YouTube – Blast! Curzon Street Station 14-16th Sept 07 – Yesterday Stef Lewandowski asked what should be done with Curzon Street Station and my reply was Something, Anything! It’s such a pity to see this gorgeous building stand empty and unused. Here’s a reminder of its fantastic potential, last year’s Blast! which the film-maker describes as:
The event of the season. Weirdest gig I ever filmed – absolutely amazing experience spectacle in the grounds of the Curzon Street Station. A performance of pyrotechnics, projections and orchestrated bangs whistles and explosions!
Birmingham City Council assistant director of regeneration Philip Singleton said he believed the figure of a creative director may not be best for Birmingham, instead suggesting it could be an organisation that fulfilled the role.’
Only as a united force will Birmingham be able to outshine other major British cities and secure the placement of the “major events”, large-scale productions and international exhibitions that are so important to a region’s prosperity.
Big City Plan public consultation – who’s in? asks Stef Lewandowski, saying if they’ve asked for consultation, we should give them consultation! ‘There are some very smart and opinionated people in this city, and I think that getting us together to pool our thinking would be amazing. And with something as easy to understand as “What do you want Birmingham in 25 years to be like?” and huge issues like sustainability, transport, fuel crisis, energy, food, population, technology, communications, education, where we live, what we want from our public spaces, culture, creativity and lots more to consider this feels like one for the bloggers to really get our teeth into.’ Go on, give him your two bits’ worth and then some.
‘Digbeth, in the Big City Plan, is the “creative quarter”. The problem is a lot of this creativity goes on in offices and studios and, even with the galleries, isn’t visible from the outside. There isn’t an immediate visual hit that tells you “this is where the artists be at”. So my idea is to get 20 artists to decorate 20 buildings from top to bottom in whatever way they see fit. That would make the area itself a destination and feed into the creative activity that’s going on there.’
Michael Wolff led some serious brainstorming at Creative Republic in Fazeley Studios on Thursday evening, helping answer the question ‘does Birmingham need a creative director?’, which Stef Lewandowski recently posed in Design Week. If they can generate the discussion and ideas that emerged on Thursday, the answer is an unequivocal YES.
Fierce Earth posted their memories of the event, which consisted of tables of teams creatively addressing key areas of the city – the elderly, transport, healthcare, culture, housing, young people and brand. Michael Wolff encouraged us to be totally unreasonable, which was lots of fun and resulted in the Birmingham brand becoming a ‘rough blue curry’. I was in the education team that came up with learning in pubs, obviously.
Local cartoonist Alex Hughes was there scribbling away, as you can see.
Happy Robot Music: Omnia Opera, Betty and the Id, Windscale gig – Three live bands play at 22 Green St warehouse on Saturday 18th October 2008 for “a demented mashup of plasma rock, psychedelia, post rock, prog, electronica and acid”. Plus Dj’s – Sir Real, Papa Zit, Jajouka, DJ Ronco K-Tel. Visuals by Catweasel.
Group Project – Feastside – Feastside is what the plan to turn abandoned building sites into green a pleasant has been christened. Join the online wiki group to get involved. There’s talk of a meeting on the evening of next Weds 22nd Oct, I’ll keep you posted on the details once confirmed.
Blog Action Day happened and Pete Ashton found talking to the Birmingham Carers Network very rewarding. I was very sorry to miss this. Nick Booth has posted the surgery’s provisional results, Stef Lewandowski helped build a site for the Jubilee Debt Campaign, Chris Unitt found there was some serious learning on both sides and it all made Charlotte Carey ask what can enterprise do?
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.
Len Lye films at Ikon Eastside on 6 September – An evening of Len Lye films, which Ikon have organised in collaboration with 7 Inch Cinema. There is also a rare screening of Lye’s first film Tusalava with a live score by jazz pianist Alcyona. Places are free but must be booked.
