The Spotted Dog « Inspiraculum – Artist Melinda Scwakhofer talks about her visit to Digbeth and discovering the Spotted Dog. She took some brilliant photos whilst she was there which culminated in this artwork commissioned by landlord John Tighe, which you can now see hanging on the wall just by the back entrance. Go take a look, it’s a lovely, tactile, double-sided piece.
Galvanized, or How to Embed a Picasa Slideshow into Wordpress – Melinda Schwakhofer does this using her fantastic photos of the derelict Arkinstall Galvanizing Factory in Digbeth. ‘I walked around all three floors, including the catwalk, the spooky boys’ locker room and a lovely skylit room at the very top. This was one of my favourite spaces on the ground floor – a high ceilinged, cathedral-like room with the sun shining through a skylight. So empty and peaceful.’
Memory 1 – Derrick May – Derrick May is playing The Factory 13th Birthday Party tonight, which reminds John Mostyn of ‘my old mate Neil Rushton released Derrick’s ground breaking records in the UK at the very start of Techno when Neil and only a couple of others from the UK saw what Derrick, Kevin Saunderson and Co were doing in Detroit.’
Outer Sight Hallowe’en Horrorshow – Created in Birmingham gives a timely reminder of the frightening films on at The Edge tonight, with an invitation for you to print off for reduced entry price.
Plus International Design Festival – Now’s you last chance to make your application to exhibit, speak or run a workshop at the 2008 Plus International Design Festival. All proposals must be made via the Plus website (www.youplusus.net) by midnight Friday 17 October 2008. Rumour has it the festival will be held on Fazeley Street, but the venue has yet to be confirmed.
Connecting Digbeth – ‘Nicky is sort of the Hostess of Diggers, a cyber social networker if you will; keeping tabs on all of the goings on and her blog is like a drinks party (anyone for Pimms?) where you can find out about the recent Digbeth gossip and upcoming happenings.’ Flattery, my dear Melinda Schwakhofer, will get you everywhere!
The Dubliner pub in Digbeth refurbished after fire – Spice Girls covers act Spice Aloud joined landlord Patrick Finn in a pint of the black stuff to mark the refurbishment of The Dubliner in Digbeth. Woo-hoo!
Film Dash – On Friday 17 October at 6pm at the Old Library Theatre in the Custard Factory participating teams will be given a short briefing and the criteria for their films. At 7pm the teams will be set loose and will then have 48 hours to script, shoot and edit their films.
Fluid Design: Bleep Bleep – Fluid is starting a new night at The Sanctuary called Bleep Bleep playing techno and such.
Deritend Bridge, anyone know anything about it? – Situated between Digbeth High Street and Bradford Street, Deritend Bridge is a mixed use development comprising offices, shops, hotel and residential accommodation.
Last Round! – Melinda Schwakhofer bought a round of drinks with Art Money during her visit here, which got landlord John Tighe into the Birmingham Evening Mail for being the first Birmingham business to accept it as payment. I’m holding the cameraman’s flash for that picture. I’ve a great face for blogging.
IN BIRMINGHAM FREESPACEBRUM PRESENTS – The Common Place in Leeds ‘was recently attacked by authority, its entertainment and alcohol licence revoked in order to damage it financially. In solidarity, Birmingham’s autonomous social centres collective present an evening of radical films on the evening of Tuesday 14th October at The Spotted Dog pub Alcester/Warwick St.’
Birmingham St Patrick’s Festival History project to present a copy of ‘A great day: celebrating St Patrick’s Day in Birmingham ’ to Birmingham community libraries – The presentation will be made on Friday 10th October at 9am at Erdington Library. ‘ The book is a record of the voices of ordinary people in Birmingham , telling their stories, which could easily be disregarded or forgotten. In the course of the research for the project, the Festival discovered that Birmingham held the 1st St Patrick’s Day Parade in England on Sunday 16th March 1952.’ To help with this year’s St Patrick’s Day festival attend the public consultation meeting next Thurs 16th Oct at The Irish Club at 8pm.
Gigbeth Myspace marathon – Just like last year Birmingham it’s Not Shit do a Gigbeth Myspace trawl, ‘having a quick shuftee at the myspace page of every act that was listed, listening to what we found and “reviewing” the bands based on only that. Quickly — no second goes, no in-depth research.’
Animation Galore at Hello Digital festival – Michal Makarewicz, award-winning animator on Pixar features such as The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille and Wall-E will be ‘in conversation’ on 24th October as part of Birmingham’s Hello Digital Festival. The free event takes place at 3.45pm at Think Space at Millennium Point.
Of Comic Nerds and SteamPunk – The Digbeth Slacker posts his thoughts and photos from the Birmingham International Comics Show at Millennium Point – ‘by far the best graphic novel shindig this side of London’.
Artist Curator Gavin Wade – NP Exclusive Video Interview – Billed as ‘an exclusive video interview with artist curator Gavin Wade at the opening of the new gallery Eastside Projects in the heart of Digbeth the new cultural quarter of Birmingham UK’. It’s actually someone who filmed their brief moment with Gavin on a mobile phone, but what he says is interesting. “There’s a lot of references from…radical exhibitions that have never been carried through.” Eastside Projects intends to do just that.
Lizzy Piffany Digbeth Lost Heritage Project – Liz’ pictures of the project on her Myspace account. In her words, “A group of protesters squatted the Kingfield Heath building on Bradford Street for a weekend in April, took loads of piccies, made a bit of art and generally got very excited about the whole idea of free space for all.” Apparently the owners are planning to flatten it and build a new road right through the middle of it, with luxury apartments on either side. How original.
Custard Factory « Inspiraculum – Melinda Schwakhofer’s visit to the Custard Factory, featuring some great pictures of Fragile Design’s stock and a vintage Lambretta. The tiny Birmingham Forward jug she bought from the Sunday Flea was actually part of a pair with a tiny chamber pot, which I bought for Jon Bounds. A case of seeing it and thinking of him.
You can’t win a raffle without buying a ticket | Birmingham: It’s Not Shit – The Eccentric City newspaper Auction and International Prize Draw is on Tuesday 23rd September 2008, 7.30pm in the Anchor Pub, Digbeth. ‘A cross between Ebay and a CarBoot’, sell and buy items to raise money for the emotional newspaper and enter the raffle to win a page of newspaper to do with as you will.
Artist Melinda Scwakhofer visited over the weekend as planned, and it was grand.
One of the great things about having her here was the brilliantly positive way people reacted to her. When she explained she was an artist from out of town who likes old stuff, people felt compelled to share their treasure troves with her.
On Friday we went to The Spotted Dog, and before we’d finished our first drink landlord John Tighe had dug out the original old deeds to the place:
Nowhere else could you touch an old parchment like this with your bare hands, let alone on a damp pub garden table covered in drinks and ashtrays. The Old Crown keeps theirs well hidden and customers only get to see a colour copy from behind a glass frame on the wall. However John did lend me some reading material that will let me delve deeper into the old Tudor pub:
I can’t wait to learn about the traditions of The Old Crown House in Der-Yat-End.
Melinda bought the second round of drinks with Art Money, after convincing John to become the first pub in Birmingham to accept it. Art Money is original artwork that works as a global, alternative currency and is a lovely idea. Thanks to Melinda taking a shine to a broach I was wearing, I ended the night getting some of my own (I did try to give it away, I promise):
Now I just need to try not to get drunk and desperate enough to use it for drinks in The Spotted Dog.
It’s strange how an outside eye can make you aware of things that have been under your nose for years. I’d never noticed these pretty, blue-tiled art-deco toilets hiding behind a billboard on the High Street, but Melinda clocked them straight away:
These were the ladies backing onto the River Rea, whilst the mens opposite are about to be knocked down as part of the building work next to the Irish Club:
By far the best aspect of Melinda’s visit was seeing a healthier approach to approaching people. When she told people she was interested in them, their places and their things they were naturally pleased as punch and I realised how stupid it is of me to sometimes feel awkward about indulging my curiosity. It’s a lesson learnt, I’m now determined to swallow my fears and be more intrepid with strangers. If I start talking to you, please be nice!
Flickr: Brett Wilde’s stuff tagged with digbeth – This guy has some truly beautiful images of Digbeth. When I read his incredibly honest Flickr profile I found his photography is not just artistic but therapeutic. It’s amazing stuff, I hope I get to meet him someday. Me and Melinda Scwakhofer tried to take a look in the Digbeth Car Wash building pictured above, but the place is so full of tyres not even the workers can get in. Their office seemed to be an old black cab with no wheels stranded in the courtyard.
Digbeth is Good now has a calendar! Let me know if there’s anything you think should be on there.
Rosa’s Cafe Blog – Unfortunately this lovely cafe blog featuring eggs, sausage, beans, chips and a lycra-clad Elvis who looks like he’s eaten the lot, closed when the cafe did. But Rosa Herzberg’s short film about the now boarded-up place can be seen at The Library Theatre at 7pm this Friday as part of ArtsFest. When searching for info about this I found this utterly pointless and bizarre film of a man running towards it along to the Baywatch theme tune. Only on Youtube.
Left Luggage – Visiting artist Melinda Schwakhofer finds some discarded suitcases on River Street. The brown leather one looks suspiciously like Mr Ralph’s, who we spent half of Sunday trawling the local pubs for. Well, that was our excuse.
Longhouse Action Research: Beginning at the Beginning – Anna Francis’ writing about her research project in Stoke-on-Trent actually gives a good insight into the thinking behind the work of Friction Arts, who are doing some very interesting projects around their base of Digbeth and the nearby areas.
Created in Birmingham » VIVID’s Pioneers Series – Meant to post this myself but Chris Unitt beat me to it, rounding things up very nicely indeed. VIVID’s three unmissable film programmes from ICO Essentials: The Secret Masterpieces of Cinema, concentrating on Play, Pop and Modernity. Is it me or are film screenings becoming a thing of Digbeth galleries? Outersight at The Edge, Len Lye and Warhol films at Ikon Eastside, and VIVID continuing their Pioneer Series.
Tuesday – okay so there is some rest for the wicked. After a hard day’s work at ACE dance and music, I’ll get to spend the evening at home, which I’ll undoubtedly spend blogging.
Wednesday – The Irish Heritage Group conduct their monthly meeting at The Irish Club. I keep intending to go to this and never make it, so now I’ll say I will on the internet to make it happen. I will, I will, I will. By the way, if you fancy becoming the Irish Heritage Group’s new Chief Executive, you’ve got until this Friday to hand your application in.
Thursday – The preview of the new Andy Warhol exhibition at the Ikon Eastside The Eternal Now: Warhol and Film ‘63-’68 is at 7.00pm-9.00pm. The exhibition carries on until 19th October.
Friday – Melinda Schwakhofer comes back to Birmingham to do Digbeth. Sounds like she fancies a visit to The Spotted Dog to check out John Tighe’s junk record-player collection.
Digbeth is Good « Inspiraculum – Yay, I have a Digbeth convert who’s coming back soon for a return visit. Can’t wait for some one-on-one lessons in exploring from the intrepid Melinda.
