I don’t tend to cover gigs, but I liked the poster. Call me fickle.
Published by Punch and OOM Gallery, Birmingham based photographer Pogus Caesar is releasing a book entitled ‘Musik Kinda Sweet‘, which collects his iconic photographs of black performers over the last twenty five years.
This evocative and nostalgic book captures candid snaps on the city streets, along with the contrasting vibrant energy by the stage, including photographs of Stevie Wonder, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Grace Jones and Jay-Z. All of his images were shot on 35mm black and white film, with each negative developed by hand – a far cry from today’s heavily digital performance photography.
The book launch will take place as part of Birmingham Book Festival on 15 October on 6.45pm at mac‘s Terrace Gallery.
Signed copies of the book will be available to buy via the Punch website from 16 October.
- Report – Birmingham Municipal Bank / TSB, Broad Street Birmingham, Jan 2010 – UK Urban Exploration Forums
“The vaults are amazing, this is real hollywood film territory” - Decibel performing arts showcase: Artists’ information sessions
At the Arts Council offices on 5 Oct, 11am to 1pm - Filmrats September 28th « Art, music, film and luna riot
Nice write-up of Filmrats from the other night. Includes some of the films that were shown - Adventures In New York City and House Dance Elements =] « Dancegeek’s Blog
Champion dancer from Birmingham heads to NY and shows the locals how it’s done - Interview with: Hannah Geddes, Freelance Creative Designer | Creative Boom Birmingham
Specialising in theatrical performance art, designing for bands and artwork for weddings and civil ceremonies - Moseley Road Baths Memorabilia Day
On 30 Oct, with guided tours, displays of the history of the Baths and a speaker from Manchster’s Victoria Baths - Digbeth is Good » Getgood Link: YouTube – Inside the Custard Factory-Bryn: Freelance Artist
“Bryn talks about his practice and how having a studio at the Custard Factory has helped him” - Soho Road – from the Five Rivers to the Five Boroughs (1 of 5) « Thinking & Thumping
“I’m on the road again. This time to the USA, as Punch Records, the producers of “Soho Road to the Punjab“, will take it to New York next year”. Worth reading the other posts in this short series too - GOTOJAIL – The Cell Project | Arts Nation West Midlands
“Imagine if you could walk in to a prison cell and talk to a serving prisoner… now you can.” It’s a compelling sales pitch - Radio Pebble Mill
The emergings of a new online radio station, maybe - photosynthesis » a collective of photographers from the Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Lots of names I’d not come across before
The folks at In Birmingham have picked up on Andy Burnham MP‘s comments about social mobility and the issues around unpaid internships. Andy Burnham used the BBC to make his point, saying:
‘There are young people working within the BBC for long periods without pay’, he said. ‘This is not fair to them, but more importantly it excludes many others who simply don’t have the means to support themselves’
While someone from In Birmingham has applied the same to this city’s cultural industries, using un/low paid opportunities at Punch Records and VIVID as examples.
Here’s the article – Exploitation in the Cultural Sector: unpaid internships in Birmingham’s cultural industries. Go comment if you’ve got an opinion either way.
This launches at 1pm today over at the Custard Factory’s Sauce Gallery with a talk and music from Digby Fairweather [insert joke about weather remaining fair here].
From Peter Williams:
a powerful exhibition of portraiture that features nu-generation playas like DJ Shadow, Reprazent, Sizzla, Soweto Kinch, Courtney Pine and Cassandra Wilson alongside legends like Don Cherry, McCoy Tyner, Yusef Lateef, Pharoah Sanders, Randy Weston, Steve Reid, Nina Simone and Miles Davis – horn at the ready, floating in the air like an eerie apparition
And not only, but:
Following on from the hugely successful Swifty Pop Shop which opened at the Sauce gallery at the end of 2009, have invited Swifty to contribute to Headz! As the former creative director of Straight No Chaser, Swifty has long worked with Peter Williams imagery.
More info via Punch Records.
There’s been lots of examples of Birmingham artists banding together to do stuff and put on shows together recently – Not My Type, the Grand Union, stuff happening at the Lombard Method, the Freestyle/Untitled exhibitions at the Hare and Hounds and plenty more besides.
The next one to add to that list is the Meeting of Minds exhibition (also mentioned on Best Believe) which is the next up in the series of really rather excellent exhibitions at the Sauce Gallery.
This one brings together a bunch of people I’ve heard of (Lucy McLauchlan, Mac 1, Matt Watkins, Gavin Campbell) and a bunch I’m as yet ignorant of (Andy Tattoo, Glenn Anderson, Jon Paul Hollinsworth, Kevin Kafesu, Guy Carlos, Kosmic Neil, Lisa Travers, Richard Coldicott, Skank, Stuart Styles, Tony Graffiti and Victor TX).
The launch party will be on Thursday 24 June from 5pm at the Sauce Gallery (Custard Factory).
Digbeth is Good, We Are Eastside and Creative Boom have already mentioned the Fight The Power exhibition that opened the BASS Festival the other day.
Here’s a link to the opening speech and here’s a video of Ammo Talwar walking round and explaining the exhibition:
It’s at the Zellig Gallery (Custard Factory) until 26 June.
Also, Andrew Dubber (he who filmed those two videos) has been doing some work with Punch Records and explains what all that’s about in this post.
BBC Radio Drama, Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Punch are collaborating on a 2-part workshop to explore the methods, challenges and opportunities of creating new writer-performer work for theatre and radio.
Further knowledge via Script.
- Birmingham Post – BBC confirms plans to axe radio stations Asian Network
The Beeb are closing the Birmingham-based Asian Network, which is a shame. Although more people seem peeved at them shutting down that London-based station that plays Elbow all the time - Why The BBC Asian Network Still Scratches My Niche
Defence of the Asian Network via Punch Records, asking folks to sign a petition to stop the BBC cuts - 38 Degrees | Stand up for the BBC – Stop the cuts
“To the BBC Trust: Please don’t slash the BBC’s website, radio, and TV programme” Here’s the petition - Some link for February 21st through to March 2nd | Birmingham Conservation Trust
I’m linking to a round-up of links here. Good ones though, with stuff about MADE’s lecture series, the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter and a website based on digitised material about the development of the Industrial Revolution in the West Mids - Happy Birthday ANLO!
“A Night Less Ordinary, The Arts Council’s FREE tickets for young people scheme, celebrates its first Birthday this month. To help celebrate, The REP is offering an entire week of FREE theatre for people aged 14 to 26 in addition to our usual FREE Friday offer” - New Studio Facility for Rare
Rare are opening a big studio in Digbeth. They make games for Microsoft and are soon to start making them directly under the CiB office! Expect the number of posts here to dwindle from April onwards…
- Intimate portrait of contemporary Britain and economic migration revealed in new exhibit at LSE
“A major new commission by Birmingham-based photographer Andrew Jackson exploring contemporary Britain and economic migration will be exhibited at The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) from Monday 11 January” - Tuned On music seminars « Punch Records
“The seminars will address contemporary issues including strategies, tips and advice from some of the most successful and influential people in the music business” They’ve picked some good topics too - Boogie Dave Presents… Bentley Rhythm Ace at Space2
Band reformations are catching up with me. Seems we’ve reached Big Beat. “With support from Cut La Roc and, fresh from supporting Dub Pistols on tour and former vocalist with Norman Cook`s Beats International, Lindy Layton”. Actually, I’m tempted… - Storyteller/Comedian/Spoken Word Artists
“The Traditional Arts Team, in conjunction with The Story Slam, are holding their very first story slam event at The Kitchen Garden Cafe in Birmingham on the 20th January 2010 and are looking for storytellers to take part” - Page not found
The Custard Factory blog’s disappeared. Hopefully it’ll come back
- MySpace – ::The Other Woman’s Club
“The Other Woman’s Club are a creative women’s collective of talented DJs, Photographers, Musicians, Jewelery Designers, Clothes Designers, Journalists, Promoters…and one man” - FREESTYLE Exhibition | Hare and Hounds
I missed this – a showcase of twelve different photographers and illustrators from around Birmingham. I’m going to do some short posts on them instead (if I can find em online, and I think I’ve found most) - MAKE YOUR CITY: JANUARY 2010: GO TO THESE SHOWS
January gig recommendations for those who like their music loud and slightly awkward - D’log :: blogging since 2000 » Terry Grimley profiles Peter James
As well as linking to the interview, D’log rounds up a collection of books on the pre-1945 history of phootgraphy in the West Mids - BASS 2010 commissions « Punch Records
“For BASS 2010 Punch are opening up the commissioning scheme and we are offering awards of between £500 – £3000 to support new work developed for the festival. We are looking for innovative and creative projects that explore the theme of DNA” - Mostly Jazz line-up
I don’t think I’ve linked to this yet. Anyway, the acts performing at the two-day jazz fest in Moseley have been announced. It’s being organised by the folks behind Moseley Folk and Birmingham Jazz and The Yardbird are pitching in too - One More Take
Tommy Pearson does the CBSO’s podcasts. This is his blog - Tom Binned over Queen’s speech gag
Mixed fortunes for (ex-)BRMB DJ Tom Binns – he got engaged on Christmas morning then went to work and got himself sacked
I like these and there’s a couple more springing up soon.
Brilliantly Birmingham will have a temporary shop at the Pavillions from 5-24 December.
Some of the designers selling their work in the Pavilions include designers from Design Space, an incubation scheme in the Jewellery Quarter which was set up by Birmingham City Council to support new talent in the area
Meanwhile quite literally everyone else has pointed out that the Swifty Pop-Up Shop will be at the Sauce Gallery at the Custard Factory from 10 Dec to 10 Jan. Swifty is a typographer, artist and sleeve designer – he worked at The Face before later becoming art editor at Straight No Chaser.
OH. MY. SWEET. LORD. I’ve just found out he did the ‘If in doubt play Stevie’ print that I once saw years ago and have hankered after ever since. Ok, I’m excited about this now.
The shop will sell:
Everything from originals and one off prints to T-shirts, skateboards and stickers
But whatever, I just want that print. Oh aye, Punch Records are involved with this one too. Here’s a pic:
Ammo from Punch Records has been using his Birmingham Post blog to good effect – today he’s announcing a new project called Counter / Culture:
Starting today we’re setting up a project @ Punch HQ called “Counter / Culture” studying those who’ve begun changing the nation from our city’s streets; radicals, chartists, abolitionists, suffragettes, artists, rockers, bhangramuffins, rastas and punks.
If this inspires you, get in touch. Consider this a manifesto
The inspiration for this is the Urban Curators from Providence, Rhodes Island. The aim of their project is to:
engage the public in the celebration of the decaying urban environment, recognizing its inherent aesthetic qualities as well as the important role that it plays within our cultural habitat
Which they do by:
literally hanging gold, gallery-style frames in derelict spaces within the city, framing objects and views that are of aesthetic or cultural value
Their full mission statement is on the very fantastic Wooster Collective blog. As Ammo said, if this inspires you, get in touch.
A couple of things with a national scope, born out of Birmingham have been launched recently.
First up, Theatricalia is the work of the ever-impressive Matthew Somerville. It’s ‘a database of past and future theatre productions’ which makes it no less than IMDB for theatre.
Already it contains archives of plays and performers from the RSC, Bristol University Archive, the Royal National Theatre and Birmingham Rep (1913-1971). You can search by play, person or place and edit entries yourself to help the archive grow.
The potential for Theatricalia is a little mind-boggling.
Black Routes is a new UK wide touring network for African and Caribbean music, with Punch Records as one of the founding partners and chair.
Punch’s Ammo Talwar wrote an article in the Birmingham Post explaining the context for the project, particularly how it fits in with what’s happening in Birmingham at the moment.
In the Birmingham Post yesterday Punch Records‘ Ammo Talwar spoke his mind on what he sees as Birmingham’s neglect of this year’s Black History Month, especially in comparison to the enthusiasm shown over the Staffordshire Hoard:
When do we start pleasing the really big crowds – the ones who aren’t there, the ones who want to see something different? Do we have to get a metal detector down to Handsworth to unearth Apache Indian’s first gold tooth, or lock on to Steel Pulse’s forgotten cymbal set?
It’s Black History Month and there should be real effort and real funding to promote the treasures left to us by Birmingham’s black achievers.
Can’t argue with that.
The Black History Month website has a full run-down of everything happening over October (click the link and scroll down the page). It’s a little tricky to pick things out, although I’ve heard good things of East is East which is on at The Rep and Eric Roberson will be at The Drum on 10 Oct.
In the Birmingham Post piece Ammo mentions a showing of the controversial documentary, Deen Tight:
Filmed on location with Muslim rappers, DJs, slam poets, breakdancers and a graffiti artist in concerts, recording studios, at homes and in the streets. Our story focuses on the perceived conflict between traditional religious ideals and modernity, as well as both the positives and negatives of Western Pop culture on todays’ Muslim youth
That’s at The Drum on 13 October.
