• Job listing for Apples & Snakes: Programme Coordinator
  “Apples & Snakes, England’s leading organisation for performance poetry requires a Programme Coordinator – West Midlands”
• Call for Artist to Exhibit at Lickey Hills Country Park
  ““Out Yer Tree” is an outdoor arts organisation whose aim is to set-up, organize and promote contemporary art exhibitions in country parks”
• Performing Ourselves – Birmingham, 29 March 2010
  “A one day conference in Birmingham aimed at addressing how the performing arts and healthcare can work together to deliver best practice for health care service users”
• Mac is back as Midlands Arts Centre prepares to reopen
  Birmingham Post peek behind the scenes of the soon-to-be-reopened arts centre

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That’s ’sting’ with a small ’s’. See below.

I’ve not had much of a chance to check out the Flatpack Festival schedule yet. All I know is that it will be superb and will be worth attending to the fullest possible extent.

For example, the first thing I’ve looked at is a talk by Barry Purves:

Barry has animated and directed many prominent television series such as The Wind in the Willows, Rupert Bear, Bob the Builder and worked on feature films like Mars Attacks and King Kong. His own, often controversial, animated films have won over sixty major international awards and received OSCAR and BAFTA nominations

Which sounds ruddy impressive and interesting to me.

Also, just up on the Flatpack blog is the little sting that’ll be featured between screenings. It was animated by David Mourato, uses an original design and sound editing by Dave Gaskarth and Birmingham City University’s Visual Communication department were involved in some way too.

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Bearing in mind their hit rate recently, it might be worth keeping an eye out for the Indeterminate Creatures by Alan Apperley, soon to be released into the world by Tindal Street Press (on 25 March, as I understand it). It’ll be the one with the cover that looks something like this:

From the blurb accompanying this news we learn that the book is:

an insightful and inventive turning thirty novel with a wonderful cast of eccentric characters – and a remarkable surprise from history.

And that the author is:

Alan Apperley is Senior Lecturer in Media Studies at Wolverhampton University and a member of 1980s cult post-punk band The Nightingales, who played more Peel sessions than any other band excluding The Fall. The Nightingales re-formed in 2004, with Alan on lead guitar. INDETERMINATE CREATURES is his delightfully witty and erudite debut novel.

Amazon’s description of the book is a little fuller:

Hope and Michael celebrate their first anniversary together with rain-soaked, drink-fuelled sex that results in conception. She’s a librarian at the local university; he’s a stock controller at a plastics company with a fascination for the migration of the Monarch butterfly and for his best friend’s girlfriend, the copper-fringed Evette. Hope and Michael view the nine months ahead with honesty, anxiety, duplicity and excitement but, most of all, very differently form one another indeed.

© chrisunitt for Created in Birmingham, 2010. | One comment |

I just stumbled on this on the council’s arts page, having been interviewed for it when I looked after CiB the first time. The Birmingham Arts Survey – The State of the Arts 2005-08 (PDF, right click-save as) is a short document that gives an overview of where Birmingham’s arts are at (or were at the time).

It has lots of quotes from lots of people in it.

Funnily enough, many of the images used have cropped up again in the City of Culture 2013 bid stuff that I’ve seen.

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It’s great to see The Flyover Show becoming a regular item on the city’s events calendar. The third Flyover Show will take place under the Hockley Flyover on 29 May 2010. Details are still coming but it’d worth saving the date now.

The Facebook event has some info:

For the first time this show explores the specific theme of black female identity. The headline artists, include current Mercury Prize winner Speech Debelle, Eska Mtungwazi and Bridgette Amafoh, all successful and highly original creatives, achieving widespread recognition without compromising their art or femininity.

There’ll also be the usual vignettes, poetry, dance and graffiti all corralled together by award winning saxophonist and rapper Soweto Kinch.

© chrisunitt for Created in Birmingham, 2010. | 2 comments |

Seeing as how I can’t find anything at all about this online anywhere, I’m just going to copy and paste the whole thing here. I know there’s a flyer doing the rounds though, I saw one on the pinboards at the back of the CiB Shop.

Anyway, here’s the blurb…

CREATIVE LEAP Call for Artists who want to kick start a career in the creative sector Creative Leap is a new development programme for emerging artists which will enable you to turn your creative ideas into reality.

It is open to artists working in any artform including film and digital media, visual and performing arts, written and spoken word.

The scheme is aimed at individuals who have had limited opportunities to produce and showcase work. Artists from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds are particularly encouraged to apply.

Creative Leap will offer artists the chance to:

• Apply for a grant of up to £2,000 to develop and showcase innovative new work/projects
• Participate in a professional development training programme working within a pool of artists
• Work with an artform mentor to support the development of creative ideas and new work
• Work with a career start-up mentor and receive industry information, advice and support

Creative Leap is about new work, new collaborations and new ideas to create work in both traditional and unusual spaces. We want ideas for new work to be artist generated and led, and we’re here to discuss your ideas with you and to support you from the initial development stage through to showcasing. We’re also here to help newer artists access or progress in the industry and to support your career development needs.

A Creative Leap introductory meeting will take place in early May and the programme will then run in part time stages with showcasing taking place between September 2010 and March 2011.

Taking part in the programme is free of charge.

To apply for a place on Creative Leap, you will need to be:

• Over 18
• Living or working in any of wards making up the following Birmingham constituencies :

Erdington – Erdington, Kingstanding, Stockland Green, Tyburn wards
Hodge Hill – Bordesley Green, Hodge Hill, Shard End, Washwood Heath wards
Ladywood – Aston, Ladywood, Nechells , Soho wards
Perry Barr – Handsworth Wood, Lozells & East Handsworth, Oscott, Perry Barr wards

The deadline to apply for a place is Wednesday 14th April 2010.

If you want further information on Creative Leap, and to apply for a place, please contact Pat Dawson on 0121 446 3267 or email pat@sampad.org.uk.

Creative Leap is a collaborative project run in partnership by sampad, Ulfah Arts and the Drum and supported by Birmingham City Council.

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Before this month runs any further away from us, many many thanks to the CiB Supporters who are helping to keep this site (and the shop, for that matter) going. Last month we gained:

• Edward Moss Photography

As a heads-up to our supporters, we’ll soon be adding your logos and names to a board in the Created in Birmingham shop, just by way of an added ‘thank you’.

Want in? There’s info on how to become a CiB Supporter here.

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As One (or AsOne or AS1, depending) is one of the more prolific graf and sticker hounds around town. If you’ve ever wandered around Digbeth you’ll have seen his stuff – often evangelising the benefits of a nice cuppa.

You’ll also see designs/illustrations for nights at the Rainbow and if you see half a skateboard tied to a lamppost then chances are that’s AS1 too.

This here wall is a recent edition to Digbeth’s landscape and was done with Tempo33:

Covering walls in public places can’t be easy, but apparently (and here’s a tip):

no-one sees past a high vis jacket and a purposeful look….

© chrisunitt for Created in Birmingham, 2010. | 3 comments |

The latest stage of Capsule’s West Mids heavy metal legacy project, Home of Metal,  is a launch at big music bash SXSW. Here’s the invite that’s been sent out:

If you’re in the area it might be worth popping in. If not, I reckon it’s just nice to know how these things are being pushed on.

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• 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…

© chrisunitt for Created in Birmingham, 2010. | One comment |

Ooh, it’s a compelling title. They’re not so secret as to not invite people though:

Join us at the Solihull Arts Complex this spring and delve into a secret library of contemporary artists’ books with an exhibition dedicated to the genre.

Artists’ books and book works, installation and book-related performances will all be showcased

The Secret Library will open on 8 March and loiter inconspicuously until 8 May. Artists involved include Earle D. Swope, Francis Elliott and Cas Serafin, Frans Baake, Jackie Batey, Jatinder Bains, John Bently, Mike Nicholson, Paul Laidler, Sally Alatalo, Sarah Bodman, Sarah Noreen, Simon Goode, Stephen Fowler, Tom Sowden.

There’ll be a Solihull Artists’ Book fair on 20 March too, featuring those who work in book arts and related disciplines (illustrators, publishers, etc). Lined up for that so far are Alix Swan, Artist Book Collective @ BIAD, Catalogue of Concern, David Lasnier, Emma Hardicker, Hoi Polloi, Karoline Rerrie, Lindsay Jenkinson | Gemma Frearson, Rag-and-Bone Shop Books, The Yellow Door Bindery, [insertspace].

© chrisunitt for Created in Birmingham, 2010. | Add a comment |

DJ and Wordsmith Charlie Jordan, fresh from her West Bromwich Albion poetry residency, with team mates Byron Vincent, Matt Windle & Dan Cullen – refereed by Jo Bell. Live Entertainment kicks off 7.30pm.

West Brom Words is some poetry and spoken word goodness at the Library Theatre on 25 March.

Says here tickets are free and only available on the door.

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• A Conversation with Government – Help!
  On Weds, Clare Edwards is off to “a 90 minute session to tell Government how they can better help creative entrepreneurs and where things are working and where are they failing”. Suggestions welcomed
• Introducing-DJ Shadow’s Endtroducing-Live | Hare and Hounds
  “Full 10 piece live band perform DJ Shadows classic album – “Endtroducing””. Looks interesting
• Lots Of Things To See And Do In The West Midlands: March 2010 « Oh. (Russ L wishes you way more than luck)
  “The theme of the month definitely seems to be “motion pictures””. Russ cherrypicks the pick of the cherries
• Postcard from South Africa – Reloaded |
  The film of the seminar. I turned up late to this and completely missed it. People were saying good things though
• Area Culture Guide 06 « Area Culture Guide
  “The latest edition of the Area Culture Guide is out now for March 2010″
• We Are Eastside | Birmingham
  Ooh, tasty. “Welcome to We Are Eastside; your guide to the organisations that host and produce bold new work across film, digital media, crafts, music, visual arts, literature and photography all based in Eastside, Birmingham, UK”

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This arrived in my inbox a little while ago:

Being an obedient sort, I went to the website and it seems that, having had a few months to settle into their new roles, Laura and Harun, the new co-artistic directors of Fierce are starting to let their influence hang out.

Their blog’s up and running and has a few interesting bits n bobs on it already. Harun has compiled a list of Thoughts, recollections and impressions of a city new to me (well, him) and there’s a joint post mulling the role of arts festivals generally which includes this observation:

it is increasingly the case that performance and music festivals operate as informal touring circuits; with one successful show passed like a baton from festival to festival. Although this may serve the reputation of a particular show, is this the role of a festival?

© chrisunitt for Created in Birmingham, 2010. | One comment |

I’m very conscious that I’ve not mentioned that the CiB shop opened on Thursday night. It did and it looks ace – even better than I hoped it would.

Things have been quite busy (to say the least), so I’ll do a proper post with thanks and links and photos and all sorts later. If you’ve been in touch about getting involved then I’ll be in touch as soon as I can.

For now, we’re on Bullring’s top floor on the West Mall (Debenhams side). Please, come on down and say hello (and buy something)!

© chrisunitt for Created in Birmingham, 2010. | 3 comments |

Birmingham have made the shortlist for 2013 City of Culture along with Norwich, Derry/Londonderry and Sheffield. Which is a shame cos I had a tenner on Durham*.

Fingers crossed though, overall I think this would be a good thing.

I’ve still no idea what went into the bid, other than some blandness in the DCMS statement that says:

the panel was influenced by the expected step change each city was asked to envisage, if they gained the title and subsequent media spotlight.

“It was a hard choice but also heartening that all bidders had recognised the power of culture to bring people together; to work collectively within existing resources for a common goal and bring into being networks that may not have existed before.

So, a step change. Cool.

I’m not sure what sort of profile the campaign’s been having in the city – I know canvasbirmingham.com has been seeing some good action and saw some flyers the others day (at the council house – I wonder if they found it hard finding places to put them around town). A vid from the launch night came out the other week too:

City of Culture Bid Launch from Big City Blank Canvas on Vimeo.

*No, of course I didn’t.

© chrisunitt for Created in Birmingham, 2010. | 2 comments |

Birmingham-born artist Reuben Colley opens his own gallery in Moseley this month. The gallery will be showcase talent from past greats including L. S. Lowry and Sir William Russell Flint RA to contemporary masters such as James Byrne and new talent.

He says his aim is to create an environment where people can come and spend time being stimulated by art rather than purely being sold a wall adornment. Here’s some more from Reuben:

I had become so disillusioned with the contemporary art world which surrounded me that I was ready to hang up my brushes, and it was only after involvement with Birmingham Art Museum that my passion was reinvigorated.

Reuben received help from Birmingham City Council’s Retail Development Programme to open Reuben Colley Fine Arts Gallery.

© Ian Ravenscroft for Created in Birmingham, 2010. | 3 comments |

From the Sustain fund but still, an award’s an award, innit?

Arts Council England has made a seventh round of awards from its £40 million Sustain fund for organisations under pressure as a result of the recession.

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra:

The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra’s application met the Sustain criteria as the Orchestra has been adversely impacted by the recession. As such, we have offered a Sustain award of £388,000 to maintain the quality of artistic output and resolve immediate cash flow problems caused by loss of development income and touring income.

Warwick Arts Centre:

Elements of Warwick Arts Centre’s application have been judged to meet the Sustain criteria. As such, we have offered a Sustain award of £215,000 to help the organisation with the adverse impact of the recession by maintaining the quality of artistic output and resolve immediate cash flow problems caused by loss of income from box office, trusts and foundations.

Spotted via Audiences Central.

In other news, the Arts Council get their website redesigned and then go hiding all their information in Word docs, PDF’s and Excel spreadsheets. Irritating.

© chrisunitt for Created in Birmingham, 2010. | Add a comment |

• Smash Bro’z win at UK Hip Hop championships
  Next stop, Las Vegas for the World Finals
• CAN <UK>
  Based in Ladywood – “We are a design, media and communication company working with people of all ages and abilities to devise engaging cross media projects that enable participants to express ideas about themselves, their communities and environment”
• Arlene Burnett
  Birmingham based artist and curator. Currently to be found at the Rea garden on Floodgate Street in Digbeth
• Eat My Shorts: Haiti Fundraiser Saturday 13th March
  Over at The Edge on 13 March from 8pm. The plan is – “two hours of all sorts of shorts followed by a disco”
• Birmingham based 104 films score a double whammy at the BAFTAs
  They did Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
• An Endless Supply « More Canals than Venice
  Interview with the zine folks
• Digbeth is Good » Boxxed opens its doors
  Excited about this
• Creative Networks: Women’s Short Film Festival
  “Screening a selection of films from the ‘A Corto di Donne’ Film Festival held in Naples Italy 2009 with the organisers and some of the filmmakers as our Guest Speakers” 25 Feb
• The Highlight
  Looks like this has replaced Jongleurs on Broad St. It’s a comedy club. I didn’t recognise many of the upcoming acts, but then I don’t know comedy that well so fair enough. Actually, Roger Monkhouse (no relation) makes me laugh and he’ll be there in the next month or so
• Facebook | Secret Birmingham
  After the kerfuffle around the Secret London Facebook group there’s been a rash of others set up in other places around the country. Here’s the Birmingham one – some good stuff in there
• Jewellery Quarter Lobby launches | Birmingham Conservation Trust
  What happens when an Initiative, a Forum, an Association and a Group get angry? They get start a Lobby, natch.

© chrisunitt for Created in Birmingham, 2010. | One comment |

Mother India weekend at Town Hall and Symphony Hall Birmingham will be a journey through the musical heritage of India over 9-11 April, taking in the mystic heights of classical traditions via Anglo-Indian classical fusion to cutting-edge contemporary Asian remixes.

The weekend’s musical journey starts at the pinnacle of Mother India’s classical tradition, with a rare UK recital by santoor maestro and living legend Pandit Shivkumar Sharma. Then we encounter a younger generation of Indian musicians, Amaan and Ayaan Ali Khan. These gifted sarod players come from a distinguished classical lineage, but here they take the ancient classical tradition of Mother India on an East-West cross-cultural journey in collaboration with young British cellist Matthew Barley. Finally, we come right up-to-date in a cutting-edge event when young British-Asian artist DJ Tigerstyle explores his heritage and re-visions Mother India, a classic of Indian cinema, in contemporary idiom.

For tickets and more information check out the Town Hall & Symphony Hall website here.

© Ian Ravenscroft for Created in Birmingham, 2010. | Add a comment |