Brilliantly Birmingham will have a temporary shop at the Pavillions from 5-24 December.

Some of the designers selling their work in the Pavilions include designers from Design Space, an incubation scheme in the Jewellery Quarter which was set up by Birmingham City Council to support new talent in the area

Meanwhile quite literally everyone else has pointed out that the Swifty Pop-Up Shop will be at the Sauce Gallery at the Custard Factory from 10 Dec to 10 Jan. Swifty is a typographer, artist and sleeve designer – he worked at The Face before later becoming art editor at Straight No Chaser.

OH. MY. SWEET. LORD. I’ve just found out he did the ‘If in doubt play Stevie’ print that I once saw years ago and have hankered after ever since. Ok, I’m excited about this now.

The shop will sell:

Everything from originals and one off prints to T-shirts, skateboards and stickers

But whatever, I just want that print. Oh aye, Punch Records are involved with this one too. Here’s a pic:

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The idea was put forward by Cllr Martin Mullaney on The Stirrer the other day – Millennium Square is going to be unavailable soon as it’s being turned into a park. Of course, this suggestion came in the aftermath (and I don’t think that’s a completely unreasonable phrase to use. Or would ‘debacle’ be better? ‘Embarrassment’, maybe?) of the Christmas Lights switch-on.

A fine question from Nicky Getgood though:

how will the council deal with noise complaints from local residents who find the festivals disruptive?

Money for art

BMAG is to be given £4.8m towards a new wing forming part of the £9.7million project called Birmingham – A City in the Making. It may one day hold the Staffordshire Hoard (to whit – donations are being collected).

You can wear jeans and trainers to the ballet

You knew that, right?

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The Bullring has been recreated in Lego. It’s not the sort of thing that you might think was very ‘CiB’ but there’s something about it that appeals to me. More info here. This was spotted on the BiNS PR website (where there are more photos).

In possibly related news, I saw on Twitter that Chris Randall from Second Home Productions is working on a Lego-based project. Hmm.

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Yep, from here on in it’s pretty much inescapable.

The Frankfurt Christmas Market (a celebration of charming curios and glühwein or a tat-strewn bovine/pedestrian magnet depending on your point of view) opened today, which is as good a reason as any to link to Old Dead Eye’s lovely video.

Apparently there’ll be a Solihull one this year too, opening 28 Nov.

On Saturday (14 Nov) the Christmas lights are being switched on with a 5-hour pop-fest at Millenium Point which actually features a pretty impressive line-up. BRMB are putting on The Sugababes, JLS, Calvin Harris, Alexandra Burke, Chipmunk, Pixie Lott, Tinchy Stryder, Little Boots and the Noisettes. Not my kinda thing but I’ve at least heard of all of them.

(Pic by hartlandmartin)

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Home By Six is a new project from Multistory:

Whatever it is about your journey, if you can tell it in six words we want to hear it.

Stories will be featured in an exhibition called ‘Home by Six’ which will take place at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery in the Community Gallery from 21 November 2009 to 7th February 2010. The Community Gallery is an exciting new space dedicated to exhibitions created in collaboration with communities.

There’s a few ways to get involved in this one:

• Text ‘homebysix’ plus your story, name and town to 60300 (calls charged at your operator’s standard network rate)
• Email: send your story, name and town to yourstory@homebysix.co.uk
• Twitter: use the hashtag #homebysix
• Online: write your story at the Home By Six website

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The fizzPOP Howduino event takes place on Saturday 21st November, 10am – 5.30pm:

It’s a free event that will bring together 40 people from different backgrounds to work individually and collaboratively on various projects based around the Arduino platform. (Arduinos are small microcontrollers designed for easy prototyping of things that have electronics/data that respond to things in the physical world and vice versa. In their own words: “It’s intended for artists, designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments.”)

The event will cater for people of all skill levels (we’re running introductory workshops for beginners too) with the main aim being to get people combining components – be they electronic or cardboard – and ideas to produce cool stuff.

The workshop places have all gone now but there are still a few attendee tickets left. If you’re really keen to do a workshop then put your name down here and they might be able to free up some space.

Ta to Nikki Pugh for sending the info.

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Well, I wasn’t at The Big Debate on Monday, so I can’t tell you what the answer was. Here’s a list of ideas that came out of the event, although if that’s anything to go by the answer was “no, we need to sort ourselves out before telling the rest of the country what to do”.

That may not be an accurate summary though.

If you want to find out for yourselves, the live stream and blog are both archived on the Birmingham Post website. I hear Charles Leadbetter was good.

Personally, I was impressed by the series of blog posts that preceded the main event:

• The Post’s own Marc Reeves wrote an excellent piece criticising the “erratic approach to creating ‘quarters’ across the city” and addressing access to finance saying “Put simply, many in the creative sector need to grow up, put on a suit, and get to know how finance works”. Well worth a read
• Fullrange’s Lee Kemp was persuasive on regional work projects being reserved for regional (in his view a very bad idea)
• Screen WM’s Jason Hall talked about how to prove the impact of creative stuff. Answer – join a network. If there isn’t one for you then start one.

Meanwhile, since the event, Paul Bradshaw has countered those who complained of too much talk and too little action. Dave Harte has done likewise while attempting to lay a few other myths to rest. Rebecca Sykes and Andrew Brightwell have put their thoughts down too.

If anyone was there it’d be good to get your thoughts on the event.

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Media Kube Productions – 5-7 Vaughton Street South (a couple of mins from Five Ways)

In the words of Pete Homer from Media Kube Productions:

We are a media company based in B’ham who have created a media / music creative apprenticeship course for young people aged between 16-24 wanting to get into creative industries.

We also have two large beautiful open plan warehouses that would be ideal for like minded people to use and bring to life with creative projects such as art gallery / exhibition space, filming etc

They’re also looking at renting office or desk space to create a good working environment for creative businesses.

Here’s what the space looks like:

And here’s a flyer with more info. For enquiries, get in touch with Pete Homer at pete@media-kube.com.

Boxxed – 104-106 Floodgate Street, Digbeth

Recently used for shooting a music video for Basement Jaxx and intended to be used for workshops, exhibitions and events. No pics, but there’s more info on Boxxed’s website.

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An outdoor dance spectacular that’s part of Birmingham Town Hall’s 175th birthday celebrations. They’re hoping for up to have had up to 12,000 people take part. It’s being performed on Friday 9 October at 8pm and Saturday 10 October at 3pm and 8pm – and you can learn the steps half an hour before each performance.

It’s part of the People Dancing programme and there’s plenty more info on westmidlandsdance.com and the Bollywood Steps website.

Birmingham Poet Laureate Inaugral Reading

Tonight, at the Library Theatre, our new poet laureate, announced yesterday as Adrian Johnson (ACE West Mids Literature Officer), will be performing for the first time in his official capacity.

Info on the Birmingham Book Festival website.

Goings on in Digbeth

Nicky Getgood, on Digbeth is Good, has linked to a fair amount of interesting stuff happening:

• Eastside Studio are holding an Open Studio on Saturday afternoon from midday to 5pm to ‘celebrate the completion of carving the ‘Rugby Writers’ commission’
• Also on Saturday, VIVID are taking part in The Big Draw with a variety of artists getting visitors to interact with their work

UPDATE – Oops, cheers to Nicky Getgood for pointing out the next one is on Sunday 18 October:

• On Sunday Nikki Pugh is doing a GPS-assisted walk around “the perimeter of the regeneration area taking great care to stop, investigate, prod, document, tell stories about and explore things along the way”

Also, see the comments for more free stuff this weekend.

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I’m planning to use that page’s discussion board when I need to ask questions, rather than cluttering up the blog. For example, we’re currently asking for suggestions as to who it’d be good to go and interview.

I’ve also opened a topic over there called ‘The Spam Board‘. Forgive the slightly cheeky name, but that’s a place for people to promote whatever they’ve got going on. It’s another thing for me to dip into occasionally too, so for instance we’ve got:

Rage Arts – The Scent of Evil

The Scent of Evil was made by The Rage Ensemble @ Birmingham Rathbone at The Urban Film Club. The club gives young people the opportunity to work with professionals to create short films. The young people worked with the director to create the story for The Scent of Evil and assisted behind the camera as well as appearing in the film itself

Friction Theatre – Mother Courage and Her Children by Bertolt Brecht

On at the Old Rep Theatre from tonight until Saturday 10 October:

Mother Courage and her Children is considered by many to be the greatest play of the 20th century. Brecht’s anti-war themes are as current today as when the play was first performed in 1941. Mother Courage’s business is war. She trades in brandy, boots and belts, endlessly dragging her children across Europe whilst attempting to protect them from the war’s devastating effects. Epic theatre at its most thought provoking.

What’s more, use the code ‘Friday Fiver’ when booking tickets via The Ticket Factory to take advantage of £5 for the show on Friday 9 October.

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Amy knows more than most about artists’ professional development so there’s a few mentions of that amongst interviews of local creatives (Kate Beatty and Nicole Scribbel so far), curated events listings, opportunities for artists/promoters and whatever she fancies flagging up.

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In the Birmingham Post yesterday Punch Records‘ Ammo Talwar spoke his mind on what he sees as Birmingham’s neglect of this year’s Black History Month, especially in comparison to the enthusiasm shown over the Staffordshire Hoard:

When do we start pleasing the really big crowds – the ones who aren’t there, the ones who want to see something different? Do we have to get a metal detector down to Handsworth to unearth Apache Indian’s first gold tooth, or lock on to Steel Pulse’s forgotten cymbal set?

It’s Black History Month and there should be real effort and real funding to promote the treasures left to us by Birmingham’s black achievers.

Can’t argue with that.

The Black History Month website has a full run-down of everything happening over October (click the link and scroll down the page). It’s a little tricky to pick things out, although I’ve heard good things of East is East which is on at The Rep and Eric Roberson will be at The Drum on 10 Oct.

In the Birmingham Post piece Ammo mentions a showing of the controversial documentary, Deen Tight:

Filmed on location with Muslim rappers, DJs, slam poets, breakdancers and a graffiti artist in concerts, recording studios, at homes and in the streets. Our story focuses on the perceived conflict between traditional religious ideals and modernity, as well as both the positives and negatives of Western Pop culture on todays’ Muslim youth

That’s at The Drum on 13 October.

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A particular fave of recent times is More Canals Than Venice, run by the mysterious PixieSixer. Well worth bookmarking/subscribing to if you’ve not already.

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The first one she did was the Richard Trengrouse Tour of historical Digbeth.

Next up was Ben Waddington’s Digbeth Type and Architecture Tour, the videos have been embedded into a Google map and are viewable one after the other here.

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In Antonio’s words:

It’s a year-long project by myself and Jon Harrington about deadlines and waiting. It’s possible that we may post more information about it, but in time

In Jon’s words:

Deadline started on January 1st and since then one still image from Antonio’s film and one sentence from my short story have been going live every day

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Boxer Design

Supercool

Clusta

Audiences Central

Fused (click for mixtape)

Substrakt

S&X

Creative Republic

Creative Republic – Christmas 2009 from Created in Birmingham on Vimeo.

Fierce

Made Media

Aston Villa

Capsule

Creative Alliance

Advent calendars

• 383 Project
• Birmingham: it’s Not Shit

Presents

• Birmingham Jazz – downloads from 2008

Are there any more around?

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Spinwell is a blog dedicated to fixed wheel/single speed cycling, the writer is Blacksmile and he covers the scene’s bikes, fashion, art and all that sort of goodness.

It’s also worth mentioning Fix Up Look Sharp Birmingham, who organise occasional races and such. There must be more local sites like this, but unfortunately my internet connection is testing my patiences. Feel free to chuck a link or two in the comments.

By the way, Amy’s been sweetening up the Mama Feel Good website. Have a look around and definitely grab the free mixes if you haven’t already.

© chrisunitt for Created in Birmingham, 2008. | 4 comments |

Also, if you’re at a loose end tonight, come along to the Creative Republic Christmas bash at Kerrang Radio, starting at 6.30pm.

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Kent Davis of The Rainbow has asked for help in support of two retrospective planning applications for the Rainbow Warehouse. These are for premises that are already up and running, licensed and to quote the local police “run in an exemplary manner”.

Kent’s problem is that the Birmingham City Council’s Planning Department (presumably because he is not a major developer helping to enhance our City with unneeded Gerrybuilt flats) has taken issue with the fact that, although all other departments had been satisfied, he had not requested their permission for change of use from warehouse to whatever category it should be. Also, the bit under the arches is officially uncovered so requires some other hoops to be jumped through.

This was a complete oversight. These matters are normally paper-shifting and rubber-stamp jobs – fairly routine. However, considering the recent threats from Environmental Health about noise issues it might be necessary to demonstrate widespread approval from the unwashed majority. Please get involved and get your friends involved. Too much is happening in Digbeth behind our backs!

Go to to BCC Planning Applications, type in these application numbers and make your comments:

• C/05280/08/FUL
• C/05279/08/FUL

(Spotted on Digbeth is Good)

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Currently our success has happened in spite of the city rather than because of it,  just think what could be achieved if we worked together.  Travelling frequently to other cities these are some suggestions to make Digbeth blossom as a cultural quarter:

• Why do people get on planes and trains to come to Supersonic – because we offer them a totally unique experience of the highest quality.  There is a real opportunity to acknowledge what makes Birmingham a unique city and invest in independent and niche activity.  Steer clear of a homogenised approach – learn from those that do it well and have a track record.
• Lets learn from other cities like Berlin, Glasgow and Manchester and take risks with our empty buildings – an opportunity to invest in content to be housed in these empty spaces to animate the area, lets not be so precious i.e. noise restrictions – creativity is often loud and messy lets embrace and celebrate this.
• Encourage more creative companies to have the opportunity to be able to buy their own buildings rather than be tied to short-term leases.
• Create flexible spaces that can house a variety of activity which changes from week to week, this will keep the area vibrant.
• Don’t just invest in a couple of landlords this creates a monopoly.
• Lets get the basics right – look at infrastructure: cash points, post offices, signage, and streetlights.
• Think about the visitors experience as well as what its like to work in this area, lets make it the highest quality experience – currently feels like quite an intimidating, unfriendly area.
• Creative quarters need to grow organically, invest in supporting growth rather than imposing structured ideas of what you think creativity should be.
• Remember areas develop over time not over night.

Meanwhile, Shona McQuillan (Graphiquillan) has thrown in her 2p on ‘the recent stirrings’ and ends with what she calls ‘The Break Free Manifesto’:

No logo

Evolution is imperative and the need for it must be acknowledged and respected by official bodies.

It’s not about self-interest – it embraces all who trade, visit, consume or adore. It brings elements together where it makes sense to do so – it’s more about healthy benevolence, but allows those who should benefit to do so.

It’s not about the establishment. It recognises many forms of creativity: art, music, dance, theatre, multimedia, skate culture, tattoos, grafitti et al.

It recognises that the state’s not going to do this and that those most qualified to do so, the city’s creatives, are the leads on this.

Break free. Time to do it ourselves?

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Made in Moseley is a joint Moseley CDT and Media Content Lab project:

to promote and support artists and designer-makers based in and around the Moseley area of Birmingham, the Made in Moseley Shop allows members to sell their products online via a shared shop front

© chrisunitt for Created in Birmingham, 2008. | One comment |

The idea is you find a spot on the map near you, take a stone there, take a photo of yourself with that stone and submit it (the photo) to the site.

There’s a marker just near Five Ways if you want to get involved (which I think I might – it’s on my walk into town anyway).

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Please give it a read.

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Wednesday 3 December, 8pm
BIRMINGHAM STORYTELLING SESSION
Upstairs at The Bull’s Head, St Mary’s Row, Birmingham B13 8HW
http://www.tradartsteam.co.uk/storytelling/bhamsession.htm

Thursday 4 December, 8pm
BIRMINGHAM TRADITIONAL SONG SESSION
Kitchen Garden Café, York Road, Kings Heath, Birmingham 14
www.tradartsteam.co.uk/song

Wednesday 17 December, 7:30pm
BIRMINGHAM – KITCHEN GARDEN CAFÉ
A storytelling night to raise the Christmas spirit With a Christmas host of local storytellers. KGC menu available from 6:30
Tickets £7.00 0121 443 4725
www.storytelling.uk.net/cafe/events/dec08bham.html

(Props to Spaghetti Gazetti)

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Tony Iommi – guitarist for Black Sabbath – is the next person to be honoured, which ties in nicely with the Home of Metal project:

Home of Metal encourages fans of Black Sabbath to be photographed wearing their prized band t-shirts.  Images will be taken by the Birmingham photographer Steve Gerrard. The photographs will then go on display on the Home Of Metal website and in future exhibitions.

That’s all happening on 23 Nov at 6.30pm, with Kerrang hosting live bands in Centenary Square earlier in the afternoon.  More info on the Home of Metal blog.

Capsule are hosting Racebannon + Trencher + Dream Dreams The Dreamer at the Hare & Hounds later that evening. They’ve also got Clinic at the Factory Club tomorrow (Thurs) night.

Last word goes to Tony (from the Walk of Stars website):

It’s great – it’s really an honour – I’m really proud of it … I was shocked!  It’s so nice to have things like that! I’ve got one out in LA but I’m not from LA – It’s so nice being recognised in your home town”

© chrisunitt for Created in Birmingham, 2008. | 5 comments |

Join Harry Palmer this Saturday (22nd Nov) near St Martins Church – Bullring, Birmingham (3pm sharp) to hear details surrounding the tragic crisis of the hedgehog in Birmingham

Here’s the flyer (update – as per the comment below, don’t go feeding hedgehogs milk or bread):

© chrisunitt for Created in Birmingham, 2008. | 5 comments |

Sigh.

Anyway, there are a few pubs in Birmingham that are pushing the arty side of things – two in Hockley that have been about for a bit (but not all that long) and a new pretender the other side of town.

The Lord Clifden touts itself as Birmingham’s ‘urban art bar’ and makes a fair claim on the title by having work by Banksy, D*Face, Nick Walker, Blek, Obey, Faile and Army Lion knocking about.  It’s at 34 Great Hampton Street, Hockley (map).

The Urban Art Bar people also own The Red Lion at 95 Warstone Lane, Hockley (map) which seems to follow the same formula and only opened a month ago (I think). There’s info and a few reviews on the beerintheevening.com page.

The Victoria (website soon come) is the new one – it only opened last Thursday. The pub’s been around for a while but has now been taken over by the people who own Island Bar.  The pub now boasts a Birmingham cityscape mural made by the Them Lot collective which is based on the computer game Rampage.

It’s round the back of the Alexandra Theatre at 48 John Bright Street (map) and promises DJs, bands and burlesque shows. It was also the venue for Dr Sketchy’s Anti-Art School the other day (and will be again on 17 Jan).

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Bennie Gray, the Custard Factory and Big Peg owner, wrote a call-to-arms called ‘A challenge for Birmingham‘ which was featured in the Birmingham Post.  The nub of it was that:

as we face the threat of economic meltdown, Birmingham must become the city of a thousand new opportunities – and that means unleashing our aspiring young entrepreneurs

He believes that key to this will be:

dozens of informal Custard Factory-type organisations helping to unleash the multitude of small enterprises which, given the right backing, are ready to spring forth from the garages, spare bedrooms, colleges and sheds where they have been honing their nascent skills and ideas and waiting for the right opportunity for too long

As far as support is concerned:

Only Birmingham’s politicians – in Whitehall and in City Hall – can provoke that backing and those opportunities in the manner and on the scale that is needed

In response, Coun Summerfield agreed and was:

delighted to point out that faced with the current economic conditions, we in Birmingham are already up and running to meet the challenge

(One for the journos – is it just me, or is it hard to quote politicians directly without making them sound smug?)

For his part, Mick Laverty of AWM brought up 4iP, the Aston Villa FC Enterprise Academy and Young Person’s Enterprise Centre of Expertise.

The intrepid D’log took on the ‘interesting exercise’ of searching online for info on all the schemes mentioned, playing the part of an interested inward investor. The results were sparse to say the least.

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While I will be looking at galleries such as RBSA and Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery I would also like to look at something less conventional such as street art and something with a more independent edge

The first few things that sprung to mind (thinking mainly of galleries) were:

• Ikon Gallery
• Eastside Projects
• The Edge
• Urban Art Bar
• Gallery of Owls (although I’ve not visited and am struggling to find out much about this place)
• Purple Gallery
• Hedz (for street art stuff)

What have I missed?

© chrisunitt for Created in Birmingham, 2008. | 18 comments |

The East Birmingham & North Solihull Regeneration Zone (ebns Ltd), supported by Advantage West Midlands, have been investing in the development of Digbeth and Eastside as a Learning and Leisure Quarter and a centre for the creative industries, particularly the digital media sector. They have been working with a range of partners including Birmingham City Council, the Custard Factory, the Bond, Vivid, Groundwork, the Learning & Skills Council and others to develop a range of projects, create new workspace and provide new learning opportunities.

One of the project ideas now under discussion is the establishment of a Creative Marketplace, and they would like your input to help decide whether there is the demand for this, and if so what it should be.

During Hello Digital they are interested in canvassing your views. Would you like to see a Creative Marketplace in Digbeth / Eastside?

Click here to take the survey

If you’re wondering what a creative marketplace is then read the comment here.

© chrisunitt for Created in Birmingham, 2008. | 4 comments |