspired by and celebrating the people Mary Naylor encountered on her travels around South, Central and North America. Each piece captures a moment of connection, delightful crossovers and meaningful friendships that make every journey unforgettable. “Exposure to people with experiences, backgrounds and ideas different from my own has been mind, eye and heart opening. Every face I paint reminds me how much we miss when we only look inward. The world widens with every story we let in.”
The People we are yet to meet Exhibition, Workshops are Free / Pay What You Want
Ebor Studio, William Street, Littleborough, Rochdale, OL15 8JP
Ai Weiwei: Button Up!
Review by Mark Rothwell
Four years in the making and four weeks to hang, Ai Weiwei, 68 years old, presents a captivating, varied and historical series of exhibits in a vast space for monumental artworks at the Aviva Studios in Manchester.
Button Up! the title of the exhibition, stems from an experience Ai Weiwei had during his detention by the Chinese Public Security for 81 days in or near Beijing in 2011. Apparently, his trouser button came off during his incarceration which took days to repair by his captors, leaving an object that acts as a reminder of his ordeal.
Nineteen separate artworks reveal Weiwei’s artistic output in pieces that illustrate a range of ideas, a range of concerns, such as a natural disaster, that inform works including Eight-Nation Alliance Flags (2024), China Flag (2023), Teahouse (2011), Porcelain Pillar with Refugee Motif (2017), Law of the Journey (2017, 2025), La Commedia Umana (2017-2021) and Nian Nian (Commemoration)(2021).
Ai Weiwei says, quoted from one of the many plinths in the exhibition space guiding viewers through each exhibit, about his huge Eight-Nation Alliance Flags (2024) “Several years ago I purchased a huge number of buttons from A. Brown & Co Buttons in Croydon. There are more than 9,000 kinds of buttons and they weigh almost 30 tonnes”. The buttons took two years to sort through before being used to sew onto fabric and make the flags. Ai Weiwei goes on to say, “These artworks reference the textile factories that made this city (Manchester), rich”.
In 1900-01, eight nations, all European bar Japan and, arguably, Russia, invaded China to open trade ports. “The buttons, symbolic of industrial manufacturing, are transformed into large-scale graphics representing the flags of these eight nations”. Each flag, suspended from the ceiling, refer to each nation’s flag in 1900-01 consequently most of them appear different to what they do today. Ai Weiwei again, “The flags were made by 33 artisans in Shandong and took 281 days to complete”.
Nian Nian, (Commemoration)(2021) is an audio installation which informs the gallery visitor of the name of each of the 5,197 children who perished in the Sichuan earthquake of 2008. The recitation lasts for 39 days, 24 hours a day. 300 volunteers took part.
The exhibition explores colonialism, the first industrial revolution, in Manchester, of course, trade, history, materials and slavery while viewing a 200-year span of developmental history that is also the history of Manchester.
Ai Weiwei, dressed in a white buttoned shirt and slacks, spoke to an audience about the principal triggers for his ideas and the world around us today including the phenomenon of migration and the actions of governments, specifically the capturing of the leader of Venezuela by force by the United States of America.
Other artists who are known for their large scale artworks are Anselm Kiefer, Damien Hirst, his The Virgin Mary is a case in point, and Christo and Jeanne-Claude known for wrapping fabric around trees, islands and buildings such as the L’Arc de Triomphe in Paris and the Reichstag in Berlin.
The exhibition runs until 6 September 2026 (closed Mondays) at The Warehouse, Aviva Studios, Water Street, Manchester M3 4JQ
Tickets from £15
Visit: www.factory international.org
The Fabric of Rochdale
Preview by Steve Cooke
Breaking barriers, ‘The Fabric of Rochdale’ is a celebratory, binaural sound piece, co-created with the diverse communities of 4 of the townships of Rochdale. It encompasses the spirit of the cooperative, exploring the hopes, dreams and lives of the people who call Rochdale their home.
It can be experienced in The Exchange at Rochdale Town Hall
The Exchange is the hub of the public part of the building. The space welcomes visitors whilst its decoration introduces them to the character of Victorian Rochdale.
The Exchange was originally built as a marketplace for local businessmen to trade cotton and wool, but they never used it. Perhaps they preferred to continue to do their deals in the local pubs!
Together, the architecture and decoration show the pride Rochdalians had in their town and borough, particularly in trade and commerce.
Monday–Sunday: 10am–4pm
RECOMMENDATIONS
Wednesday,15 July 2026
Toad Lane Concerts - Rochdale's Weekly Music at Lunchtime
This week we have - Tim Kennedy tenor (Cambridge University & RNCM staff) Carol Kwater piano
Running every Wednesday, Music at Lunchtime is a weekly live classical music concert series that has been going since the 1960s. The sessions were initially run at the old Rochdale Art Gallery by the local authority, but since May 2001 have been run by volunteer-enthusiasts and artistic director, Dr Joe Dawson.
£6
Phone: Dr Joe Dawson 01706 648872
St Mary in the Baum, Toad Lane/St Mary's Gate, Rochdale OL16 1DZ
Doors open 12noon, concert starts 12.30pm - 1.30pm
Thursday, 16 July 2026
Visit Fireground Museum
Join us at Fireground this week to discover Greater Manchester's firefighting story.
Fire museum attractions are on show inside the museum including our collection of historic firefighting artefacts from the 18th century to present day, plus home-made refreshments in the new Fireground Café, and souvenirs from our fantastic new gift shop! We have a wide choice ranging from toddler to collector.
Under 4s Free, Children (aged 4-15) £6, Seniors £6, Students £6, Adults £8, Family (4 people) £24.
Phone: Fireground 01706 341219
Visit: https://www.fireground.org.uk/ Thursday, Friday & Saturday from 10am - 4pm
Thursday, 16 July 2026
Bookstart Baby and Bear Club - Smallbridge Library
For babies and toddlers up to pre-school age and their parents or carers.
Free
Booking required: please book a ticket for every baby and/or child who is to attend. Accompanying adults will not need a ticket. See available sessions and book tickets through Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/rochdale-borough-libraries-10695506106
When you and your child come along to their first session of Bookstart Baby and Bear Club, they will receive their very own Bookstart passport for you to get stamped each time they come along to a session or visit the library. For every 6 stamps they get in their passport, they'll receive a certificate. If you or your child are not library members already, you can join when you come along to Bookstart Bear Club.
1.30pm - 2.15pm
Smallbridge Library, Stevenson Square, Rochdale OL12 9SA
Thursday, 16 July 2026
Reading Group - Smithy Bridge Library
3rd Thursday of every month. A monthly group that meets to discuss a chosen title and have a general chat about their shared love of reading.
For adults.
Free
No need to book, you can just turn up.
1.30pm - 3pm
Smithy Bridge Library, 121–123 Smithy Bridge Road, Littleborough OL15 0BQ
Thursday, 16 July 2026
Lego Club - Spotland Library
3rd Thursday of every month. Come and join our Lego Club and build your own Lego creations in our themed sessions.
For families with teenagers and children aged 5 and above.
Free
No booking required, you can just turn up.
3.30pm - 5pm
Location: Spotland Library, Ings Lane, Rochdale OL12 7AL
