Created in Birmingham

So, as you may have noticed, all has been rather quiet on the CiB front.  This is partially due to me drowning in intense staff development at work (that is, my actual job) for the past couple of weeks, and also because I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the future of CiB in regards to direction, purpose and place.

CiB’s ‘about’ page clearly states:

There are two reasons for this blog:

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1. To find out what’s going on around Birmingham and promote it
2. To show that blogging is a simple and effective way of engaging with audiences online

This is the most recent incarnation of CiB but I wondered about the real core of CiB and why it came to exist in the first place.  Back in Nov 07 Pete put together his thoughts on the pupose of CiB, which was somewhat more detailed:

With a few exceptions I want every post on CiB to take people to somewhere else on the web where they can get more information be it an article, blog post, MySpace page, etc. CiB is not a comprehensive news service. It doesn’t exist to cover absolutely everything that’s going on in Birmingham because to attempt that would be impossible. There’s a criteria here.

• Is this something people might not be aware is going on?
• Is this something people might learn from?
• Is this doing something interesting?
• Is this using the internet in an innovative way?
• Could this help people to do what they’re doing better?

• Is posting about this going to encourage people to use the internet, and blogs in particular, for themselves?

In an ideal world I want there to be lots of blogs like CiB and a whole load more that are nothing like CiB. In fact I’d love it if this blog wasn’t necessary. I want the Birmingham creative community to be behaving online in the same way they behave at a launch party, milling around discussing ideas and introducing people to each other.

I think for me, this last part if absolutely crucial in examining CiB’s relevance and place.  When CiB started, Pete identified this need to highlight and link, because other blogs were scarce and weren’t already doing this.  Now, in 2009, blogs are everywhere and people are much more alert to opportunities to publicise, promote and link.  Let me be clear: I’m not suggesting we have reached Pete’s original utopian vision, but we are in a very different place to that of 2007.

With this in mind, I want to invite you to tell me what you want to get from CiB – why you read, and what you want this established online vehicle to do. I have my own ideas of what CiB could or should be, but these still need to be ironed out a little bit.  I’m also going to meet with those who’ve been involved with CiB throughout to look at direction, and so before we meet I would really appreciate some feedback from readers.  You can either put your thoughts in the comments, or if you’d prefer to keep them private you can email me on the CiB address: createdinbirmingham@gmail.com

This is your chance to influence future direction!  Please don’t be shy!

The Event - 2007

The first two weeks of April 2007 saw the culmination of a series of artist-led activities within Birmingham, and this was ‘The Event‘.  At that point in time, the number of artists choosing to stay and work within the city had increased, and an intensification of artistic production had taken place.  It felt very much like Birmingham projected a unique sense of identity, and it was easy to believe that the city held great potential.

Consisting of exhibitions and performances devised by ten of the brightest young visual art organisations in Birmingham at that point in time, the sixteen-day celebration focused on a myriad of event-based practices and exhibitions in such a way as to implicate the whole city into its logic.  Participating organisations included: a.a.s., Capital Art Projects, Colony, [insertspace], International Project Space, Modulate, Periscope, 7inch Cinema, Spectacle, and Springhill Institute.

A lot of interesting work took place, and indeed some of these organisations have developed and flourished (surely most notably 7inch Cinema) – but those without links to their work above, and even some who do have links, are either no longer working as artists / arts organisations, or have begun working under different names without leaving on online breadcrumb trail for me to follow.

In 2007, whilst not all that long ago, there was a definite sense of optimism and indulgence in the arts and arts practice – much moreso than we now have in 2009.  The recession will inevitably have played a large part in this shift, with organisations cutting back or closing down – but what other changes has Birmingham faced that has brought us to this point, so different to that of 2007?  Is there still intense artistic production?  Do people still believe that Birmingham has this great potential?  Have artists changed their practice in response to the current financial climate and retreated back into their stereotypical draughty garrets?

In a timely fashion, The Event has returned once more to open up and explore contemporary art making.  Through an open submission process, artists are invited to send proposals to be included in the November festival.  The deadline for proposals is quite soon – July 13th – but submissions can also be emailed.  I’ve included the details taken from the website below, but please send any specific queries to kaye@the-event.org I will be keen to see which artists are selected, and how their practice reflects the current mood of the city – and also how different the artforms will be, if at all.  Will The Event be inundated with digital submissions, and will there be any entirely virtual submissions running concurrently?

Open Submission

Deadline Midday 13 July 2009

The Event is a contemporary arts festival in Birmingham, showcasing the best in artist-led activity.

We are currently seeking proposals and submissions from artist projects and artist/curators in the Midlands for inclusion in The Event, November 2009.

Proposals with a budget of up to £2000 can be considered. Deadline for submissions is midday on Monday 13 July, proposals received after the deadline cannot be considered.

Proposals must include the following information:
Project proposal (maximum 200 words)
Brief biog/CV
Indication of project costs
Supporting material

Postal applications should be clearly marked:
BCAF Steering Group
The Event
Eastside Projects
86 Heath Mill Lane Birmingham
B9 4AR

NB. Please enclose a SAE for return of material.

e-mailed application should be compiled into one document and emailed to:
kaye@the-event.org

Please contact Kaye Winwood 07834 244 609 or email kaye@the-event.org with any queries.