This will either make sense to you or it won’t – I have a feeling an explanation might take a while.
Inverted Ziggurat by maniacyak.
On 5 March it’s World Book Night, and as the nation prepare to give away 1 million books, Birmingham Central Library and The Birmingham Poetry Ultras are holding a couple of celebratory events, with a line up of writers, storytellers and poets.
Birmingham Central Library
From 6.30pm – 8.45pm, at Birmingham Library Theatre, three of the city’s best-selling writers RJ Ellory, Mike Gayle and Catherine O’Flynn will be joining readers and book givers to celebrate books, libraries and reading.
Free tickets for this are available from the Box Office on (0121) 303 2323 or from Central Library reception.
Saturday Night Reader then takes outside Central Library place from 9 – 10pm, as literary fans are invited to join Birmingham Poet Laureate, Roy McFarlane, former Young Poet Laureate Matt Windle, storyteller Katrice Horsley, and local writer Paul McDonald for an hour of rambunctious storytelling, poetry, laughs and free books.
Birmingham Poetry Ultras
Hosting an evening of poetry appreciation and discussion, Birmingham Poetry Ultras will be in The Old Moseley Arms, Balsall Heath, from 8pm.
They’ll also be giving out free copies of their selected book, Seamus Heaney’s “New Selected Poems 1966-1987”, on a first come first served basis.
Throughout February, Birmingham Central Library are hosting an exhibition on Gypsy Roma Travellers, featuring a series of poster artwork.
The exhibition will feature the work of Albanian Roma artist, Ferdinand Koci, along with posters exploring the Romany language and flag, Gypsy Remedies and the Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor poster, plus a series of posters on the different professions of individual Gypsies, Roma and Travellers.
The exhibition runs until 28 February. For more information, take a look at the Facebook event page.
Birmingham based artist Rubina Bibi will be exhibiting a collection of her new work in Central Library as of today, until 18 December.
She’ll be raising money for The Pakistan Floods Appeal, and will be around for discussions on 11 December from 2 – 4pm.
To tie in with the Face to Face exhibition we told you about the other week, Collecting Contemporary Photography… In conversation with Brian Griffin and Stuart Whipps, is taking place on Tuesday 9 November at 6-8pm.
Pete James, Head of Photographs at Birmingham Central Library, will be discussing the ways in which Griffin and Whipps create, make, exhibit and sell their work to institutions and private individuals. The library holds one of the ‘national collections of photography’, and has recently acquired work by both Griffin and Whipps to add to this growing collection.
The event will be taking place in the lecture theatre at BIAD, Birmingham City University, Margaret Street. To book your place e-mail katja.ogrin@artsandbusiness.org.uk or call 0121 248 1200.
If you’ve already been, or are planning a visit, to the current Face to Face exhibition at Snow Hill, you can also leave your own review on the Facebook page. If the existing ones are anything to go by, this exhibition is well worth a visit.
Sssssssshhhh! Get your reading specs out because after a rare sighting, the Secret Library Card is back in circulation, hidden in books at Birmingham Central Library.
Check the last post from the Secret Librarians for the cryptic clue which will lead you to the current location of the Secret Library Card, where you can take up the task of the ‘Secret Re-shelving Ritual’.
From 30 September – 21 November, a major retrospective exhibition, Face to Face, will take place in two adjacent locations in Birmingham’s Colmore Business District, exhibiting the work of Birmingham born photographer and filmmaker, Brian Griffin.
A large-scale outdoor retrospective will showcase Griffin’s portraiture over the last 38 years, including many of his most prominent portraits of leading musicians, politicians and celebrities. Two accompanying indoor exhibitions will feature Griffin’s award-winning series’ Team and The Water People.
The outdoor retrospective will be displayed at Snowhill Station, with the indoor exhibition held at the new One Snowhill development.
Following the exhibition, Team and The Water People will be on long-term loan to Birmingham Central Library, adding to their extensive collection of vintage prints.
Why is Birmingham investing in a new central library? Will it meet genuine needs or is it simply landmark architecture for the city and very little to do with library services?
On 22 September, The Birmingham Salon and CILIP West Midlands, a local librarian organisation, invite you to join them in raising these questions. They will be meeting at The Studio to debate the merits of the plans for the new Birmingham Central Library. The meeting is from 7.30pm – 9pm, with complimentary drinks before hand from 6.45pm.
To find out more about this, take a look at the full event details.
Just as the dark nights start creeping in, Birmingham Library Theatre will be hosting a ‘Crime Night In’, with writers Mark Billingham, Andrew Taylor and Martin Waites on 29 September.
Mark is well known for his Tom Thorne series and his new book From the Dead is no less gripping and fast paced as his previous novels.
Andrew Taylor will be talking about his new book The Anatomy of Ghosts, which is a beautifully written novel of dichotomies set in 18th century Cambridge.
Meanwhile Martyn Waites (who has recently been revealed as being one half of Tania Carver, the ‘author’ of The Surrogate), will be talking about his latest book Speak No Evil based on the award winning Joe Donovan crime series.
Guests will be settling in at 6.30pm, for a 7.00pm start, and the event is free. Book your tickets via the Birmingham Box Office on 0121 303 2323 or in person at Central Library reception.
If you’ve wandered by Central Library recently, you’ll have noticed a new addition to the decor.
Painted over the course of three days, artist Lucy McLauchlan was given permission by Central Library and Birmingham City Council Planning to give the infamous brutalist library a make over. The project is part of the ongoing work of EC-Arts.
It was Lucy’s wish to produce one of her infamous murals in Birmingham to simply ‘beautify the city’. This coupled with EC-Arts motivation to commission artistic interventions, temporary and permanent within the public realm, utilising architecture where possible was the foundation for the Library project.
Lucy’s written a post about it with a few more pictures.
It’s still unknown as to how long the birds will be allowed to stay, so go take a look while you can.
- The Edge
“Art from the edge of the cultural doughnut”. The artist-led space has its own website - Birmingham Central: Library of Birmingham digs deep
Pics from the excavation work - What Will You Remember Most Fondly About The REP?
“To mark our temporary move offsite we’re creating an exhibition celebrating the past, present and future of the Birmingham Repertory Theatre company and your memories are a vital part” - Call for artists to exhibit, Award of £500 for best in show
“Open to all artists wishing to display their art or create art in response to Lickey Hills Country Park”
This week plans for Birmingham’s new ‘super library’ were unveiled at a press conference, making up one of many similar libraries opening throughout the UK. Central library, Birmingham’s public buildings and public money are always big topics for heated debate so I imagine these plans will cause quite a stir in the city. So, before we get ahead of ourselves lets here the facts and figures.
The £193m building will tower over Centenary Square with the capacity to accommodate more than three million visitors a year, according to BCC, which is backing the project with £159m in public funds. The concept has been designed by Dutch architects Mecanoo, which has to beg the question why didnt BCC commission a UK based firm to work on the project?
When the building opens in 2013 (which sounds fairly futuristic, but is actually just around the corner) it will be a glass and steel affair containing books, ‘state of the art’ IT facilities and exhibition spaces. The BFI have recently confirmed that the build will be hosting a ‘Mediatheque’, a specific area within the new library complex where members of the public will have free access the BFI’s national moving images archive collection.
Finally, what will happen Central Library? The current 1974 library building was designed by local architect John Madin and based on the design of Boston’s City Hall. Prince Charles described it as “a place where books are incinerated, not kept”.
English Heritage have advised the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport that Central Library meets the criteria for Grade II listing. The Minister for Culture, Creative Industries and Tourism, Margaret Hodge, will now consider all the evidence and decide whether to grant immunity or to list the building.
Between The Lines is a promenade performance taking place at the Central Library on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 September at 7pm, 8pm & 9pm.
Intriguing events are unfolding between the dusty bookshelves.
Night time strangers exchange unexpected messages, books fall open on empty pages, and a writer is eating his words.
Silence creeps through the maze of lettered corridors.
Some people come here to lose themselves, others to be found.
The Library at Night is not for every Reader
I have no idea what it will involve but it looks kinda cool. Places are free but, because of the nature of it you’ll need to book – just call 07530 939 380 or email needleandthreadtheatre@yahoo.co.uk.
Here’s the flyer:
