I haven’t seen Betty and the Id play and I only know the tracks offa their MySpace page but I’m intrigued enough to give them a post, especially as they’ve got a gig this Friday 6th at the Jug of Ale. Quality quirk in the manner that Birmingham excels at.
It also gives me a chance to experiment with embedding audio in this blog. See if this works for you.
[audio:endisnigh.mp3]
I don’t pretend to be an expert on the whys and wherefores of arts funding but over the last few months I’ve picked up a general sense that there’s likely to be some cuts in the offing. This was all slightly crystalized in the current newsletter from the Arts Council West Midlands (emailed in Word format, natch) where they write:
We are currently working to increase the profile of the arts with HM Treasury in light of the Spending Review 2007. This spending round is likely to be tight, and we are campaigning for an inflationary increase in funding for the arts. This will cost the Government just an extra £12 million a year over the next three years, but is crucial for us to be able to continue funding arts organisations in the region, as well as satisfying the demand for funding through our Grants for the arts scheme. You can help us in our campaign by writing to your local MP to highlight the value of the arts in your area. If you are interested in doing this, we can give you contact details and advice on key messages to get across. For more information please contact Sarah Herbert at Arts Council England, West Midlands, phone 0121 631 5721, email sarah.herbert@artscouncil.org.uk
The Arts Council’s own strategy for the spending review is here and makes for potentially interesting reading.
Creative industries in the UK are growing by 6% a year, more than any other sector, and our annual exports in cultural goods amount to £11.6 billion. Britain’s dynamic cultural life helped London to win the race to host the 2012 Olympics and our publicly-funded arts companies will play a major role in delivering the ‘cultural olympiad’ fesitval across the country during the Games.
I like how they tied that into the Olympics. Better to ride the juggernaut than get crushed by it.
More seriously, their key messages are as follows:
- The arts are thriving thanks to increased Government investment over the last 10 years
- Our arts organisations are among the best in the world and we want them to stay that way
- The 2012 Olympics will be a cultural, as well as a sporting, festival and the arts sector will be decisive in delivering that cultural dimension
- Risking the financial stability of arts organisations threatens further growth
- A “flat real” (or inflation) increase will only cost an additional £12 million per year over the three-year period 2008–2011
- The arts are for everyone – access to the arts and participation should be available to all
To find out who your MP is and then contact them the best place to start is by entering your postcode into Writetothem.com.
Tom Tebby, trading as Plimsoul, is a graphic artist and photographer based in Moseley whose work you’ve probably seen on various flyers over the last few years for the likes of Factory and others. His stark and contrasty style mashes up photographs and technical drawings to great effect. Check out his gallery for the good stuff.
Tom recently had an exhibition at Jibbering Records where you can probably still buy his prints and t-shirts. The above piece is titled Control Towers.
Shepherding the links…
You might not be aware of it but Birmingham has an embassy, if you like, in central London. Birmingham W1 is an office just off Piccadilly (map) which aims to give Birmingham businesses and representatives a base within the capital close to national government and the media.
Digital Central have set up a deal whereby digital media and music companies from the West Midlands can use these offices at a free or subsidized rate. To find out what this could mean for you there’s a meeting at the W1 offices on April 13th from midday. Email Dave Harte to book a place and to get more details.
Whatever Happened to Pete Blaggit? is a new feature film from Sepia Films, a local independent production company run by filmmaker Mark Jeavons. Filmed entirely in Birmingham the trailer has recently been released. Naturally Pete Blaggit has a MySpace page and the film is listed on IMDb.
Also of note is the film’s composer Phil Mountford, based in Shropshire. “He gained a BSc (Hons) in Computer science from Aston University and continued to perform in various groups as a keyboardist and vocalist as well as composing instrumental and classical music. Phil now works as a full time media composer writing music for feature films, short films, computer games and radio.” He has samples of his work on his site and is also on MySpace.
More at Film Birmingham.
Some quick links to stuff of interest.
The second Mirage Festival of Arabic films runs in Birmingham April 19th – 22nd. Tasawar Bashir, Festival Curator, says:
This is a pivotal time for Arab cinema; from across North Africa, the Middle East and Iran many new film festivals have sprung up as film industries ride something of a new wave. The West’s daily news coverage from Baghdad, Beirut, Ramallah and Tehran often fragments the personal dimension of human suffering and tragedy. In direct response, post 9/11 film-makers, driven by a new urgency to tell their stories are arguably making some of the best cinema in the world.
Many films selected for this festival are made by non-professional actors promoting a school of film-making that aims to lend each frame an immediacy and conviction that will, it is hoped, overcome the abstracting effect of the news camera, in order to magically make their stories real again.
The screenings are taking place at mac, The Drum and The Baboush Centre in Moseley. Please come along with an open and questioning mind.
More details, including showing times, in the press release.
Martin John Callanan writes in to say “Most of the work at itakephotos.eu was produced in Birmingham.”
He doesn’t say anything else, but that’s probably enough as it’s nice work, crossing the bridge between artistic and documentary. The above, picked somewhat randomly by myself, is titled “It Has Gone Really Cold, 2003″.
His personal site, with CV and contact details, is here.
