Director Gitika Buttoo and Writer and Storyteller afshan d’souza-lodhi will be taking over the North Warehouse at Aviva Studios from 7 – 11 May as part of Factory International’s fourth Artist Takeover.
The Artist Takeovers series is an artist development opportunity from Factory International which offers the chance for artists in the North of England to experiment at a scale not possible elsewhere.
In May 2025, Factory International will hand over the keys to its North Warehouse space for use by a collective of two South Asian artists – Director Gitika Buttoo and Writer and Storyteller afshan d-souza-lodhi – to experiment, play and expand their practise. This is the fourth Artist Takeover since the opening of Manchester’s landmark cultural venue Aviva Studios, the artists responded to callout for applications earlier this year.
The Takeover will take the form of a social experiment that meets live art performance -an invitation to step into a space where disagreement and tension are seen as a site of possibility.
The experience unfolds as a journey through space and sensation in an immersive, sensory-led show that asks how we navigate power, proximity, and community, especially as strangers. The audience are not just passive observers but will be encouraged to move, feel, listen and make decisions that shape the experience – exploring how communities resist, adapt, and imagine new ways forward through storytelling, through tension and through building with each other. The Takeover is not intended to be a polished performance, but will be a living process and an invitation to feel, to question, and to shift the systems we’re part of.
Gitika Buttoo and afshan d-souza-lodhi said: “As South Asian creatives based in Greater Manchester, we bring a collaborative approach that draws from our diverse backgrounds in theatre, film, radio, and poetry. Over the years, we have consistently produced work on mid-scale platforms across theatre, film, radio, and poetry, earning recognition for our dedication to telling diverse, impactful stories. However, as South Asian artists, we have often felt constrained by the lack of opportunities to experiment on a larger scale.
For us, stepping into this vast space is more than just a career milestone, it’s a chance to redefine what is possible for artists like us. It provides the platform to test bold, cross-disciplinary ideas and to craft work that is ‘good enough to try and safe enough to fail.’ This is us taking the leap from mid-scale to large-scale, to experiment with ideas we’ve been nurturing, and to create work that is as ambitious as the space itself.”
This takeover is not just about audiences observing a story but about them being a part of it.”
Kee Hong Low, Artistic Director at Factory International says: “Artist development is at the heart of what we do at Factory International. This edition of our Artist Takeover opportunity, which champions South Asian voices, is a vital step towards making sure our spaces reflect the multiplicity of stories, communities, and visions that are present in the creative community in North. We’re thrilled to hand over the keys to the North Warehouse this May to Gitika and afshan—two bold and brilliant artists.”
The Artist Takeover series is about providing space—both physically and creatively—for artists to play, explore, and challenge boundaries and reflects our belief that artists should be trusted with space, time, and support to dream big.”
