Performance art is a bit like ping pong: not everyone takes it seriously, but the Chinese do it better than most. It developed among the dissidents of the post-Tiananmen Square generation who, deprived of materials or an outlet for their work, experimented on themselves to the limits of endurance.
Vital 07 is a two-day festival which gives an overview of recent trends in Chinese performance art. Much of it can seem ponderous and impenetrable - entertainment is not the first thing on these artists' agendas - but the level of commitment cannot be questioned.
Rosa Mei performs a balletic sword dance whose significance is unclear until she makes the universally alarming signal which means "I need a volunteer from the audience". Several brave souls step forward to have their fortunes read with Chinese divination sticks, though the process goes on even after the point has been made.
Lee Wen, from Singapore, produces some pencils, a newspaper and a fish, which he fashions into a model ship, before tethering a cabbage to his ankle and dragging it outside for a ceremonial burning. Jason Lim piles pint glasses into precarious towers which inevitably topple over and smash. He is a striking performance artist, but would make a terrible barman.
The most ephemeral contribution comes from He Chengyao, whose piece involves wandering around Manchester for an hour - though you have to take this on trust as she deviated from the advertised route, and I was among a group of frustrated fans who failed to find her. It turned out she had given us the slip by nipping into Marks & Spencer - even performance artists must occasionally stop for a sandwich.
