There was news of cuts from the new government and I tried to wrap my head around the mess that was being made of sorting out a LEP for Birmingham/West Midlands. The flyering/postering issue got another run out too.
Play isn’t just for kids! Come and join BARG as they host 2 ridiculously fun summer events at the mac to introduce you to the world of pervasive games.
With any luck you won’t need any more convincing and will just run straight over to register for one/both of these (it’s free).
Register for Sunday 15 August and games such as Bull Hunt, Parse the Parcel, Sonar Goggles and Search and Replace will be yours for the playing.
Brigid McLeer – Resident Artist at The Rea Garden | Behind Closed Doors
“We are pleased to announce that the third artist residency is under way here at The Rea Garden. Artist Brigid Mc Leer has been working down at the site since April in preparation for her ‘durational performance’ ‘One + One (The reading)’”
Arts keynote speech – Jeremy Hunt
The new Culture Secretary with some ‘thoughts about the role of arts and culture in society’. Includes a small, Birmingham-related mix-up (hat tip Jake Grimley)
The REP Revealed
“we have just published The REP Revealed – a new brochure which celebrates our achievements to date and our aspirations for the future”
I kinda don’t want to know too much about this before doing it, which makes telling you about it a little difficult.
All I really know is that it’ll happen on 18 December at 6pm in Birmingham. You can sign up on the Subtlemob website. People use the words small, gorgeous and filmic to describe it.
A while back I mentioned a strange meet up named BARG happening in the back of an old pub in Digbeth These meetings were for anyone with a creative mind or just a childlike desire to play, and looked at how we can use mobile technology and social media stuff to play interesting games.
These games, much like the Emergent Game a few years ago prove that interactive play doesn’t have to be homed exclusively online or in the playground but can explore geographical areas in new ways, look at how we now communicate online and off, and give a chance for grown adults to play.
Another Nicky doing good work in the city is Nicky Getgood who writes the blog Digbeth is Good. She uses social media stuff like maps, videos and games within her blog which demand importance in the real world and sets the context firmly within the geographical area and a real community. The most interesting projects I have seen recently rely on this process of interweaving online and offline participation, such as 4am Project and other activities like Flickr meetups which happen in the city.
Now spring has sprung the BARG group are taking games onto the streets of Birmingham, with the aim of taking a fresh look at neglected parts of the city, and reclaiming them much like how skateboarders do. This Saturday between 2pm and about 7pm they will be hosting an afternoon of play and picnics on Curzon Street. For more information and maps etc go to Nikki’s personal blog.
This Thursday their are two very different creative meet-ups happening in the city:
The Feb Creative Networks is the 3rd Creative Forum event with special guest speaker Ash Atalla, the writer and producer best known for producing The Office. The Creative Forum bit is usually a series of stands from organisations like Business Link and Screen WM on hand to offer advice. 5.30pm – 10.00pm
The first BARG happened last month; games were played, cake was eaten and their was a whole lot of enthusing and exploring of social mechanisms. The Second BARG will feature: a look at rapid prototyping kits for game, discussion of a planned St Patrick’s day game, evolution of the Emergent Game and more.
If you didn’t attend last month, you can still get in on the fun by turning up at The Lamp Tavern, Digbeth at 7pm.
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.’
