I’ll be talking through some of my past projects, and discussing my research for the residency, some of the activities I’ve undertaken, and my plans for the final exhibition. As such I’m likely to touch on the history of the use of records in art, sound sculpture, use of environmental sound, multichannel audio, etc., including a brief look at artists such as Milan Knizak, Christian Marclay, Maryanne Ambacher, John Cage, Katja Strunz and Pauline Oliveros.
Chris Hathaway is Lost in Digbeth – A lovely post by Chris, who tried ever so hard to find the Dirty Bristow Summer Fete at The Edge and sadly failed, but had a good explore of Digbeth in his attempt:
At this point I realised that I didn’t even know what street the Edge was on, but I figured if I went up and down the vague grid system of Digbeth I’d come to it eventually. I was supposedly a few minutes from the city centre and from its name I’d guess it would be on the outer fringes. After about an hour I’d certainly arrived at various Edges of the city however no luck on the venue finding front…I realised after a while I was quite enjoying my little jaunt around Digbeth and, it having been such a manic week, a little peace and quiet and some walking was quite therapeutic.
It’s great when getting lost is a nice little adventure in itself. I’m as gutted as Chris was at missing the summer fete (I was lost further afield in London) but have caught up on some of the action with this round-up post.
I’ve managed to get my hands on a copy of Dirty Bristow Issue One: Birth and it truly is the strokeable, sensual fetish object that was aimed for. Buy your copy online and get your thinking caps on for contributions for Issue Two: Beast.
Birmingham Zine Festival – The Birmingham Zine Festival is taking place in venues across Birmingham in the run-up to and over 10th-12th September, including the Custard Factory:
Postcards: Mail Art EXhibition in The Framers Gallery 1st-8th September – the exhibition ‘will feature a collection of postcards from a range of different artists. Each postcard will be a unique work of art.’ There’s a private view from 7pm this Friday 2nd September (follows event at Urban Outfitters from 5pm).
Dirty Bristow – getting to the fete – A brilliant map of Pubs of Digbeth by Jon Bounds to help people get to the Dirty Bristow Summer Fete at The Edge, Cheapside this Saturday 26th August. ‘Cos people navigate by pubs and roundabouts.’ Digbeth has far much more pubs than roundabouts!
contemporarymonkey – slave to the amazon – A brilliantly in-depth review of Sergio Vega’s ‘Paradise: Real Time’ exhibition at Ikon Eastside by a rather clever ‘any old monkey’ who is ‘having a go at contemporary art’:
In Vega’s current exhibition at Birmingham’s IKON Eastside, entitled, “Paradise: Real Time”, he underscores nature’s influence on one of its dependents: man. Through multiple, and very large, high definition video images, it’s apparent that the mother of all form, line and colour holds sway over us in not only what we build, and how we build it, but what we do when we’re not busy destroying each other. Tower blocks in urban landscapes mimicking palm forests. Brightly saturated clothing imitating tropical birds, and Birds of Paradise. Bee-like tribal dance rituals stirring up mini tornado clouds of dust. My take away is that, while the human race endeavors to suck the life out of the planet, we often don’t recognise the force of strength coming the opposite way.
I went to the latter end of the launch party of the exhibition last Friday evening with out-of-town visitor Phil O’Kane, who took the above photo and pretty accurately described it as ‘an artsy dj thingy with some of the most hip hipsters ever’. There was drinking, dancing and what seemed to be a new sport of beanbag diving. Kids today….
The Sergio Vega exhibition in on at Ikon Eastside until 5th September.
The Birmingham Post found out that BDO Stoy Hayward, administrators of bankrupt Concept Development Solutions, are in the process selling 106/Flynn House, 102 and 98 Moseley Rd – ‘although the details of the buyer have not been disclosed’.
What might be happening to the boarded up 94 Moseley Rd remains as mysterious as its owners Award Developments Ltd of Sparkhill, who don’t seem to have any contact details at all.
