Created in Birmingham

• Bits of Britain
  John Dale is a “trade plate driver, collecting and delivering vehicles around the UK” but is based in Birmingham. His blog is a collection of his travel writing. In his email he adds “I’ve previously had writing published in the Moseley based magazine Birmingham 13 and in Raw Edge. I’ve also had stories short-listed for the Fish International Short Story Prize and the Writers’ Forum monthly fiction prize”
• YouTube – BirminghamRepTheatre’s Channel
  The REP have been on YouTube for a couple of months by the look of it. Will be interesting to see what they do with it (anyone want to throw a suggetion in the comments?)
• Digbeth is Good – Scary decisions
  Nicky Getgood rounds up the Halloween options in Digbeth – Ikon Eastside closing party, 24 Hour Psycho at VIVID, Bill Drummond at Eastside Projects, Outersight’s Halloween Horrorshow and Capsule/ATP’s Release The Bats at the Custard Factory. Decisions, decisions
• ClustaSpace
  Clusta have launched ClustaSpace which “provides 3D visualisation for marketing, planning and advertising” which looks very clever indeed
• Iron Man Records on Posterous
  Nice to see someone jumping on the ‘forward your mailouts to Posterous and get them published on the internet’ thing.

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.