Black International Film Festival Call for Entries – 2010
“The Birmingham Black International Film Festival (BIF FESTIVAL) is calling for all film submissions for this year’s festival, due to take place in Birmingham, UK, 25th Oct – 31st Oct 2010″
Life in Flashback: TBB #2 is Here!
“The latest issue of Birmingham’s premier collage-based magazine is here! TBB#2 – This Bourgeois Battalion is done, and this one’s got big questions”
Capsule zine no 4 : Capsule Blog
“This time put together by Mark Murphy”. Includes an impassioned plea for someone to find a way to help newly arrived university students to find where all the good stuff happens in this city
The Stirrer – See you down the forum then
“the equation of loadsa time in/no money out has ultimately defeated us, and for the site to continue as it has in the past we need to find a more sustainable business model”
Facebook | The Birmingham Zine Social Club
“A group for artists and writers who self-publish books, comics and zines, in and around Birmingham, UK” They’re having a get-together at the Victoria on 15 May
An Endless Supply | Those who can, do / An Endless Supply 14
“Issue 14 will be co-produced by An Endless Supply, Sean O’Keeffe and Ruth Claxton and published to coincide with the annual end of year student shows in June/July 2010. Content will be limited to submissions from practitioners currently employed within HE or FE Art and Design education in the West Midlands.”
Birmingham City Council Arts Project Grants
A few pots of cash up for grabs around the £550-5,000 mark. “Project funding is a one-off contribution to a programme of art work or works taking place in Birmingham”
Join the Supersonic Festival Team
Capsule have got three internship opportunities: production, design & marketing. Deadline for applics is 21 May
Under Construction « More Canals than Venice
“Under Construction is an exhibition of work from fine art students studying Foundation Art and Design at Birmingham Metropolitan College taking place from Wednesday 12 May to Friday 14 May at The Works gallery”
2Weeks 2Make It Brum 2010
One for filmmakers wanting to film bands, or bands wanting to be filmed – “The deadline to register for this year’s 2Weeks 2Make It competition will be Sunday 16th May”
Nearly five years ago, a group of friends and I decided to take some initiative and create for ourselves the kind of organisation and event that we would most want to be a part of. The result is Project X Presents – a Birmingham based creative network producing events once or twice a year which aim to fuse many different strands of creative endeavour into one cohesive whole.
So what is a network anyway? In our case, a free association of individuals bonded by two essential qualities – an interest in creativity and a friendly, open minded attitude. We realised that between ourselves and our immediate friends we have between us a tremendous variety of interests and an urge to be together and be creative. Weekly meetings began and continue still, the network steadily grew. Our fifth event – Xhibition, comes up this Saturday in Moseley.
Currently our success has happened in spite of the city rather than because of it, just think what could be achieved if we worked together. Travelling frequently to other cities these are some suggestions to make Digbeth blossom as a cultural quarter:
Why do people get on planes and trains to come to Supersonic – because we offer them a totally unique experience of the highest quality. There is a real opportunity to acknowledge what makes Birmingham a unique city and invest in independent and niche activity. Steer clear of a homogenised approach – learn from those that do it well and have a track record.
Lets learn from other cities like Berlin, Glasgow and Manchester and take risks with our empty buildings – an opportunity to invest in content to be housed in these empty spaces to animate the area, lets not be so precious i.e. noise restrictions – creativity is often loud and messy lets embrace and celebrate this.
Encourage more creative companies to have the opportunity to be able to buy their own buildings rather than be tied to short-term leases.
Create flexible spaces that can house a variety of activity which changes from week to week, this will keep the area vibrant.
Don’t just invest in a couple of landlords this creates a monopoly.
Lets get the basics right – look at infrastructure: cash points, post offices, signage, and streetlights.
Think about the visitors experience as well as what its like to work in this area, lets make it the highest quality experience – currently feels like quite an intimidating, unfriendly area.
Creative quarters need to grow organically, invest in supporting growth rather than imposing structured ideas of what you think creativity should be.
Remember areas develop over time not over night.
Meanwhile, Shona McQuillan (Graphiquillan) has thrown in her 2p on ‘the recent stirrings’ and ends with what she calls ‘The Break Free Manifesto’:
Evolution is imperative and the need for it must be acknowledged and respected by official bodies.
It’s not about self-interest – it embraces all who trade, visit, consume or adore. It brings elements together where it makes sense to do so – it’s more about healthy benevolence, but allows those who should benefit to do so.
It’s not about the establishment. It recognises many forms of creativity: art, music, dance, theatre, multimedia, skate culture, tattoos, grafitti et al.
It recognises that the state’s not going to do this and that those most qualified to do so, the city’s creatives, are the leads on this.
SUPERSONIC ’08 Online Survey
Did you go? Do you have 5 mins spare? Do the survey and make the world a better place (or Supersonic 09 even better, at least)
Bass Festival 2008 highlights video
With interviews with Ammo himself, Faith 47 & Ursula Rucker and footage from the opening party at Woom Gallery and MCs For Life at the Custard Factory.
Crowded Gallery – An Update…
Last year Craig Holmes won the photography contract to market Birmingham. He’s just started the contract to market the whole of the West Midlands region to an international market
Jibbering have a podcast
This was recorded live at Jibbering Sessions at the Hare and Hounds and features a blinding set from the Sheffield Ska monsters, Bison
Graphiquillan – tea break painting | process
The joy of artists’ blogs – I like seeing the process behind/around the finished work. This is “the journey from sketch to almost finished study for a future painting”
stitches and hos have a blog
“For now here’s a picture of a knitted fish blanket that I love”. A blog for the Birmingham chapter of the alt/nu/anti/un-knitting phenom. Ok, so ‘un-knitting’ doesn’t work as a descriptor.
7 Inch Cinema – Knitflicks
More knitting-related action with photos from the weekend’s event in this gallery
CiB’s frequent flyers may know that 2007′s Supersonic collective memory was a thing of rare beauty, pulling together all sorts of mentions of the festival from across the interwires. This is an attempt at replicating that for Supersonic 2008.
[Update, 29 July 2008] I’ve noticed very little new stuff recently so I’m going to stop actively searching and have unsubscribed from my automated updates. However, if you produce/come across any writings/photos/videos/whatever about this year’s festival then please mention them in the comments and I’ll update this post.
If you’re interested about the process of pulling together all this info as quickly/easily as possible then I’ll be writing about it at chrisunitt.co.uk shortly. By shortly I probably mean ‘in a month or two’.
Remember if you spot something Supersonic 08-related on the internet (or just want to say what you thought of the festival) then please use the comments below to let me know.
Next weekend Capsule‘s festival of rock and electronic music – Supersonic – is taking place at the Custard Factory. In addition to planning that, Capsule recently took local acts Pram and the ZX Orchestra to Barcelona’s Sonar festival for a well-received showcase.
Frankie sat down with Jenny and Lisa to discuss DIY ethics, council funding, the city’s lack of suitable venues and this year’s Supersonic festival.
If you’re not already going there might be a few e-tickets left, so if you want to see why people are flying in from around the world to visit this then get in quick.
Capsule need a couple of people to help out at their festival:
There are 2 festival internships available to assist with: Artists liaison / Production / Marketing / Festival Management you will be required to do 5 -10 days between May to July. You will receive valuable work experience and be credited as part of the core team that deliver Supersonic Festival.
In addition to this we need a team of volunteers to help deliver the festival over the weekend of the event itself 10th-14th July and in the run up to Supersonic from June onwards. You will be required to do a minimum of 6 hrs over the weekend in return for a day ticket and festival t-shirt.
Plus it’s a good item to get on the CV – this has been called one of the UK’s best-run festivals, after all. If you’re over 18 and are interested in getting involved then email info[at]capsule.org.uk and put ‘volunteer’ as the subject.
