Created in Birmingham

More bad jobs news. Channel 4 have announed that the 4Talent Networks teams, including those at the Birmingham hub, ‘won’t be around‘ in 2009.

We’re told that:

under new management channel4.com/4talent will at least continue

but whether they can maintain the impeccable standards set by Nick Carson, Helen Byrne and Catherine Bray is another matter.

…be at Gigbeth tonight, but I’ve got to go to a birthday party the other end of the world instead. Humph.

If I could, I’d be checking out The Destroyers (amusingly described as “Oompah oompah oompah oompah oompah oompah pah, OY! x 1m” by one unconverted soul), the Sugar Hill Gang and the 4Talent stage.

In fact, 4Talent can have an extra plug because not only are they hosting the stage debut of CiB-founder Pete Ashton and friends, including this chap:

but they’re also giving away USB wristbands to the first 100 people through the door.  They’ve been preloaded with videos, MP3s and a podcast from the acts they’ll be featuring on the night.  If you need to know more, here’s what the 4Talent wristbands contain.

Another big weekend with something for everybody (unless you happen to hate animation, music and design in equal measure, in which case you can just do one) with:

• Plus+ International Design Expo
• Flip Animation Festival
• Gigbeth

Plus+ kicked off today at Fazeley Studios, Digbeth.  I’m heading over in a bit and am not really sure what to expect other than the much-discussed tart cards.  I suppose I’m looking forward to catching a talk or two and just having a mooch about.

Flip is over in Wolverhampton at the Light House and consists of three days of animation goodness – screenings, portfolio dissections, talks and all sorts, with a closing party hosted by Colour.

Gigbeth kicks off with the conference tomorrow and carries on through to Saturday evening.  There’s loads of info out there for anyone wanting to look.  May I direct you to:

• The programme
• Jon Bounds’ round-up (featuring a link to his Gigbeth MySpace marathon)
• Info about 4Talent’s stage, featuring CiB’s Pete Ashton between the other acts
• Rich Batsford has blogged about playing the 4Talent stage and also at Drop Beats Not Bombs later in the evening
• Rhubarb Radio will be broadcasting live feeds from some of the stages

• shameless self promotion (for a good cause) « graphiquillan
  Please go and vote for Shona’s beautiful design. It’s so quick to do and you’ll be supporting Birmingham’s creativeness. Please. Go on
• 4Talent Central Film Weekender
  As part of the Hello Digital festival the local 4Talent folk have put together some film events at the Electric Cinema. On Friday there are 5 films from the annual Horrorfest competition. Saturday sees Pixar’s Michal Makarewicz introducing WALL-E (in high def). Sunday returns to horror with 28 Days Later, followed by a debate on the future of digital film
• YouTube – ArtsFest2008′s Channel
  ArtsFest has a YouTube channel for the 2008 events
• Punch – News – MOBO 2008 nomination for Punch!!!
  Ammo from Punch was nominated for a BeMOBO award which honours an individual or organisation making a difference in the community. He was pipped to the post by Ricky McCalla in the end but a round of applause is due nonetheless
• Twitter / punchrecords
  Punch have joined Twitter, by the way
• Big Cat Group on Hello Digital
  Big Cat give an overview of the events happening next weekend (Thurs – Sun) at Hello Digital
• Digbeth is Good- Sunday Xpress this Sunday at the Adam & Eve
  Promising not only “singers, poets, comedians, strange music-makers and rattlesnakes” but “free roast potatoes and good cheer” too. Sounds splendid
• Animation Forum WM – Eight Eyed Sea Bass in Profile
  Interesting interview with Paul and Dom from Eight Eyed Sea Bass. Covering topics like the London/regions divide, funding/support for animators and current/future projects. Having seen it, I can also confirm that they have a “bloody nice studio”
• D’log – 10th Birmingham Tolkien Fest
  Pencil in 16-17 May 09 if the thought of a Tolkein Fest makes you go weak at the knees. If not, don’t

I’ve been feeling a bit off-colour the past couple of days, so apols for the lack of decent posting.  If anything’s going to raise my spirits it’s the prospect of a sodding great whale and a huge robot both turning up in the city.  It’s like Power Rangers or something.

The former comes courtesy of Claudia Losi’s Balena Project as presented by Ikon Gallery (and previously alluded to).  A 25ft cashmere whale will be deposited by the escalators in The Mailbox from 24 Sept to 26 Oct.  This is what it looks like:

Hmm, so it doesn’t look like a fearsome, city-levelling villain, more like me flopped on my sofa feeling sorry for myself.

Meanwhile, flyers for Hello Digital (a mere 6 weeks away and still no-one knows quite what it is) will apparently be distributed around the Bullring tomorrow by a giant robot.  Brilliant!

I’ll write something about Hello Digital when I know what’s going on but details have been trickling out:

• It’ll be happening predominently at Millennium Point and will be free to attend
• SCAMP will kick things off on the first night with an “electro-acoustic and live visual performance”
• An international digital conference called ‘Hello World’ will take place on 23-24 October
• There’ll be an interactive ‘Field of Light‘ from the Plus Expo people, controllable via a microsite (this sounds dead cool)
• Capsule’s ‘Home of Metal‘ project will launch at Wolverhampton Art Gallery on Saturday 25 Oct
• Baskerville: The Animated Movie will get it’s premiere
• Killriculum seems to involve getting kids to watch scary short films while lying in coffins
• Digital Storytelling is “a touching vision of the world we live in”. Hmm, sounds very worthy
• The Light House in Wolverhampton, in association with 4Talent, will be screening “contemporary and classic film from the Film4 back catalogue”

So far the Hello Digital blog and Twitter are up and running and the main site is due to go live any minute now.  Meanwhile here’s the flyer:

There are just two weeks to go for submissions to the 4Talent Awards – the deadline is 29 August 2008.

4Talent acts as a talent spotter for the various arms of Channel 4 and the awards:

tip exciting individuals with the potential to make a difference, as judged both by commissioners and the leading producers who supply them.

It’d be great to have some Birmingham winners again – last year Polar Bear, Chris Keenan and Nathan Hughes-Berry won trophies – so have a look through the categories and if one fits you (and as long as you’re under 30 and meet the other criteria) then get your application in.

• Present on 4Talent
  Win a ticket to Bestival and the chance to interview an artist on 4Talent’s podcast. Some interesting fun with Twitter from the Brum-based 4Talent peoples.
• Collection: Capsule @ Sonar 2008
  Jenny Capsule has put up photos from Sonar.
• Birmingham Words – New Editorial Team
  “We intend to make Birmingham Words reflect the diverse talent from our region and build on the excellent work started by Will Buckingham”

• Modulate in Capsule
  Modulate, the West Mids AV and digital arts collective, have a new piece of work which will form part of an Optofonica exhibition in Amsterdam next month. It sounds incredible and they’re looking to bring it to Birmingham in 2009.
• Jerusalem: The East Side Story screening c/o B.I.F.S.
  “A documentary of the history of perhaps the most hotly contested city in the world”. At the Library Theatre on Thurs 26 June, 7.30 to 9.15pm
• D’log – Towards a history of the visual arts in Birmingham and the Black Country
  “A quick stab at a list of the most important published resources for a timeline history of visual arts production in Birmingham and the Black Country. In approximate chronological order. Additions are welcome…”
• 4Talent – DEMOCRATIC MOVIES?
  Dave Allen (of Animation Forum West Mids) speaks to Birmingham-based screenwriter Brendan O’Neill
• A preview of The Public by Fused Magazine
  Following their review of Ikon Eastside’s launch, Fused have now reported back from the press preview of The Public. Which is good, cos I couldn’t make it.

June’s Out Of Hours, the creative sector socialising shindig at the Light House in Wolverhampton, features a look at the work of Sarah Ray, a Birmingham-based illustrator who’ll be introducing her exhibition Good Day.

Among many other things she’s been featured by 4Talent magazine (as per the pic) who will also be there to talk “about how illustration helps shape their visual identity”.

A backdrop will be provided by VJs Cinecull. That’s on Monday 16 June, 7-9pm and entry is free.