Created in Birmingham » Links

Links for 20 November 2009

Chris Unitt — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:21:41 +0000

Graft « More Canals than Venice
“Graft are a curatorial collective based in the Midlands who are looking to find a space for up and coming and newly established artists. On 9th December they launch ARC, a new night at The Vaults… For the launch they are seeking proposals from newly estabished artists working in experimental performance, sound and video in response to The Vaults”
D’log :: blogging since 2000 » Rea Garden
An opportunity to take up a residency lasting up to 10 weeks at the Rea Garden from Jan 2010. Applications need to be in by 17 Dec
Art Deco Buildings in Birmingham | Birmingham Conservation Trust
The BCT goes in search of the city’s Art Deco buildings
Digbeth is Good – YouTube – The Event Talks: Digbeth
“Caroline Beavon of Hashbrum talks to Gavin Wade of Eastside Projects about The Event and Digbeth creative stuff in general”
Art at Studio Five
Bryn Tranter has a studio and gallery at the Custard Factory – “At StudioFive, we make art accessible to everyone. Whether you want to buy original pieces, you’re looking to learn or you need art to enliven your office or workplace, StudioFive is the place to start”
Facebook | Birmingham Irish Film Festival
Plans for “A film festival devoted to film from or about Ireland or with an identifiable Irish interest/connection” to possibly be expanded into a week-long celebration of Irish culture
An Early Christmas Present for 14 to 26 Year Olds
The Rep have just extended their A Night Less Ordinary ticket availability for A Christmas Carol to all evening performances from 19 December to 2 January, which is nice of em
Brummie of the Year 2009 – Nominations Open
Early nominees are Chris the handyman at the Barber Institute, Paul Hadley, Justice Williams, the Capsule grannies, the Jibbering crew, Alison Smith, Mr Ralph,Gurcharan Mall and Glyn Purnell

Links for 18 November 2009

Chris Unitt — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:25:50 +0000

Best Believe – Promoting Tolerance Through Arts
I’m a bit slow to link to this, but Amy has a guest post from Ulfah Arts’ artistic director Naz Koser
KateGoes Sock Crazy
KateGoes would like you to make sock puppet monkeys to star in the video to their first single. Film Ficciones seem to be involved in this too. 31 Jan 2010 is the deadline
something I said : Look Here!
Nice idea this – thinking about those huge banners used to cover up scaffolding – “So what happens a lot of times is that the banner is just a huge photo of the building – which is pretty cool. But what if the banner were more like experimental art? Or a photo of something else?”
Interview: David Massingham
DanceXchange’s artistic director talks about the International Dance Festival Birmingham
Tom Bellamy EP Launch Party | Hare and Hounds
I’ve never heard Tom Bellamy’s music. Really I’m linking to this because I like the artwork (by Jonathan Farr from Mexico City)
Anna Minton: ‘Ground Control’ Talk
“Acclaimed journalist Anna Minton presents her book Ground Control” at The Public on Wednesday 18 Nov. I mean to pick up a copy of this a while back but plain forgot. As The Guardian summarised it “This timely and powerful study argues that a flawed urban-planning strategy has turned our cities into unfriendly, suspicious places”
An Introduction to Creative Theatre Producing, Birmingham Rep
This course “will look at everything needed to put on a show or start a production or theatre company, from the local pub, to a national tour, to the West End of London. It will also touch on film and TV opportunities”
Analogue Out in the Open: Unguided Tours
“For the final part of the Analogue project you can book your place on an ‘unguided tour’ of Taking Time: Craft and the Slow Revolution”
Unlimited – Invitation to Advice Session
Arts Council West Midlands will be holding an advice session for Unlimited, the UK’s largest ever disability arts programme, on Friday 20th November 2-4pm at their offices. Click the link for details

Links for 13 November 2009

Chris Unitt — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:40:10 +0000

Coral Stars
Leah says “My aim in blogging is to document my inspirations and thoughts within the realm of fashion, diy + art”
Best Believe – Coral Stars
Amy has a bit of a chat with Leah from the Coral Stars blog
Project Manager – Art of Ideas
“This programme will focus on collecting and collections and further investigate the conditions and actions needed to develop the market. It will provide an interface with the art world, the business sector and the general public and should develop confidence and aspiration in those making their first art purchases, broker critical debate and relationships for those working within the sector and make a case for the role of the market in economic and cultural terms”

Links for 9 November 2009

Chris Unitt — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:39:42 +0000

Lucy McLauchlan: Tacit
Your vote is required for a lovely and excellent thing – “A short film featuring Lucy McLauchlan’s improvised painting process and the harvesting of urban detritus”. Only takes a sec and can be done while you’re watching
New Textiles, Crochet & Paper Craft Workshops
“New Creative Workshops will be starting at the Creative Open Workshop’s base at Birmingham’s Custard Factory from 10 November 2009″. Added bonus – find out what the heck a Yo-Yo Fascinator is
The challenge of change: How can we create a better future for theatre, here, in the West Midlands?
Free event organised by ACE WM’s Theatre Officer, Alison Gagen. Looks very interesting. To be held at the Crescent on 26 Nov
UB40 Live at The Rainbow
“Listen to the whole show, thanks to Rhubarb Radio”
War in a Rack Launch
Free gig by Soweto Kinch to highlight his troubles categorisation troubles and to launch Soweto Kinch Productions as an independent recording and production company
The Sunshine Underground at Hare & Hounds, 16 Nov – free tickets
I quite liked ‘Put You In Your Place’. Free tix available for this one so be quick if you fancy it

Links for 5 November 2009

Chris Unitt — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:24:15 +0000

Best Believe – Inclusion Inspires
“a free conference delivered by MusicLeader West Midlands, Youth Music and Symphony Hall on Monday 16th November”
Loaf Needs YOU! :: Loaf Online
Tom wants to ‘kickstart a social movement around local food in Birmingham’. Get in touch with him if that sounds like fun
Ego Theatre and ITV Fixers
“Leminc has collaborated with ITV Fixers on a unique journey to find nothing but the very BEST of birmingham’s raw, artistic talent. (Actors, Dancers, Singers, Poets, Rappers, Entertainers and any other innnovative production) in order to create a powerful, innovative Musical Theatre with purpose”. At the Library Theatre, 7 Nov
Game Central / Previous Meetings
Minutes from the first meeting of the new get-together for West Mids games people
The criteria for Arts Council England regular funding | Arts Council
“We have a strategy for the arts which underpins our decisions about funding for individual organisations. This document aims to describe the framework we use in making these decisions”
Outside IN commissioning leading disabled artists – Audiences Central
“Outside IN is commissioning new work from three of the UK’s leading Disabled Artists for inclusion in three mainstream galleries in the West Midlands and Welsh Borders from 2010 to 2011″
Robin Valk – UB40: Live, Loud and Local
Andrew Dubber interviews Robin Valk
shona mcquillan
Artist Shona McQuillan has revamped her site and now has some prints for purchasing
Birmingham’s Alexandra Theatre sold to ATG in £90m deal
The Ambassador Theatre Group have bought the Alex from Live Nation (along with 15 other venues around the country). No great changes planned, according interviews with folks involved, other than to reduce the amount of time it stands idle – currently around 16 weeks a year

Links for 3 November 2009

Chris Unitt — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:41:12 +0000

Best of the West Awards 2010 – Art Commission Brief
A new awards programme for all museums, galleries and heritage groups in the West Midlands is after someone to design them a trophy for one of their categories. Details here.
Made in the Black Country
It’s “a site for the Black Country Museums to tell stories and showcase objects from our industrial past”
Chris Keenan at the Centre for Fine Art Photography
“Chris Keenan’s portrait of Tom, a Prefab home owner in Moseley, Birmingham, will be exhibited in the prestigious Portraits Exhibition at the Centre for Fine Art Photography, Colorado, USA”
What’s happening around The REP and Centenary Square currently?
Centenary Square’s a bit of a mess
Birmingham Hippodrome :: A Night Less Ordinary
The Hippodrome have free tickets available for U26’s for Alistair McGowan and a couple of Welsh National Opera shows
Creative Communities | TAK!
“This month Creative Review features a piece on Creative Communities. I was asked to offer my thoughts on the creative community we belong to, that is of Digbeth and the Custard Factory” Here’s Dom’s unedited thoughts
Media Stars Shine at RTS Midlands Awards
Congrats to all the big winners. Incidentally, what exactly are they putting in the water at the University of Lincoln?

Links for 29 October 2009

Chris Unitt — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:01:18 +0000

Regeneration of Birmingham city centre’s Dale End on hold for five years
“Independent clothing store the Oasis has been given a reprieve after signing a five-year lease for its Corporation Street premises”. Very glad to hear it. New leases are being offered on units in there now, if you’re interested
TwiTrip to Birmingham – the verdict | Travel | guardian.co.uk
“Sarah Turner’s Twitter-led trip to the second city took her from Russian art at the Ikon Gallery to a top Brum boozer in Moseley and a belting Balti in Sparkbrook”
Crowning of the City’s Stylish | Style Birmingham
Here’s the list of winners from the recent Style Awards 2009 – ‘the places and people keeping the city at the height of the fashion game’. Congrats to Disorder for picking up the Token Local Shop Award
Brumcast 134 ‘Oxjam Brum Special’
The most recent episode (scrap that, a newer one just arrived) of the must-listen podcast/radio show featured bands appearing on the Oxjam Brum bill over the weekend
Cut-Out — CiB Charity T-shirt
Apparently there’s only about 7 of the ’small’ t-shirts left now. Thanks to everyone who bought one – the money has been going to Acorns Childrens’ Hospice

Links for 28 October 2009

Chris Unitt — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:27:01 +0000

Birmingham Post – Creative industries’ major role in Birmingham economy
Anna Blackaby runs through the provisional findings of a new report commissioned by the Creative Birmingham Partnership Board. It’ll apparently conclude that “small firms operating in digital media, music and computer software and those in the design and architecture areas should be the focus of support”
Take it away from Arts Council England
“Take it away is an Arts Council initiative designed to help more people get involved in learning and playing music. The scheme allows individuals to apply for a loan of up to £2,000 for the purchase of any kind of musical instrument, and pay it back in nine monthly instalments, completely interest free”
Better Never Than Late – The Gas Lamp Killer
bntl feature some pics from the gig at the Hare & Hounds last week
Best Believe – Vintage Style
“a round up of all the places in Birmingham that you can get yourself fully hooked up on a purely vintage tip”
Built On Sand: A Birmingham Sampler ‘78-’86
“The mix concerns itself with Birmingham’s vibrant but infamously fragmented and undervalued punk and post-punk scene of the late 70s and early 80s” Not sure who spotted this first, so apologies, but I’m seeing this everywhere at the moment
FaceBoot Bar-Boot Sale, 5 Dec 2009 | Hare and Hounds
A car boot sale with a difference. Free stalls. Click the link for contact details

Links for 22 October 2009

Chris Unitt — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:14:40 +0000

Digbeth is Good » Getgood Link: YouTube – Night Out at The Custard Factory
Nicky’s found a great 2min vid of a night at the Custard Factory
You will never look at them in the same way again: Networking at the Fire Station Open Day
“There has been a massive decline in dumped burnt out cars here in Birmingham which is a great success story for the local council and the brigade but it does nothing for the state of the local culture and art scene not to mention my livelihood”. John, in case you’re not aware, takes close-up photos of the scorched paintwork on burnt out cars
Grass Roots – a set on Flickr
If nothing else, the Birmingham World Cup Bid thing has provided an excuse for photographer Ravi Deepres to pick up where his football-themed ‘Patriots’ exhibition left off. Maybe I’m missing not playing Sunday league this season, but I’m liking the ‘Grass Roots’ set from his latest ‘Football in Harmony’ project

Links for 21 October 2009

Chris Unitt — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:38:33 +0000

This is happening without your permission.
Some lovely features on Birmingham-based bands and artists from Heather Connor
bompalomp. | musical cupid for DJs and promoters.
A nascent DJ agency from some folks who seem to spend a lot of time at Island Bar
Wolf Disguised As Monk
Due to an oversight on our part, CiB has so far failed to mention, or indeed even notice the existence of Wolf Disguised As Monk. I’m happy to put that right now. (Ahem). Garreth Akerman’s the writer – he hosted a nautical-themed film night at the Sunflower Lounge the other day
Fury over `disgraceful’ Lottery handout to gay arts festival | Birmingham Post
NB – this is an old article. While I was searching for stuff around SHOUT I came across this article from 1998 – the festival in question was QueerFest, which has since become Fierce. Some amusing outrage in there
Digbeth is Good » Beggars of Lahore at Sauce Gallery
Nicky spots that “Sauce Gallery, next door to Yumm Deli in the Custard Factory, are to have an exhibition. Beggars of Lahore, a photography exhibition by Sheba Saeed, launches Fri 30th Oct and is on display until 6th Nov”

Links for 14 October 2009

Chris Unitt — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:35:56 +0000

stitches and hos October 09
The ‘little knitting hootenanny’ is back at the Hare & Hounds on Tues 27 October. Wool and needles provided, everyone’s welcome and they insist you don’t even have to be any good
Snowman Colouring Competition winners
Congratulations to the winners of The Rep’s competition
7 Inch Cinema » Living and listings
The film folks’ latest round-up of good stuff happening around Birmingham/the West Mids in the next few weeks
Birmingham Library tender reignites free pitching debate | News | Design Week
“Birmingham City Council is the latest public-sector client to come under fire for asking for unpaid creative work in a tender”
Fused Magazine – SXSW MUSIC MISSION DELEGATES WANTED
“Fused Magazine along with UKTI are organising a mission to SXSW Music 2010. The visit is being organised by UK Trade & Investment and FUSED”
Birmingham Post – News – 60th anniversary of Cluedo, a worldwide hit invented in Birmingham
“Anthony Pratt, a clerk from Kings Heath, Birmingham, devised the game which was originally called Murder and designed for eight players”
claire hartley
“Hello. I’m Claire Hartley, a graphic designer and illustrator”. Claire has a new portfolio
National Restaurant Awards 2009
Birmingham did well in the NRA’s top 100 UK restaurants. Congrats to Simpsons (24), Purnell’s (34) and Turners (85)
West Midlands Open 2010: Artists wanted
“Artists can submit up to three original works, made since January 2007, in the form of 2D (any medium), 3D (sculpture or construction, but not furniture or crafts), or time-based and digital work. First Prize is £1,000, Second Prize £500 and Third Prize £250″
Peter Watkins Photography – americana
Peter Watkins has been taking photos around the West Midlands that evoke the idea of Americana (via http://brokenbottleboy.tumblr.com/)

Links for 12 October 2009

Chris Unitt — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:50:13 +0000

Lots Of Things To See And Do In The West Midlands: October 2009
I should’ve linked to this earlier in the month but there’s plenty of recommendations left
The Electric’s Children’s Cinema Club
Screen WM has the listings for this month’s kiddies club at the Electric with films and creative workshops
Shop « Polarbear, spoken word artist
Polarbear has a download shop. It took me about 30s between hearing this and buying his album. Highly recommended
Paul Murphy Sings Songs
Paul Murpy from The Destroyers and Songwriters Cafe has a blog

Links for 8 October 2009

Chris Unitt — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:32:45 +0000

We Create*
“We Create* opened its first shop, on August 1st, based in The Oasis on Corporation Street in Birmingham. The shop incubates 10 local young fashion designer’s and the labels they have developed. The unit also retails designs developed by participants on We Create*’s Fashion Design and its Commercial Development pilot courses”
Dominic Crane on MySpace
Congrats to Dominic Crane who won the UK Open Mic Regional Final on Sunday – he’s off to the grand final in Manchester on 6 Dec. His ‘About’ section is pretty impressive
YouTube – Clifton Mallice and his Chat Up Lines (1940s dating video)
New short from the Dice Productions folks, as premiered at Popcorn Comedy earlier in the week. It’s a “1940s misogynistic instructional video on how to woo women in a social situation”
DJ QBert at Rainbow Warehouse
Nicely put together vid of a visiting master at work
Lolitics – Our Cast ov Playerz
Lolitics is Birmingham’s very own Spitting Image, only instead of rubber masks they’ve got captioned pictures of local politicians. Essential reading in the run-up to the next election – here’s an overview of the cast

Links for 7 October 2009

Chris Unitt — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 08:15:14 +0000

Birmingham Book Festival « More Canals than Venice
Birmingham Book Festival takes place from 6th -29th October in various venues across the city. PixieSixer rounds up the highlights
RegenWM – Seminar – Culture and regneration, 22 October 2009
“This seminar will explore what culture and sport mean to individuals, communities and cities and how they can be harnessed to support regeneration outcomes”. Worth a look, especially as it’s free – “In response to the current economic climate the RegenWM Board has decided that RegenWM’s seminar series will be free of charge until the end of March 2010″. Good on them
Propperganda
Propperganda is Kev who writes about fashion, music, design, cycling and so on
Its been a while « Tea & cake
Tea & Cake is a blog apparently written by a little tortoise. This tortoise went to Wagamamas and then the Electric Cinema, of which she says “i expected vintage popcorn boxes , maybe red curtains that opened or an oldish projector, even maybe a little vendor that serves things or tells you to ssshhhhh!!”

Artists’s Taking the Lead – thoughts?

Adrienne — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:27:01 +0000

The Arts Council recently asked for regional submissions to win a significant pot of money under the title ‘Artists Taking the Lead’ - linking into themes of the Cultural Olympiad, and leading up to the 2012 Olympics.

The first selection process has happened, and details of the potential regional winners have been announced and can be found here. Unsurprisingly, all of the West Midlands shortlisted are designed to happen in Birmingham (with perhaps the exception of Imagineer Productions – which doesn’t specify, but has obvious Coventry connections?) and so it seemed relevant to point it out to the CiB readers and point you to the site where comments are invited on which idea excites you the most.

I have rather strong feelings on the selected few and would be curious to find out what you all think. If any particularly strike you (either positively or negatively!) then feel free to leave a quick comment below explaining why.

Lubberland + Creative Playground + Sample + Keenan = packed blog post!

Adrienne — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 19:23:49 +0000

Thanks for the thoughts and input into the future of CiB. I hope it didn’t seem I was suggesting it be disbanded – I wanted more to open up debate on how technology itself has moved on from when CiB began and that the direction/organisation/intention of CiB needs looking at. Your suggestions have been very interesting and insightful – many of you proposing things I have been musing over anyway (eg. a collaborative approach, funding avenues, etc.) and in the next few weeks I’m going to be following some of these things up.

In the meantime, Birmingham’s creative communities continue to toil away and many things have been going on. Here’s a snapshot of where we’re at right now!

‘Hey for Lubberland!’ can be spotted gracing the canals around Brindley Place. This work, by Simon and Tom Bloor (and part of Ikon’s off-site projects) will be in situ on the towpath behind Bank Restaurant in Brindleyplace until 13th September 2009. Visitors can be transported by this working barge, and whilst onboard peruse the floating library of utopian design. The title ‘Hey for Lubberland!’ was derived from a 17th century English ballad about the New World, mistaken for utopia, but in fact a kind of fool’s paradise. You can be transported between 13:00 and 17:00 on Tuesdays – Sundays, and best of all admission is free!

If you’re interested in creative networking opportunities, then there’s a new group which will have it’s first meeting on August 13th. Creative Playground is being organised by Steve Gray and Kate Manion, and offers:

..a chance for people who work in a professional capacity in the creative and digital sectors to get together for drinks and a chat, make new friends and hopefully make some new collaborations as well. Ultimately it is about strengthening the city’s creative community and we’ll be looking to the RDAs and various bodies for support to help us do this.

It looks like a slightly different group of people to those you might meet at BSMC etc. and will hopefully prove rather interesting! You need to signup with meetup.com and then apply to become a member as there is a selection process as explained here:

The ground rules of joining are: 1) You must be in a professional role within the creative industries, 2) You or your business must be located in Birmingham, 3) You must fill out all the introductory fields in your profile with sufficient detail, 4) You must upload a photo of yourself to your profile. No company brands etc.

Also on Thursday 13th August is the private view of a brand new collection of work, entitled SAMPLE:

New work has been created by a range of Midlands artists including Daniel Westwood, Martin Donnelly, Matt Clugston, Steve Ellis, and Joe Mitchelmore. The work will be available to view online after the launch at the SAMPLE website, so even if you can’t make it you don’t have to miss out!

And lastly, so that this post isn’t completely ridiculously long, on a transatlantic note, Birmingham-based photographer Chris Keenan (who recently featured in the Visual / Art of Ideas 2 exhibition) has had a piece of work selected for a world-class international exhibition, Art of Photography.

This year they received 16,000 entries from 57 countries. 111 images were chosen for the final exhibition and Chris Keenan’s Franz Joseph Glacier (above) was one of them. The selection was made by Charlotte Cotton, curator and head of the Wallis Annenberg Department of Photography at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).

If you’re likely to be in and around the San Diego area any time between 29th August 2009 and 1st November 2009 then stop by the Lyceum Theatre Gallery and marvel at some Birmingham talent!

Links for 3rd March

Kate Spragg — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:06:17 +0000

Perrott’s Folly
Ikon is re-opening Perrott’s Folly next month with a specially created exhibition by Birmingham-born artist Sofia Hulten. The Folly is alleged to be inspiration for Tolkein’s Two Towers and is a Birmingham landmark, so this is a rare chance for the public to enter and appreciate the interior of the building.
B-Hive
Birmingham’s marketing community has come together to launch ‘B-Hive’, a graduate scheme intended to nurture the next generation of Birmingham’s creative talent.
Grand Pianoramax featuring Mike Ladd
Birmingham Jazz has joined up with Leftfoot in hosting the an event featuring Award winning New York based pianist Leo Tardin on Saturday 18th March at the Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath. Spoken word legend Mike Ladd will join Tardin on the debut Birmingham gig.
Residency in Rotterdam
Artists based in the West Midlands region are invited to apply for this exciting opportunity to spend three months at Het Wilde Weten in Rotterdam. The selected artist will be provided with accommodation and studio space, travel expenses and a living allowance of £3400. Deadline 30th March
Birmingham School of Architecture blog
First year students at the Bham School of Architecture have started a blog. Its mostly image links at the moment, but its looking good so far. They will document the students projects, school events, and anything that interests them.

Links for February 26th

Kate Spragg — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 18:58:50 +0000

Fused Magazine – final call for delegates
If you are a manager of a band, promoter, record label owner, music journalist, A&R, Label, DJ – anything related to music in the region and are interested in attending the SXSW festival at a subsidised rate contact Kerry Thomas on 0121 246 1946 / kerry@fusedmagazine.com.
Burn fm’s Battle of the Bands
Burn fm is holding a BOTB with a few other societies (Rock Society, Band Society) and Vale Fest, a charity festival entirely run by students. Any profits from the £5 ticket price will go towards the Vale Festival charities.
Punch Records are looking for an intern
The successful applicant will be working with the Bass Festival’s marketing team. Interested? Call Sophie in the Punch office on 0121 224 7444 or email sophie@punch-records.co.uk
Joanna Geary on Social Media
Insightful presentation from Development Editor Jo Geary on some of the lessons she’s learned while building the Birmingham Post’s presence in social media.
Art Connect
Created in Birmingham has been profiled and reviewed on the website Art Connect. The site looks at the importance of arts blogs, and said some very nice things about this one!

Half term creativity

Kate Spragg — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 02:15:40 +0000

Many of the local galleries and museums have fun and creative activities for the kids on half term this week:

Half Term Family Workshops
Following a special gallery tour, families will use a variety of media to creatively explore the themes and ideas within the current exhibitions.
17, 19 February 2 – 4pm
Ikon Gallery
Free – to book call 0121 248 0708.

Science Spectacular
Drop in during half term to trap silly specimens in jars, cast ancient dinosaur teeth, create your very own planet and much more!
16 Feb – 20 Feb 11am – 1pm
Wolverhampton Art Gallery
Free

Gigglefest!
Gagsters, comics, pranksters and clowns will be performing as well as the opportunity for budding young jokers to learn some tricks of the comedy trade.
All week.
Central Library.
Free

Links for February 11th

Kate Spragg — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 23:23:58 +0000

Creatives are invited to comment on the Big City Plan
Following the cancellation of the Big City Plan workshop, Creative Republic have rescheduled the event for 6pm on Wednesday 11th February. The format remains the same with the event featuring a presentation on the Big City Plan with a discussion afterwards that will be written up as a formal submission to the consultation process.
Kate Beatty – new website
Kate is a photographer based at Fazeley Studios, Digbeth who’s impressive portfolio and client list can been seen on her brand spanking new website, designed by Substrakt. The site is clean and functional and is home to the beginnings of a passionately written personal blog.
Last exhibition at Jibbering Records
The last exhibition at Jibbering Records, Moseley will be The Shapes of Things to Come…..and Have Been,
an exhibition of original artwork exploring the philosophy of interconnectedness by James Dawson. Jibbering Records will close its doors for the last time on Saturday 21st February and will be sadly missed by many people, it has been a hub of creative activity for many years.
Arts Assembly
Arts Assembly is a non-profit making organisation based in Warwickshire. They are hosting their next group exhibition at the Vaad Gallery, The Custard Factory, March 6th, 7th and 8th. The preview night is on Friday 6th with the usual free drinks to quaff.
Audiences Central job vacancy
Audiences Central is the audience development agency for the West Midlands and they are currently looking for a Data Inputting Administrator.

Links for February 6th

Kate Spragg — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 11:49:44 +0000

Birmingham: British rock’s forgotten city?
Louis Pattison at The Guardian Music blog chews the fat over the city’s musical heritage and starts debate a plenty with statements like ‘Birmingham, however, is not a music city’, and comparing Brum to the swaggering ‘Madchester’.
D’log – Handsworth Songs
The excellent 60-minute film Handsworth Songs (John Akomfrah & Black Audio Film Collective; 1986) is now available on YouTube, taken from an old VHS tape of a Channel 4 broadcast in the late 1980s.
Vivid – Pioneers Series
VIVID’s Pioneers series continues in February with two exciting programmes, Inspirations and Figuring Landscapes. Inspirations + special screening programme presented by Malcolm Le Grice Sat 07 Feb 2009.
Bloggers love snow
Matt Murtagh’s photographs of an eerie winter wonderland. Parboo’s snaps of Mac, kebablog’s obligatory snow post and finally snowc*ckhunt, snowy adventures of the … erm, phallic kind.
Birmingham Twitter Flash Mob
Simply a flash mob of Twitterers in Birmingham City Centre. At midday, the mob will stand still for two or three minutes, and produce signs saying “I’m a twitterer”, “Twitter rocks”, “tweet tweet”, you get the idea.

Links for February 1st

Kate Spragg — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 20:52:55 +0000

Snow in B29.
The Flickr group: B29 will be tracking and rating the incoming snow via twitter over the next week, and gathering any photographs taken within the postcode.
Desk space for rent at the Fierce Earth office.
The Fierce Earth office have a desk for rent in a prime city centre location for a bargain £200 a month (plus VAT). For more details visit the site or contact Helga at helga@fierceearth.com or call 0121 244 8080.
Zhang Enli in Conversation at Ikon.
On Monday 2 February, artist Zhang Enli will discuss his work and forthcoming exhibition at Ikon which opens on Wednesday 4th. The event takes place in the Lecture Theatre at the School of Art, Birmingham City University, 6.30pm – 8pm. Places are free but should be reserved by calling Ikon on 0121 248 0708.
Gane vs Iddon at Three White Walls Gallery.
An exhibition of works from landscape photographers Jo Gane and Henry Iddon. The exhibition explores the photographic relationship with the night, where long exposures offer a view of the landscape unseen by the human eye. Runs until 2nd March.
Home of Metal open day.
The third open day is being held on Saturday 7th February at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery 11am – 4.00pm. Fans are encouraged to bring memorabilia along with their personal stories to the gallery to be recorded – all of which will go towards the new digital archive, which aims to tell the true story of the birth place of metal. – Think antiques roadshow for Metal fans!

Links for January 24th

Kate Spragg — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 18:02:15 +0000

Broadfield House Glass Museum to close.
D’log explains why the only dedicated glass museum in Great Britain, Broadfield House Glass Museum (Wordsley/Kingswinford) is sadly set for closure in 2010.
Birmingham Twestival.
On 12th February Birmingham will be joining over 100 confirmed cities around the world in a night of fund raising, partying, competitions and all round fun.
Big City Plan Talk Site.
For those of you who are following / inputting into the Big City Plan, here to a site where you can talk about the latest developments.
BARG meet-up.
BARG is a noise, not an acronym apparently, also it is a ‘gathering of folks who’d like to discuss social games and playful things with an aim to either designing their own or just getting involved in playing some interesting stuff. Story-tellers welcome.’

Links for January 10th

Chris Unitt — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 21:17:10 +0000

Vote again for CiB – last few days
Thanks to some fantastic support CiB has a slim lead in the voting. Polls close on Tuesday 13th at 10pm. Please vote daily (and encourage others) until then
Screen WM – Birmingham filmmaker shortlisted for the Auteur Award
“Birmingham filmmaker Steven Rainbow’s short film ‘A Small Silent Film About Death’ has been selected for screening at the 6th London Short Film Festival (9th – 18th January 2009) and been shortlisted for the Auteur Award”
D’log – Henry Reed
D’log has found “a huge website in memory of Birmingham poet and dramatist Henry Reed”
CMYKern » Clusta
James has a peek at some new bits and pieces from Clusta
Capsule Blog » Home Of Metal at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
The next Home Of Metal open day will be at Waterhall at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery on Saturday 7th of Feb, from 11am to 4pm. It’ll be hosted by none other than Brummie of the Year, Johnny Doom
Creative Industries – the slowdown begins? | daveharte.com
“The latest figures on the Creative Industries (CI) are out” and Dave Harte picks through the highlights
Photographic Exhibition Black Dance in Britain 1930’s -1990’s – Moments « West Midlands Dance
“This exhibition features important moments in the history of Black dance in Britain over the last sixty years” At The Drum until 20 Jan
début » Local shorts – Film Club
début has a reminder that the dates for the Local Shorts Film Club in 09 are 28 Jan (theme is Art and Politics) and 29 April (Super Eclectic Mix Special)
11 Things about promotional packs « Andy Derrick – Musician
Local musician Andy Derrick is blogging regular bits of advice for musicians

Links for January 8th

Chris Unitt — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 02:24:06 +0000

CiB needs votes
Drat, we’re languishing in 2nd now. Please vote (again, if you already have). If CiB has ever promoted anything of yours, please could you return the favour?
Art Stalking: One Day Comic & Feature: Architecture
“Works by Henrik Schrat (with guests) & Shezad Dawood form an installation at ESP that feels very different from the opening exhibition there”
It’s behind me. Twitter pantomime, a social media experiment
Jon Bounds rounds up and generally tries to explain what Twitpanto, the Twitter pantomime, was all about
Laundry – an association of multi-disciplinary artists
Members of Laundry have visited “Hania, Crete, to negotiate and plan a Creative Laboratory with the Etz Hayyim Synagogue, as part of the Intercultural Dialogue project with Borderland Foundation and New Culture Foundation”
7 Inch Cinema » The Way We Were
Ian rounds up an interesting and varied 2008 when he should be writing the Flatpack brochure
Media Talent Bank – January member of the month
Garazi Gardner is member of the month for January and is “a freelance photographer based in Birmingham who specialises in fashion, portrait and both live and promotional music photography”
Enduring America
Enduring America is a blog about US politics and foreign policy straight outta Birmingham Uni. Contributors include Scott Lucas, Prof of American Studies, and PhD student Mike Dunn

Links for January 6th

Chris Unitt — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:28:25 +0000

Vote for Created in Birmingham (another shameless plea)
If you’ve not yet voted, please do.
If you have voted please vote again (you can vote DAILY until Tues 13 Jan)
Birmingham Photospace: Choose a Photographer
Birmingham Photospace, the people looking to establish a permanent photo gallery in Birmingham, are asking which photographer you’d like to see exhibiting in the city
Big Brum Quiz of the Year 2008 – Birmingham: It’s Not Shit
I got 71%. I’m sure you can do better
Birmingham Jazz News – Sammy Goulbourne: Barack Obama Mixtape
In honour of 2009 and of Barack Obama’s Election victory, Birmingham Jazz’s friend Sammy Goulbourne has recorded a mixtape for you to download
ESRC report on Future Management of the UK’s Creative Industries.
Nick summarises the report which he also paraphrases as “Whoah – this is all a bit confusing. Can we do some more research please?”

Links for December 31st

Chris Unitt — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 11:24:54 +0000

Ones to watch in 2009 « West Midlands Dance
The Guardian recommends a couple of Birmingham-based shows in its preview for 09
by the light divided
Jack reviews gigs for Birmingham Live and this is his blog
Our next production – The Rage Ensemble
The Rage Ensemble “are looking for people to be part of the ensemble cast for a production which we will be putting on at a Birmingham theatre”. Get in touch if you’re interested in getting involved
Regional Youth Arts Conference for the West Midlands
“This free one-day regional conference brought to you by ENYAN (English National Youth Arts Network) and the Regional Youth Work Unit will act as a forum for the development of youth arts across the West Midlands region” It’s at The Public in West Brom on 24 March 09
Setting the Scene | Crescent Theatre Blog
The latest edition of the Crescent Theatre’s brochure crescentscene is out
Fullrange Media are moving to Fazeley Studios
And here’s a set of Flickr pics
The Hearing Aid: Envy & Other Sins / The Heathers / Mr Bones and the Dreamers / Tom Peel
Review from the gig at The Rainbow, Digbeth Thursday 18th December 2008

Links for December 20th

Chris Unitt — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 12:56:56 +0000

BBC NEWS | Magazine | The sit-down comic
An interview with Birmingham’s Laura Howells – the Beano’s first ever regular female artist (hat tip to Andy Mabbett)
John Garghan, exhibition in the new year
The guy who takes the fasinating photos of torched cars. He’s getting ready for an exhibition at the Solihull Arts Complex at the Touchwood Centre, Solihull. 19 Jan to 7 March
Screen WM – Annual Review
You can get Screen WM’s annual report for 07/08 (and the past couple of years) here
Where next for the Custard Factory and other independent venues?
Interesting post from Kenny at Big Cat pondering what direction a large-ish, credible venue should take in terms of booking acts. Would be interesting to see what people would suggest
New Season Announced at Birmingham Rep : Whatsonstage Midlands
There’s some Philip Pullman, a Caribbean musical, a collaboration between writers and actors from the UK, Japan and Korea and lots of other good things
Young People’s Free Theatre Scheme- successful West Midlands theatres – Audiences Central
A list of “theatres who have been successful in their application for the Arts Council England Young People’s Free Theatre Scheme”
Kebablog – DAB con
A poke around Birmingham’s digital radio options
Dressing-the-Pooh | Crescent Theatre Blog
Interesting from the Crescent Theatre – they’ve got a production of Winnie-the-Pooh coming in the new year. A comment on a previous blog asked whether Pooh would be played in full, semi or no costume. Here’s the answer (maybe drop them a comment on your thoughts)
Still Waiting
Not sure what this is, but it’s to do with Antonio Roberts so it’ll probably be interesting

Links for December 16th

Chris Unitt — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 01:08:34 +0000

New ‘Creative’ guide launched for West Midlands entrepreneurs
I can’t find a copy but it looks like it could be a blimmin interesting/useful document to get your mitts on. Can anyone find this online?
Young People Arts Project: New Project Opportunity – Audiences Central
“Audiences Central, with arts consultant Kerry Endsor, is looking to develop and deliver a high-profile, public-facing, arts project that will encourage and inspire young people in the West Midlands to engage with the arts and culture”. If you’re interested in getting involved then register your interest on the Audiences Central site before 19 Dec
Welcome to BYPY
Nominations for the Birmingham Young Professional of the Year are open
heavy handbag
Ramjeena Aujla is a “split-second-stealing snapper” and she blogs at Heavy Handbag
Screen WM – The year that was… 2008
Suzie Norton wraps up what they’ve been up to over at Screen WM this year
B(l)og
A couple of the Audiences Central peeps have started their own blogs recently, with this one from Fiona likely to be the most, um, quirky. She has/had a secret obsession – rating the city’s (and likely other cities’) toilets. So far pubs and restaurants feature highly
Birmingham Jazz News – Birmingham Jazz gigs in Guardian’s top gigs of 2008!
Congrats to Mary and co for gaining “recognition from respected Guardian Jazz critic John Fordham on the Dave Liebman tour and the Django Bates StoRMChaser project amongst others as highlights of the year”
Make and Do at The Edge
Antonio Roberts went to “the first Make and Do Party over at The Edge, which was hosted by Friction Arts. There were about 20 artists present and there was a strong emphasis on just having fun creating art!”. He has a quick write-up and some pics