From willgrant
Photos are posted here from the Birmingham Flickr community. Click on the image for more details.
Archive for March, 2008
Johnny Foreigner kept a diary for Drowned in Sound. Here’s a day picked at random.
February 14
Glasgow, King Tut’s. We play Frisbee and listen to Joan of Arc really loud in the car park as the sun sets. Fucking hippies. The venue cooks us (the lowly £50 show support act) a three-course meal. ARE YOU READING THIS BARFLY? Tho these shows are a league above what we’re used to and the audiences are always super receptive, it seems like a lame show after Birmingham. I remember being 18 and reading an interview with James Dean Bradfield where he’d just played to, like, 100,000 people and he couldn’t get into it and thinking, you twat. Tonight I feel like James Dean Bradfield. We stay on the top-floor flat of a complete stranger in Stirling who, on arranging us in her bedroom and cooking us well impressive fajitas, disappears. She plays us a mix CD that is amaze, made by her boyfriend who is in some band we totally forget the name of the next day. Bizarre but undeniably generous. Thanks Tamy!
And here’s a video of them playing in Manchester:
via BiNS
If you haven’t already, go download issue 4 of Bearded magazine as a free PDF.
Inside you’ll find a load of good stuff including a four page overview of Birmingham’s music scene.
This month Gary Corbett has had a photography exhibition at the Central Library Gallery of his photographs from Rush Hour Blues which he’s been shooting with great consistency for years now. You can see the whole lot in this Flickr collection and it was only a matter of time before something physical came of it.
He’s also running a blog alongside the show giving liner notes and the like. The show runs until March 31st (sorry for the late notice) and is apparently self financed so if you like his work please give him your support.
Birmingham: Shaping the City is a new book published by RIBA about our fair city written by Ben Flatman after years of research. The photographic editor was Craig Holmes who took photos at the launch night. Here’s the blurb:
“Birmingham: Shaping the City” is an authoritative and objective assessment of the redevelopment and regeneration of Birmingham. It tells the story of how Joseph Chamberlain’s grand Victorian city was almost obliterated due to an infatuation with the car and how a belated but vital reassessment took place at his home, Highbury in 1988, leading to arguably the most dramatic transformation of any city in the country. It is also the story of hugely ambitious projects, often implemented in the face of great opposition, driven by a rediscovery of Chamberlain’s unique brand of city entrepreneurialism.The book seeks to identify the drivers for change in the renaissance of contemporary Birmingham following its evolution from Victorian times and explores the depth and complexity of the public-private partnerships involved in the delivery structures and their achievements. Using unique case studies that illustrate the processes involved in the major physical change of the city, it assesses their influence on planned future projects. The book articulates and stresses the importance of urban design for successful regeneration in this ever-changing city.
“Birmingham: Shaping the City” will make a lasting contribution to city’s collective consciousness and make available, for the first time, a coherent narrative of where the city has come from and where it may be going in both a written and visual form.
While the credentials of the contributors are impeccable I’d be interested to hear what others think of it. Available soon from Amazon and presumably in the RIBA bookshop on Margaret St.
I saw the first one of these yesterday.
By the the rag markets, I’m not sure how successful this was because half the keyboard didn’t work and it was almost meloncholy to see a once intricte and loved object abandoned in the street.
Over the last few months Birmingham Printmakers have been relocating from the old Birmingham Artists building on Lee Bank to their new home at 90 Floodgate Street, Digbeth. The move has been documented by BPM member and technician Phil Wilkinson over January and February who also informs us the grand opening will take place on April 4th at 6pm.
From abrinsky
Photos are posted here from the Birmingham Flickr community. Click on the image for more details.
click for context
Harry Palmer’s Victorian Gentleman’s Toilet field trip looks to have been well attended judging by photos on Nikki Pugh’s blog.
As well as Harry’s initial report more pictures are promised in the next issue of the Eccentric City but if you come across any evidence online do leave a comment and I’ll post it here.
More stuff, to be added to as it comes my way.
Birmingham Mail covers the event. “Flushed with inspiration” indeed!
The concept of knitting as a conciousness raising activity has interested me since I came across it at a Ladyfest years ago, so it’s good to see something similar happening here.
You’ll have seen them at events like the Moseley Folk Festival and now they have their own monthly meet in the back room of the Hare and Hounds, Kings Heath. Here’s the Facebook group.
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“Magenta is an all female group specialising in close harmony a cappella singing.” Based in Birmingham with some audio samples on the site.
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Takes place alongside the Farmers Market on the 4th Sat of each month. Which is today!
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What our friends slightly to the North West are up to this year.
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Another design house in Birmingham joins the fold
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Birmingham Post: “Channel 4 bosses have confirmed that Birmingham will be the national hub of its new £10 million digital media fund.”
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“Roger Shannon pays tribute to Sir Michael Balcon, grandfather of Daniel Day-Lewis, and a genuine movie mogul who had his roots in Birmingham.”
Usually I just put these notices in the bulleted links but this one’s worth noting in it’s own post.
A few weeks back I had a chat over tea with Emily and Elise, the two, yes two, people who run the entirety of ArtsFest about how they might use blogs and that to help the ArtsFest cause. After much working through the issues doing this as a council project with all the red tape that entails I left them with some ideas and I’m delighted to say they’ve taken the plunge.
ArtsFest365 is, as the name implies, an attempt to broaden the ArtsFest mission across the whole year. It’s still early days as they find their feet but I’m liking what I see so far.
Oh, and here’s a photo of them!
The British Glass Biennale is taking place in Stourbridge from 22 August to 28 September. Entries have to be in by March 28th.
The British Glass Biennale is the foremost exhibition of excellence in contemporary glass by artists, designers and craftspeople currently working in Britain. Taking place every two years at the Ruskin Glass Centre it is the highlight of the International Festival of Glass, launched in 2004 in the heart of Stourbridge’s historic Glass Quarter. At least 150 major new glass works from British artists are selected, making this a significant statement of national glass talent.
The British Glass Biennale is delighted to be working in association with the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers to offer three prizes for 2008:
- The British Glass Biennale Award, increased to £8000 for ‘best in show’
- The Glass Sellers Award worth £5000
- The Glass Sellers Student Award of £1000
The emphasis is on new work demonstrating excellence in design and technical skill. All work must be available for purchase.
