The Plus International Design Festival starts today in Digbeth. Lots of exciting things are happening from talks to tours, more than I could attempt to summarise here so have a look through the site.
Of particular interested to this blog, though, is the Exposition where many of the agencies from Birmingham and the region will be on show giving a good snapshot of where we’re at. And while the Conference is aimed at industry-types with ticket prices to match the exposition is only a fiver to get in. (Free if you registered already.)
Also worth checking out are the Public Lectures which are also a fiver each including Michael Wolff on Friday. Three of them are “lunchtime audiences” running from 1-2pm, perfect for those working in the Custard Factory area but unable to do the whole festival.
And then, on Friday, there’s the Big Plus Party featuring, amongst other things, the launch of Blink magazine. Here’s the invite though you need to RSVP to get on the list.
A couple of items about the La Traviata opera have appeared online. John Mostyn writes about his experience being part of the chorus and then one of the actors and there’s another video on YouTube, this time about the rehearsals.
BIAD, the Birmingham Institute for Art and Design at UCE BCU, has a new website.
There are a couple of nice things about this. The most obvious is the extensive gallery of graduates’ work which serves to show off the grads and their alma mata, though links to their sites would make it really useful. The second is the news page which appears to cover a whole range of activities connected to the institute from colaborations with IKON, public lectures and events and new publications by staff.
While it might not be obvious, this new site is pretty much a blog. Indeed, it’s using Drupal, a powerful free content management system that understands the best things about weblogs. This also means they have RSS feeds – a first for an academic website that’s ostensibly all about the PR. No idea who’s behind it all but, compared to the parent site it’s a breath of fresh air.
A couple of reports from the National Wedding Show at the NEC where photographers earn their bread and butter in bookings. Emily Quinton had a stand and Steve Gerrard, having been on the other side of the lens for a change, went to check out the competition.
Flickr user Dan-ish has been dabbling in the art of the Joiner – taking multiple photographs of a panorama and putting together in a patchwork without resorting to that tedious stitching software. The result, first discovered by David Hockney, is much more interesting. Here’s his complete set of Joiners which you can also view as a slideshow (for the best results click on Options in the corner and select “embiggen”). I’ve also selected three Birmingham-specific favourites of my own. Click on them to see them larger.
Over on my slightly dormant Brumblog someone named Zoe expressed despair that she’d missed the recent John Spencer gig at the Hair and Hounds and, quite reasonably, asks how one might find out “of any other events/music similar to Jon Spencer/ rockabilly/60s garage in Bham?” I know there’s a reasonably vibrant retro *billy scene here but I’m not sure what the best portal for it all is. Any greasy-haired throwbacks like to help?
According to The Stirrer plans were revealed by the Council for the new Central Library building this weekend. Costing £193 million it will sit next to and incorporate the REP theatre in Centenary Square creating a “a new centre for learning and culture.” (Hang on, isn’t that what Eastside’s supposed to be?) Along with a shared entrance this will also give the REP a new mid-sized auditorium.
This shows “how Centenary Square could look in the future, following completion of the Library of Birmingham development (indicated in red), Arena Central and the redevelopment of Paradise Circus.” It’s expected to be completed in 2013 and “boost and consolidate the continued regeneration of the city centre’s Westside and the improvement of Centenary Square.”
The organisation’s funding will rise from £417 million this year to £467 million in 2010\11, a real-terms increase year-on-year of 1.1 per cent (or 12 per cent in cash terms across the whole period). Grant aid to England’s national museums and galleries will increase from £302 million this year to £332 million in 10/11, an increase of slightly above inflation.
“This is fantastic news – the Government has acted on the case we have made for the arts.
“It’s a recognition of the work of our artists and arts organisations whose energy and imagination have made our cultural life genuinely the envy of the world.”
Good news, obviously, given the concerns about the Olympics taking all the cash, but let’s keep things in a little perspective. The proposed replacement of the Trident nuclear deterrent system is budgeted at £15-20 billion. Good to see we’ve got our priorities straight.
Claire Galleries are having a “suburban contemporary exhibition” featuring four of their most successful artists, Tom Lewis, Teoman Irmak, Jenny Frestone and Stuart Ellis, at the City Inn at 1 Brunswick Square, Brindley Place. The private view is on Wednesday 17th at 6pm. RSVP to info [at] clairegalleries.co.uk.
“The type-tours aren’t just about signs that are ‘printed’, the Digbeth one in particular will be as interested in hand painted notes and other letter-forms. You can talk about theory, but often you can only guess at the intended purpose of so much of it – in a way the tours will be a conversation. If people want to disagree with me, that’s okay.â€
Type Tour of Digbeth – 17, 18, 19 October, 12.30 – 14.30pm
Baskerville’s Birmingham – 20 October 12.30 – 14.30pm
City Centre Type Tour – 21 October, 12.30 – 14.30pm
All priced at £10
I can’t find where they start from but will keep you posted.
Later: Ben writes on the BiNS blog:
The Digbeth tours start at different times during the day Wed 17 Oct – Fri 19 Oct, from the Wild Building, Floodgate St. The City Centre tours are Sunday only, 10 30 and (I think) one thirty. They start from the Baskerville monument outside Bask House. The Digbeth tour is “rougherâ€. hand painted signs, self made metal signs, all sorts really. City Centre is a bit more polished; terracotta, engravings, stone &c., then dips into JQ industrial zone. Also a Baskerville tour on Sat 12 30 from outside Museum, Chamberlain Sq. Each is £10, via www.youplusus.net, booking advised / essential. Already booked up? Leave your name and I’ll do some more tours to satisfy any demand.
Brilliantly Birmingham, the international jewellery festival, takes place across the region from November 22nd to January 13th attracting attention from across the globe.
Part of the festival is FLUX, a curated exhibition and selling event in the Jewellery Quarter for designer makers. Participation in FLUX is by open submission and panel selection.
Submission details are on the BrilBrum site and have to be in by 21st September. For more details call Prim Currie on 0121 464 1187.
Here’s a nice history lesson for the weekend. Stuart Lee talks about and to Ted Chippington who he considers the alternative father of alternative comedy.
While Ted’s from Birmingham he doesn’t live here anymore but he did do a gig at Atticus the other day as part of the Comedy Festival. The Atticus blog says it wasn’t that great but surely that was the point? Ooh, the meta-layers…
Clare Edwards has a new blog. She’s the lady what runs Gigbeth but this promises to be a more personal blog. Having chatted to her a few times I’m really looking forward to this.
Life in Bearwood is a blog with very close connections to the Atticus bar in, yes, Bearwood. Again, nicely informal and chatty which is just what you want.
Matt Geary is a musician signed to new label Boy Wonder Records. That first link is his blog. Looks pretty cool so far.
