It was a very busy and bright afternoon, with lots of pretty things for sale and interesting things to look at when the money ran out, such as the rather good Emerging photography exhibition in the gallery.
And that’s what this post would have talked about – the Custard Factory pulling in lots of people to enjoy the sunshine and while a few hours mooching around the arts, crafts and clothes stalls and exhibition spaces. The nice things I purchased and spotted whilst I was there. But then, at the Urban Music Gathering in Space2 later that night, this goes and happens:
As has been well documented in the local and national news, four partygoers were shot in a fracas at the clubnight. And that’s possibly what will sum up the Custard Factory in many people’s minds for a while, which I find thoroughly depressing because I know how extremely far removed that is from the warm and welcoming vibe of the place. The most sensible reaction I’ve read about the incident so far has come from a person called Kiesnor on the DJhistory.com forum:
The Custard Factory is in Digbeth, an area I love and which is hosting some great nights, from Irish boozers to air/code nightclub, The Sanctuary (formerly the Institute), Rainbow pub and warehouse, Custard Factory and adjoining warehouses, The Irish Centre, Wagon and horses and other underground venues… but I think at one time it did have the worst rates for violence, low population and high number of drinking venues possibly to blame.
Anyway, I really hope this is not a sign of the bad old times returning, I have been feeling a bit uncomfortable walking around the city at night lately and I think there seems a bit of tension, it really is the last thing these venues need as well because the Rainbow has had problems with hosting live music a great deal, nimbys are moving in and the Conservative council seem very unenthusiastic about ground roots music in the city with the last major open air music concert cancelled after poor policing.
Created in Birmingham have posted flyers for two impending exhibitions – the first is Exhibit This at The Bond on Fazeley Street, 7th-8th June at 6pm-8.30pm, a showcase from final year Media and Communication students at Birmingham City University.
The second is for a photography exhibition ‘Emerging’ at the Custard Factory between 1-8 June, 10am-7pm.
Some interesting things have come to my attention that are beyond the Digbeth borders (yes, I do occasionally look beyond them). Here are a few:
Oubliette
Above is Pete Ashton’s lovely ‘Through the Viewfinder’ picture of the sad, neglected Curzon Street Station, which as Pete rightly says, ‘seems such a waste, sitting there in the middle of nowhere like an old man abandoned by the next generation, or something.’ Pete’s post touches on the whys and wherefores of the council seeing fit to watch their pennies and board the place up rather than allowing interesting things to happen there and concludes that ‘something needs to be done’.
Too right, and if the current owners don’t have the means to do anything with it or allow others do so….how’s about just moving in and taking things over in the style of Dan Simon’s London Oubliette? This isn’t squatting, mind. Oh no: ‘They are using the enormous empty space to run what they refer to as an “artshouse”, an independent cultural organisation called the Oubliette (“the dungeon” in French), which aims to support the arts without the need for public or private sector funding.’ Right then, where did I leave my crowbar…?
Dumbo
No, not the big-eared baby elephant. Helga Henry has flagged up the rather brilliant dumbonyc.com, a site for the New York neighbourhood where ‘these old factories have been converted into luxury lofts and old warehouses into art galleries and theaters….Dumbo is not quite Brooklyn brownstone and not quite Manhattan glass condo. With its exposed Belgian block streets anchored by massive bridge structures, Dumbo has a unique character all its own.’
Sound familiar? Yep, Helga thought so too and already has ‘a whole Birmingham/Brooklyn and Digbeth/Dumbo comparison thing going on in my head.’ By far the best thing about Dumbo is, of course, its name, which ‘was conceived by resident artists as a way to make the area sound silly and unattractive to people looking to buy real estate here.’ Is that all we need to do to guard against the over-gentrification of Digbeth? Give it a slightly silly name? Suggestions in the comments box, please…
Grand Opening
Chris Unitt discovered Grand Opening, I’m guessing whilst doing some research for the now-open Created in Birmingham shop in The Bullring. Grand Opening, another one from New York, ‘create interactive stores and events that get public attention and engage the community’. They take over stores for about 6 weeks and theme them up beyond recognition, turning them into environments that range from a wedding chapel to a drive-in cinema. Let’s face it, the empty shell of the now-closed Cocoon store on the High Street will need something pretty spectacular to fill the latex shoes they left behind. Perhaps we take a leaf out of Grand Opening’s book and turn it into something extra special.
Capsule blog photo: Sara of Needles & Hooks as well as Stitches & Hos
Last week was the last week of Capsule’s residency in VIVID, in celebration of their tenth birthday. First up on Thursday was Knowing Me, Knowing You where Capsule and Created in Birmingham‘got together and invited a bunch of interesting people along to introduce themselves and say (for the sake of getting a conversation going) what they might do if they were to get their hands on VIVID for a little while.’ The results were interesting (especially the suggestion of packing the place with jelly) so fingers crossed that this can become a regular thing.
Saturday was the big bash closing party, culminating in a great performance by the poptastic and seriously circuit-bent Modified Toy Orchestra. It was the first time I’d had a chance to see them and they were brilliant. Hula Barbie stole the show in her new dress, there was a rather phallic rocket that counted to ten and some lovely projected visuals that reminded me of Brian Duffy describing how he once made the stars sing at Supersonic 2008.
Capsule have now cleaned up and moved out of the VIVID space, which is shut until 12th January.
Thanks to Created in Birmingham and More Canals Than Venice for reminding me that Capsule’s tenth birthday is almost upon us (I’m rubbish at remembering birthdays, as my poor mother will testify). It seems VIVID on Heath Mill Lane will be playing host to the month-long birthday party:
Capsule will be taking over Vivid, an arts space in deepest darkest Digbeth where you can expect a number of exciting concerts, exhibitions and workshops with special guests including LIGHTNING BOLT, GEOFF BARROW of PORTISHEADS latest project BEAK>, MODIFIED TOY ORCHESTRA and many more. There will also be a night at the very prestigious Town Hall Birmingham with old and new friends as well as an evening with two heavy weight doom merchants SUNN 0))) + OM and of course plenty of cake.
Glad to hear there’s lots of birthday cake. VIVID will be hosting:
The launch party on 1st Dec with Monotonix and special guests Beestung Lips, Cum Dogs and Esquilax.
Another gig on 11th Dec with Pram ‘creating an eerie musical nightmare’ and Light Trap. After seeing Pram perform at Supersonic earlier this year, this is definately one I’ll make.
Afternoon tea with 7 Inch Cinema on 13th Dec with a light buffet with a healthy serving of films ‘of hairy men shouting and small dogs in space’. Weirdly, this is the one I’m most excited about.
Yet another gig on 16th Dec with Beak> (Geoff Barrow – Portishead), local lads Einstellung and Thought Forms.
‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’ (Aha!) on 17th Dec, a fee event with Created in Birmingham ‘bringing some of Birmingham’s most exciting independent creatives together for a quickfire evening of show and tell.’ There’ll be drinks, cake and music to keep the creative juices flowing.
A Closing Party on 19th Dec with the fantastic Modified Toy Orchestra, PCM, Calvados Beam Trio, Una Corda and Stinky Wizzleteat.
There’s lots more going on outside of the VIVID gallery over December too – check out Capsule’s Coming Up page for details.
The answer to both questions is YES. Belfast does have quarters. Seven of them because, “We’re Irish and we can’t count.” (Titanic Boat Tour Captain Derrick Booker’s words, not mine). The one in line for the biggest overhaul is the Titanic Quarter, which Derrick and Colin Cobbs tell us all about. It kind of reminds me of Eastside – not too much there at the moment but big talk of many ‘mixed-use developments’ (are there any other kind these days?).
It’s even got its own creative community website. It’s not quite not quite Created in Birmingham but the Community Arts Forum gave a fantastic collective response to proposed plans to develop the soul out of the area (sound familiar?). The Cathedral Quarter – Let’s Get It Right campaign ‘aimed to push forward the sensitive and successful development of the area’ by voicing the neighbourhood’s concerns and publishing alternative visions. What’s even more impressive is they succeeded:
In October 2004, in a move that was applauded by the Let’s Get it Right campaign, the Department of Social Development announced that Cathedral Quarter would have its own regeneration masterplan. This would push forward development of the area, while protecting its unique built and cultural heritage.
Go on.
In answer to Michael Grimes’ question, Belfast has The Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan 2015 (BMAP), which is ‘a development plan being prepared under the provisions of Part III of the Planning (Northern Ireland) Order 1991 by the Planning Service, an Agency within the Department of the Environment (DOE)’. I’d tell you more, but attempting to download one of the huge PDF’s the plan is made up of almost killed my computer.
So there we have it – both cities have more than four quarters christened with pet names by city planners and a city plan seemingly written for developers rather than residents, with a website that Could Do Better. It’s just too close to call, I declare this #brumvsbelfast round a draw.
The Gallery’s also got lots on, with ‘one for chocoholics and bird-fanciers everywhere’ Death by Chocolate and an exhibition of workby Farshad Sanaee.
I’ve been thinking ‘bloody hell, the Custard Factory’s busier than usual’. I suspect it’s not, it’s just that all the great stuff going on there is now getting posted on the blog. Great stuff!
This one kind of sneaked up on me yesterday, and judging by Chris Unitt’s post on Created in Birmingham I wasn’t the only one. When I saw them setting up I thought it was someone hanging out clothes to dry until I spotted the bloody great blimp.
Vika Verb’s Flying Graffiti installation at The Custard Factory looks like washing lines of T-shirts, which reads William Blake’s words: “The Road Of Excess Leads To The Palace Of Wisdom”. To be honest, I’m not quite sure what I think of it. But that didn’t stop me feeling a tad sorry for the deflating blimp today when I found it hidden behind a metal fence amongst all the crap under the railway arches:
There’s a private view at the Ikon Eastside later at 7pm of Mexican collective Tercerunquinto’s I Am What I Am, a new work that reacts to the gallery’s shifting surroundings. Stick around until 9pm to catch the Ikon bus to He An’s artwork in the Moat Lane Car Park.
Last Week of Flux-Fest at VIVID If you’re feeling creatively peckish go to FluxFeast 7.30pm at VIVID tomorrow, a Fluxfood event in seven acts by SharedTable. Tickets are £25, booking essential.
At 2pm on Saturday watch some FLUXFILMS: Anthologies at VIVID, featuring a compilation of 37 films produced 1963 to 1970. SharedTable are serving up again with afternoon tea and ‘subversive’ cakes.
The Flux-Fest art exhibition stays on display in VIVID’s gallery on Heath Mill Lane until Sunday.
Strange Ways Cheapside Show
On display at The Edge until their Landing Party this Saturday night from 6pm, when Helen Grundy and Angel Stripe’s sugar mice will finally be set free for eating. I went to see the exhibition earlier today and it’s a lovely reaction to the regeneration of Digbeth, reminding new locals like me that the area existed before our luxury flats were built by drawing on its colourful history and culture.
Capsule’s Supersonic Festival at The Custard Factory all weekend
I’ve only just started going to Capsule gigs. They didn’t appeal to me before because I never knew who any of the acts were. Having been to a couple, I now know that that’s the whole bloody point and am kind of kicking myself. So take a leap of faith with the Capsule girls and buy a weekend ticket before they sell out. Your trust in Jenny and Lisa will not be misplaced. Watch Frankie’s interview with them on Created in Birmingham if you need some persuading.
