Created in Birmingham

PROVIDE Paper is a free publication which is produced and distributed by the PROVIDE Shop in Digbeth, with the goal of sharing the creative talents of their friends and customers.

Each issue has a theme, and we are currently accepting submissions for Issue 002: Choose Adventure, until Friday 14th June.

Anything that can be printed will be considered. All the information you need to submit work is available on www.provideshop.com, where you can also view an online version of the first issue which was released last September.

The first Paper was really well received, and provided valuable exposure for the featured artists and designers. We hope that the second edition will be just as popular, and we’re looking forward to receiving a great variety of submissions.

Please feel free to share the brief with anyone you think may be interested in submitting work.

For more information on the PROVIDE Shop and their projects, including the PROVIDE Paper, contact Matt via the email address matt@provideshop.com, or just drop into the shop in the Custard Factory.

Last week we mentioned that this weekend is the Still Walking Microfestival, organised by Ben Waddington.

Still Walking is intended to cover a wide range of experiences that in some way involve walking (our current working definition is something like “human-powered movement through a space”).

Still Walking events will include (but not be restricted to):

• Historical guided tours from knowledgeable figures.
• Tours given by walking artists and performance artists, extending the understanding of what a guided tour can be.
• Personal experiences of living in the city, conducted by notable residents (past and present) or people who have been encouraged to tell their story.
• Walks addressing the health or social aspects of walking.

Have a look through the programme.

I’m one of the lucky 20 who have got a ticket for a walk led by Neil Holland, Hidden in Plain Sight: The Sculpture of William Bloye. Looking forward to it.

We last wrote about the Beermat Character project by Inkygoodness in August last year, and since then it has been joined by Ammo Magazines Poop Deck project, has been exhibited at the Coningsby Gallery in London and is now online for all to see, and buy. There are many Midlands artists in the exhibition, including Ed J.brown, Michelle Turton and Jim Rogers.

If you don’t know much about the Birmingham born project then watch the following video’s below that show the framing process by The Framers based in the Custard Factory, the print process of the Poop Deck Project playing cards and a video showing the exhibition space transformed from an empty gallery to a busy launch night.

Inkygoodness: Framing Beermats from Inkygoodness on Vimeo.

The Poop Deck Project printing process.

Inkygoodness: Beermat Characters + The Poop Deck Project Launch from Inkygoodness on Vimeo.

Birmingham Architecture Festival is happening this weekend – their launch party is in fact tonight. Here is a small selection of CiB’s highlights/recommendations, but do be sure to read up on the programme yourself to see what other activities you could be getting up to this weekend.

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KINO 10 are showing a series of short films over the weekend at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. They’re all building related (of course) and feature shorts that explore Brutalist architecture, Urban explorers, the invasion of New York City by Space Invaders, MACE footage of Birmingham in the 1970s, and Billboard artists, amongst others.

On Saturday, KINO 10 are showing an exclusive intimate screening of ‘one of the best documentaries of the last decade’, You’ve Been Trumped, at 6/8 Kafé at 7.45pm.

Funny, inspiring and heart-breaking, the film brings to light the appalling way Trump abused the residents of the estate, destroyed an ecosystem and broke promises he never intended to keep.

KINO 10 have some special events coming up over the next few months, so keep an eye out for them – you’ll probably hear first on their twitter.

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Still Walking have a Material World Tour on Monday at 3pm

I went on two of Ben’s walks as part of Flatpack festival and loved them both, and I absolutely recommend Still Walking events. Tickets are £5 – really good value.

Every inch of the town and city around us has been designed, shaped and has a job to do. Material World examines the urban fabric of Birmingham to tell the story of the city, its natural resources and changing building methods, and provides a fascinating insight into the movement of valuable material around the world.

Worth noting, Still Walking are having a microfestival the weekend after this one, Friday 31st May – 2nd June.

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Pinhole Camera workshop with Matt & Pete’s Photoschool

It runs from 9.30am 5.30pm and costs £40.00. For that you get to make a camera out of a shoebox and take 10 photos which we’ll develop on-site at the Old Joint Stock theatre by Birmingham Cathedral. The photos will then be exhibited at 6/8 Kafe on Monday.

You can win a place on this – they’ve had a cancellation and the person doesn’t want a refund, so they’re giving their ticket away.

To enter, email the answer to this question to info@photo-school.co.uk  by 6pm today (Friday.)

Pinhole cameras derive from the Camera Obscura.

Where is the largest Camera Obscura in the world located?

Take a look at Matt & Pete’s Photoschool website to see what other courses they run.

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Whilst we’re here: THSH’s free interactive digital installation, Universe of Sound - The Planets starts this weekend at the Municipal Bank. They had their launch event last night (Thursday 23rd) and I’ve heard really good things about it. The team were invited along but none of us could make it – we’ll definitely be checking it out next week.

With the end of term approaching the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design will be showcasing the work of their graduates from 10th – 16th June. This is an opportunity to look for new talent or simply view a wide range of work across different disciplines.

The work is being showcased in the following disciplines Art, Visual Communication, Fashion/Textiles/3D Design, Architecture and Jewellery. Information about the shows location and times can be found through the above links or alternatively visit the website here.

Saturday 18th May – 1pm – 3:30pm

#InstaBrum is an Instagram Photomarathon, an event in which participants are given themes to photograph within certain time and post to Instagram.

Taking place on Saturday May 18th, the goal of this event is to network, have fun and spread great views of Birmingham through the web.

The starting point will be the Custard Factory, with participants given four themes to interpret and photograph within two hours before meeting at the finish line (the Bullring Bull) and heading for a drink and a chat.

More details can be found on the event’s Facebook page

Birmingham Civic Society is holding a Public Art Forum on the evening of Wednesday 15th May, to take forward the debate on the future of Public Art for Birmingham.

Birmingham Civic Society has decided to commission a new innovative work of public art to be positioned in the city centre through an open competition. The piece will be unveiled in 2018, their centenary year. This Forum will not only influence the approach and vision Birmingham Civic Society will take in commissioning this new piece of public art work, but will also allow for a wider discussion and debate about the changing status and function of public art, relating to both its relevance and relationship to a city and its residents, and the parameters of what public art can be.

Birmingham Civic Society and a panel of speakers from cultural, planning and business sectors will introduce a series of questions for discussion.

You can book a space for the event via the Birmingham Civic Society: info@birminghamcivicsociety.org.uk

More information on the Birmingham Civic Society website.

“Hit the Ode brings the most exciting poets from the region, the country and the world to the heart of Birmingham. Join us! We have poems. Poems which contain small parts, unsuitable for unsupervised play; poems scored for philharmonic orchestras and rush-hour traffic; poems with wind-up mechanisms. Good poems. Come and get them.”

The next Hit the Ode is on Thursday 16th May at The Victoria (upstairs I assume) and tickets are £5.  A very few open mic slots will be available on the door. More detailed information on their facebook page.