Created in Birmingham

(Photo by Sarah Mount)

fizzPOP is for people who like to tinker, whether that’s with electronics, code (maybe there’s some crossover with HydraHack there), motors, gaffer tape or whatever. It’s about trying things out and making things and is the nearest Birmingham has to a Hackerspace.

It’s been on a bit of a hiatus recently but there’s a get-together on Wednesday from 7pm in The Boardroom at Bennetts Wine Bar.

Thank soddery for that. It’d be one hell of a shame if Birmingham couldn’t support something like this, especially with all the talk of how well we do ‘digital’ here. Now can someone please offer them some permanent space?

• If Birmingham City Council meetings were televised…
  Not strictly arts/culture related, but if you only click one of these links, click this one. Includes chicken dancing, physical abuse of the Respect Party and what gold dealers in the city can be like
• Why are Birmingham’s Hackers letting FizzPop die?
  Thanks to a bit of nudging from afar, it looks like FizzPop/a Birmingham Hack Space might be back in some form
• A Sneak Peek Inside New Library of Birmingham
  References to ‘sneak peeks’ in my RSS reader went into overdrive the other day with lots of people posting a CG fly-through of the new library. Nice big escalators.
• Nigel Singh to step down as CEO – Audiences Central
  “Audiences Central today announces that Nigel Singh is leaving the organisation after three years as Chief Executive Officer”. Due to a serious family illness – best wishes to Ni
• Behind Gamer Camp: Nano on Vimeo
  “This short promotional documentary about the Gamer Camp: Nano course ran at NTI Birmingham in November to December 2010, to help prepare graduates for working in the games industry.”
• Team Gozooheck Presents ‘Kung-Fu Night’
  An (early) evening of workshops, networking, screenings of 3D animations and shorts from around Birmingham as well as classic kung fu films and free Marvel comics. There’s also something about a Film Society and Festival but I can’t quite tell how that fits in
• Culture chief won’t rule out Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery charges in future
  BMAG could be merged into a trust with Thinktank . “Martin Mullaney confirmed moves are under way to form the Trust during questions at the City Council but added that there are currently no plans to end free admission.”
• Simon Clarke Video Production
  I liked the vid for Munroe Effect
• Rhubarb Seminars
  Rhubarb Rhubarb are doing a one-day artist development event in March. It’s a similar format to one they ran in London last year that seemed to go down very well (click the link and scroll down the page to ‘The Crossing’)
• Events – Architecture WM
  A list of architecture-related events happening in Feb
• Bursary opportunity for West Midlands museum staff
  “OpenCulture is the annual international event for Collections Managers, Curators, Registrars, Archivists, Librarians. Renaissance West Midlands are offering 10 free bursary places to museum staff or volunteers who work at a West Midlands Museum”
• Soldier On
  “I’ve seen some of the best bands in Birmingham play to a handful of people. It’s actually quite sickening. A terrible waste of talent”.
  Ronan is in a band called Nerve Centre and blogs about that and unsigned music in general
• Call For Submissions – Crowd6 Online Gallery
  “Crowd6 will soon be launching an online gallery, showing artwork made specifically for the web. This might be time based, code based, illustrative or performative”
• February at VIVID – We Are Eastside | Birmingham
  “VIVID kicks off its 2011 programme with the launch of ‘The Garage presents…’ a brand new strand of one off events embracing music, live arts, installation, performance, and films”

• Things we learned by hosting Popcorn Comedy – Dice Productions
  I’m a sucker for this kind of thing. Lessons here from putting on a stand-up comedy/short film night in a pub
• Six Birmingham nominations for the RPS Music Awards
  Big ups to BCMG, Oliver Knussen, Andris Nelsons, CBSO’s Igor Fest, Colin Matthews and Birmingham Opera Company for nominations in the RPS Music Awards
• Forthcoming residency at The Lombard Method | fizzPOP
  This is a Good Thing, in my mostly humble opinion
• Birmingham Hippodrome Brochure April 2010
  The forthcoming summer/autumn/winter programme from Big Theatre. A whole heap of dance (esp IDFB and BRB) and musicals with a dash of opera
• Creative Survival in Hard Times « D’log
  “Creative Survival in Hard Times is a new report from New Deal of the Mind, commissioned by the Arts Council. It explores policy options for supporting young creatives in the UK, and the key useful suggestions are…” Click the link to read on
• Desperately seeking Desk Space… – ragearts’s posterous
  Rage Arts are looking for some desk space for their graduate intern. If anyone can help then get in touch with them
• Birmingham Pride – 29/30 May
  Dates just announced for the UK’s biggest LGBT party

• genzai·chi » fizzPOP: thoughts about meeting, sharing and learning
  Lots of good stuff about fizzPOP and the recent Howduino session
• My Jewellery Quarter : Birmingham designer becomes first UK jewellery maker to open in China
  “Fei Liu, who already sells his stunning designs at Harrods, Liberty and Harvey Nichols, has opened a stand-alone shop in Beijing as part of his plans to expand outside the UK”
• Tindal Street author shortlisted for Costa
  Raphael Selbourne’s ‘Beauty’ has been shortlisted in the First Novel category
• Screen WM – TV leading light unveils code of practice plansfor media interns
  “GMTV chair and Skillset chairman Clive Jones will tomorrow (November 25) set out plans to make graduate internships in the Creative Media Industries as fair and open as possible”
• Erdington Arts Forum
  Pretty much as soon as I came across it, this blog went quiet. Here’s hopeing it’s just on sabbatical (or has moved somewhere else – anyone know?)
• Chinaplate Theatre > The Optimists
  “The Optimists is China Plate’s new development opportunity for young professional makers. Bridging the gap between training and the industry The Optimists supports the artistic careers of the future”
• Hippodrome chief says stage is set to help lift Birmingham’s spirits
  Interview with Stuart Griffiths in the BPo

The fizzPOP Howduino event takes place on Saturday 21st November, 10am – 5.30pm:

It’s a free event that will bring together 40 people from different backgrounds to work individually and collaboratively on various projects based around the Arduino platform. (Arduinos are small microcontrollers designed for easy prototyping of things that have electronics/data that respond to things in the physical world and vice versa. In their own words: “It’s intended for artists, designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments.”)

The event will cater for people of all skill levels (we’re running introductory workshops for beginners too) with the main aim being to get people combining components – be they electronic or cardboard – and ideas to produce cool stuff.

The workshop places have all gone now but there are still a few attendee tickets left. If you’re really keen to do a workshop then put your name down here and they might be able to free up some space.

Ta to Nikki Pugh for sending the info.