is an independent film, music and publishing company producing and distributing film, music and books through new media.
There are a few things to discover on their site. From what I gather their main project (at least on the film side of things) is called Ugly and in Love (warning on the strong content), the extract from which was filmed at The Mitre in Stourbridge and features (unless I’ve got my wires crossed) Swampmeat’s Dan Finnemore.
An interesting opportunity from Midland Heart:
The Spectacle Works provides affordable live/work accommodation tailor-made for designer makers and people in the creative industries who are starting up or already running their own business. It is based at Hylton Street in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter and provides a rolling 3 year tenancy for people and their businesses before they move on to more permanent accommodation.
On the subject, The Lombard Method were advertising available studio space about a month ago.
Creative Times have published some predictions and resolutions for 2012 featuring contributions from Noel Dunne, Katie Day and James Yarker among others.
Their hopes and aspirations cover better collaboration, apps for artists and a look at what to expect from Birmingham’s theatre scene over the coming months.
Have you got any predictions you’d like to make?
Town Hall and Symphony Hall have got a shiny new website and a new video to show off the kind of things they put on.
First up, the video, which was made by Vermillion Films:
And then the website, which was built by Made Media (which is where I work, full disclosure fans).
Also, blimey – I’ve just noticed that next year they’ve got a show called The Infernal Comedy:
John Malkovich stars in a stage play for baroque orchestra, singers and actor, based on the real-life story of convicted serial killer Jack Unterweger.
Yes, that John Malkovich. I’m a bit impressed by that.
Last weekend I went along to Aston Hall for one of the candlelit tours they do at this time of year:
One of the country’s finest Jacobean houses, Aston Hall is seen at its most breathtaking, lit by around 300 shimmering candles and warmed by two glorious historic fireplaces
It was pretty good too. It’s an amazing place and some of the actors that were dotted around were clearly having a lot of fun (especially one of the sword fighters at the beginning). I hadn’t realised what a big deal it was either – there were a lot of people booked in for each tour.
If you didn’t make it along this year than apparently you’ll have to wait until 2013 for the next one. In the meantime, here’s a video:
Pic from Birmingham Culture on Flickr, from a previous year.
This is an open letter from John Dolan, former Head of Libraries at Birmingham City Council, to Cllr. Mike Whitby, Leader of Birmingham City Council and Cabinet Member, Culture, copied to Randal Brew Cabinet Member, Finance and Ian Ward, opposition member for Culture.
Birmingham City Council’s library cuts: from world class city to mediocrity
Pete‘s made a video about the next Stitches and Hos.
Sampad are planning a new project:
MANDALA is a unique and bold new collaboration fusing classical and contemporary South Asian dance and music with 3D architectural projection mapping.
We plan to use one of the world’s most advanced real-time tracking systems to use the movement of the dancers, musicians and the audience to generate the imagery live, enabling you to push, pull and manipulate the building.
Which sounds pretty impressive to me. They’re co-producing this with Seeper who are responsible for some of the most impressive projection mapping I’ve seen.
They’re using Wefund to collect donations for the £5,000 required to make this happen. Donations are welcome and here’s a video explaining the project a bit more.
Sandford Jr sells screen printed clothes for kids up to the age of 7:
The desire to collaborate with artists to create something truly unique for babies and children as well as supporting artists along their careers has always been the driving force behind Sandford Jr
The featured artists are Lucy Mclauchlan, Leanne Jones and Ben Javens (who flagged this up on his blog).
Movember, the month formerly known as November, is a moustache growing charity event held during November each year that raises funds and awareness for men’s health
I already know of a few people around Birmingham who are getting involved this year. Feel free to identify yourselves in the comments (with a link to your donation page).
Meanwhile, here’s a Movember-themed animation from The Brothers McLeod.
somewhereto_ is a nationwide project to help young people find the space they need to do the things they love within sport, culture and the arts.
The coordinator in the West Midlands is a guy called Terence. Get in touch with him if you’re looking for a space to do something or if you’ve got a space to give.
Wandering back down Digbeth High Street after a tour around The Event last weekend, it was good to see that someone’s doing something useful with the run-down car dealerships.
Digbeth is Good has the scoop.
So I went to the previously-mentioned Birmingham Creative City launch at lunchtime.
I’d still struggle to explain exactly what it is, so here’s some blurb from the council’s press release:
The Creative City initiative will play a significant role by:
- Creating a fund to build on existing public sector funding of the arts through loans, grants, match-funding and investments. The allocation of funds will be based on the potential for job creation and economic growth.
- Outlining the vision for a new ‘museum quarter’, including a new museum of photography and the development of a new contemporary art gallery.
- Exploring ways to unlock private sector and philanthropic support for culture, linking cultural development to wider economic growth.
So this was really the launch of an idea. In the way that Manchester has Media City and London has Tech City, Birmingham (if it wants it) could claim the title of Creative City.
Thing is, the designations of those other two seem to have been built on much stronger foundations (a strong BBC presence and an already burgeoning tech scene, respectively). All we seem to have at the moment is ideas, visions (like this one for a Museum Quarter), pledges and plans with comparatively little substance. Maybe’s it’s just early days, but if the intention of this event was to make people excited about the possibilities on offer then I don’t think it worked.
Maybe the more substantial conversations are all taking place behind closed doors this afternoon – but then I got the sense from others that therein lies the problem. Chatting to people afterwards actually left me kinda depressed by it all.
Personally, I’m not sure what to make of it and I’m pretty busy, so here’s the audio from the speeches that were made. Please have a listen (they’re all quite short) and I’d love to hear what you make of this in the comments below.
In typical Peter O’Hanra-Hanrahan style, I managed to miss the bit where James Yarker from Stan’s Cafe thanked Cllr Timothy Huxtable for name-checking his theatre company but asked him how he squared that with the council cutting their funding by 100%. The response is in the final audio clip above (although it does make for uncomfortable listening).
On the subject
It would be hugely remiss of me not to point out this rather angry post by Pete Ashton, many of the sentiments of which I would endorse.
A couple more links
If I was a child aged 8-15 years I would definitely be badgering my parents to go to this half-term circus skills workshop with Cirque Eloize that the Hippodrome are putting on. They taught me some juggling and trampolining a few weeks back and it was great fun. If you’re over 15 then maybe just go and watch the show itself the week after, that’s a lot of fun too.
Birmingham Conservatoire are offering ‘tricks and treats for everyone’ at their Composer’s Platform Halloween Special. If dinner and theatre’s your thing The Kitchen Garden Cafe is offering Fright Bites with Don’t Go into The Cellar Theatre Company.
On the filmic side, The Electric are showing Ghostbusters and at the MAC you can see Nosferatu with a live score by the Midlands Fretted Orchestra.
Jumping the gun by a good eight days (if they turned up at my door that early I’d tell them to do one) are KINO 10 with a Halloween Special promising short films with a ghoulish twist.
Also brought to my attention:
Have I missed anything good?
