a site specific unique music event sponsored by Birmingham City Council and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
on the 9th October 2010 the engine house of Ladywood Fire Station was transformed into a performance space
Birmingham City Council’s Arts and Young People Team have commissioned Hybrid to deliver a series of events and training sessions providing pathways towards your career in the arts. There are four ways that you can take part:
1. Action learning sets to share challenges and find solutions, facilitated by coaches and those with mentoring experience.
2. Visits to arts organisations, to learn more about who, what and how. Visits with confirmed dates are;
- The Drum, 22 September at 11am – 12.30pm
- Big Brum, 23 September at 2 – 5pm
- BMAG & Community Museums, 3 November 2010 at 10am – 12pm
3. Panels/ Talks on varying themes, with speakers, discussion and networking opportunities. Held at Apache’s Bar, the following events are coming up;
- 15 November, 4 – 6.30pm. Topic: Young People/ NEET. Speakers: DJ, Sophie (Punch), and Abu (Lozells Youth Group).
- 15 December, 4 – 6.30pm. Topic: Community Cohesion. Speakers: Mel Tomlinson, Susan Hope (Craftspace), and Dally Panesar (CIP) & Tricia Yarwood (Birmingham Lifeline).
- 17 January, time TBC. Topic: Health. Speakers: Birmingham Children’s Hospital, with artist and arts organisation tbc.
4. Café style conversations on project development, delivery and evaluation, which will be facilitated by practitioners and arts professionals including Bright Space, Multistory and Birmingham City Council. Also held at Apache’s Bar, the following events are coming up;
- Project Development: 8 October, 4 – 6.30pm
- Project Delivery: 6 December, 4 – 6.30pm
- Project Evaluation: 9 February, 4 – 6.30pm
The programme takes place until March 2011. To register for an event and find out more, please email karen@hybridconsulting.org.uk, or leave a message on 0121 270 6389
Photographer Jak Flash is embarking on a project to re-illustrate the 22 Major Arcana tarot cards as photographic images for exhibition. Jak explains a little more on his website:
My next project, based around the imagery of the 22 major Arcana Tarot cards, is funded by Birmingham City Council and supported by Birmingham City University Students’ Union. I’m going be creating 22 images for EXHIBITION in Birmingham. The aim is to create a collaborative experience where people interested in being involved with art in Birmingham can come together.
Jak’s looking for models of all shapes and sizes, make-up artists, stylists and costume designers to help with the project too, so if you’re interested in getting involved, drop him a line on info@flashyourjak.com. The shoots are going to be taking place from the end of January till the end of February.
Here’s one of the tarot cards that is set to be turned into a photograph:
For more information on Jak Flash and the project visit his website here, or join the Major Arcana project Facebook group here.
After contact from a group drawn from Birmingham City Council and Arts Council England, The Music Network has asked 10 open questions to begin to determine an overview of the current state, needs, and potential of the independent music industry in Birmingham.
I’d hope there’d be lot of strong views in this area, so if you’ve got something to say, you’ve got until 24th January to respond. Below are the 10 questions, which are also available in a handy Google survey here.
1. In your view, what is the current state of the region’s “Independent Music Industry?”
2. What do you think are it’s immediate needs with reference to the areas that you are most familiar with?
3. As far as the region’s “Independent Music Industry” is concerned, what do you think shows the greatest potential for the next few years?
4. In recent years, there has been a range of initiatives and projects designed to support the development of music in Birmingham. Can you list 5 projects or initiatives that you think have proved beneficial to the “Independent Music Industry?”
5. Can you list any projects or initiatives that you think have proved “of little use or benefit” to the “Independent Music Industry?”
6. With regard to your answers to questions 4 and 5, do you think Birmingham should continue to pursue the idea of more initiatives and projects designed to support the development of music in Birmingham?
7. If you could make any changes to, or include any new ideas for, any “strategy for supporting the development of music in Birmingham” what would your top priorities be?
8. If you were given the task of evaluating whether a project or initiative had been successful, what would you suggest as the best indicators of success, failure, benefit or disaster for the “Independent Music Industry?”
9. As far as your knowledge or understanding of the region’s “Independent Music Industry” is concerned, what are it’s greatest strengths, and what are it’s greatest weaknesses?
10. If you could do anything to “support the development of music in Birmingham” what would you do and why would you choose to do that?
The Music Network would also like you to send any comments, links, articles or opinions that may be useful toinfo@birminghammusicnetwork.com. Otherwise, they say, “a decision will be made on your behalf without any reference to you, and you may not benefit from any strategy that gets agreed and put into action”.
This one nearly knocked me off my chair:
Birmingham City Council’s Arts Team has two mobile arts units; multimedia high-tech vehicles which convert into spaces for arts activity with drop-down walls and extending floor sections
We are looking for artists to work at outdoor events across the city between October 08 and March 09, to utilise these facilities. We welcome innovative ideas and activities that will engage with the general public at events, incorporating different ages and families working together
Cool!
The units come with a laptop, plasma screen, PA system, DVD player, cushioned seating and have disabled access and suggested artforms include “video or podcasting, music, design, visual arts and animation, telling stories through music and animation, creating e-books, photography/editing and manipulating images”.
Artists will be paid but have to get their tenders in by 22 September, which sounds like a tall order, given that it’s the 27th today. Still, I thought it was worth mentioning and if you’re interested you should maybe give them a shout anyway. Details are a short way down this newsletter from Creative Alliance.
PS – two vaguely related items:
- I found this bit of info on the Creative Alliance newsletter – a round-up of West Mids “commissions, jobs, training, opportunities and much more”. Irritatingly you now have to sign up to the membership area of their website to receive it (although it’s free).
- FAO people putting out email newsletters. They’re fine and all but I can’t link to them and people not on your list can’t see the info. Please put the info online. A blog would be perfect (and free, etc and so on). Even easier, forward your newsletter to post@posterous.com and see what happens. Honestly, it’s magic.
On Birmingham Counterculture, a blog started just before the weekend, Mr/Miss/Mrs/Ms B promises to:
raise issues, concerns and/or promote countercultural events and activities
in and around Birmingham.
Why this has to be done as “a slap in the face to mainstream cultural developments” (which are to be demoted) isn’t yet clear but then I’m a live-and-let-live kinda guy.
There’s been little promotion so far, but targets have included Eastside Projects, Creative Republic and the council (via Artsfest). I’m looking forward to what the people behind this want to champion so will stick with it for a bit and hope the scent of crazy (excessive capitals/question marks and hiding behind a pseudonym) subsides a little.
This quote from Graphiquillan stuck with me and has given D’log food for though too:
I’m often frustrated by the stamp of the council’s logo on everything creative that is sanctioned. Whenever I see that logo, there’s a switch that flips in my mind, and (probably unfairly) signals to me: “Hmmm, probably a bit dull. Move along.â€
Would this logo:
turn you off from an arts event? Do the council need to tag everything they touch? Aren’t they entitled to let us know when they get behind something cultural?
