New postcard from South Africa! | Friction Arts – The lovely chaps at Friction Arts are not long back from a fruitful trip to Johannesburg and they’d like to share their experiences with you all:
If you’re from the cultural industries or the public sector and you’re interested in projects that focus on participation and engagement, intercultural dialogue or legacy, or an artist interested in international work or how interventions can work in differing cultures, then this is an event you should not miss. As usual, the event is free (and unfunded, feel free to donate), refreshments will be available, and there’ll be a big, fat Q+A at the end which will go on for as long as the audience require, then retiring to the annexe (the Anchor public house and real ale emporium), for a ‘debrief’.
RSVP to Friction if you would like to attend as there’s a limited capacity. Going by the blog posts they wrote whilst out there, this should be a good ‘un.
Issue 8 ~ An Endless Supply « More Canals than Venice – Saturday 28th November is the launch do for Issue 8 of local art magazine An Endless Supply, Birmingham’s at The Anchor Inn in Digbeth. True to The Event form, The Anchor are complementing the art thing with a bespoke real ale:
There will be music, copies of the latest magazine and inspired by Mark Essen, a special ‘An Endless Supply Ale’ on tap.
Say no more – I’ll have a pint of that and a bag of pork scratchings, please.
Today sees the big bang launch of The Event – a myriad of art exhibitions, installations and happenings around Digbeth way. They’ve had some initial tours of the venues – you can see a round-up of yesterday’s tour on The Event’s blog.
One highlight is the gorgeous old warehouse space that is The Lombard Method being used for Crowd6’s exhibition, which has a slightly filmic feel to it. Remember cult 80’s sci-fi comedy Inner Space? Remember the pair of glasses the teeny-tiny spaceship got sneezed onto at the end?
There’s also a scary horror to balance things out in the shape of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. All work and no play….
Whilst you’re there take the trouble to walk up to the top floor to see the projection piece, a lovely work that brings the building’s industrial past to life.
Another new space being showcased is the Grand Union on Fazeley Street, which should make you smile.
One thing that made me smile was The Family, who claim they aren’t a cult. They just like group music-making, exercises such as ‘Waking The Sun’ and translating messages from their god Baby sent via a blue bunny on Ana’s chest. That’s all.
On the move over The Event is the Transit Station, who have taken the pound store approach to marketing. Watch out for the truck and cute Morris Minor.
Whilst you’re wandering around Digbeth experiencing all the wonderful art, be sure to take time to stop for a chat on Digbeth High Street.
To enjoy some green space in the midst of all that gritty urban, check out the Pigeon Project in Rea Garden on Floodgate Street.
And once your art trek is finished, relax over a pint of The Event Ale at The Anchor.
The event is on until this Sunday 8th Nov, so you’ve the whole weekend to get around it.
The Event » About – The Event looks like a fantastics start to winter, taking over Digbeth on Wednesday 4th Nov until 8th Nov.
…when the steel bashers moved out and abandoned their factories the artists moved in and new spaces emerged. Several of these new spaces will be open to the public for the first time including Grand Union’s unit on Fazeley Industrial Estate, Fazeley Street; a temporary space at 119 Floodgate Street which will be home to Mona Casey Projects for the duration and Crowd6’s use of fellow artist group The Lombard Method’s raw space at 68a Lombard Street, B12.
The artists will also be found at more unusual venues, such as Mark Essen’s Record Exchange Celebration roaming from the Anchor Inn on 5 Nov to The Event’s official launch on 6 Nov, when ‘Essen will lead a performance of “and you will know us by the trail of Morris men” where Morris dancers will escort the audience from each venue to the after party at Eastside Projects.’
Pigeon-loving artists Alex Lockett and Ian England are racing their feathered friends at the Pigeon Loft in The Rea Garden, Floodgate St 2-4pm on Friday 6, Saturday 7 and Sunday 8.
And the latest artist led initiative Grand Union open up their new home at Fazeley Industrial Estate (166 Fazeley Street) with an artists’ publishing fair on Friday 6 from 12pm.
For those that want to see it all, The Event are also holding free, guided tours of the whole kaboodle from Eastside Cafe everyday at 3pm.
Digbeth O’Lympics – Sunday 20th September 2009 – Oh yes, the local sporting mayhem is back. So put Sun 20th Sept in your diaries for the Digbeth O’Lympics. It seems to have grown quite sizably in scale this year, with a long list of pubs playing host to the madness:
Supersonic this weekend! But what else is on? « More Canals than Venice – Absolutely loads, according to PixieSixer. Ikon Eastside is showing the work of Raqs Media Collective, Eastside Projects is showing the work of Joanne Taham and Tom O’Sullivan and VIVID continues the Participation film exhibition. And as if that weren’t enough:
There is also a launch event on Friday 24th from 7-9pm at The Bond (located opposite Ikon Eastside on Fazeley Street) for the new Ikon offsite project, Hey for Lubberland! Artists Simon & Tom Bloor have specially adapted a canal boat using geodesic design and dazzle camouflage. After Supersonic weekend, the canal boat will be based in Brindleyplace and transport passengers around the area. Timetables for boat trips can be found on the Ikon website.
Sounds brilliant, and I’m kind of sorry I’m planning to be halfway to Devon by then. Also look out for the Organic Beer Festival at The Anchor Inn (with organic barbecue on Saturday) and Babak Salari at The Edge on Saturday evening:
I just thought I’d relay a story I was told in the Spotted Dog by a punter called William. Eleven years ago, he was barred by The Anchor’s landlord Gerry for being a very naughty boy. The other week, William’s brother had a party there so he went back for the first time in over a decade, only to be told by Gerry, “William, you’re barred,” as soon as he walked through the door. I thought it was great that the pub could remember a name and a face from so long ago. They don’t make them like that anymore.
YouTube – F M MOTORS 2 – It’s not only VIP Limosenes on Heath Mill Lane but also ‘quality used cars’ from F.M Motors, who have a great advert showing off their wares. No Yellow Hummers on sale though, I’m afraid.
INSPIRATIONS (Sat 07 Feb 2009) invites five UK based individuals who have played a major role in the critical, artistic and curatorial development of moving image, to select one moving image work that has made a significant impact on their own practice…FIGURING LANDSCAPES (Wed 25 – Sat 28 Feb 2009) is a remarkable collection of moving image works that has grown from the background of the political and cultural history that links Australia and the UK and the close relationship that continues between them.
Bit of a trek into Digbeth as I always go down the wrong road and end up on a ten-minute loop to find the place. [Tell me about it, take the hint Big City Plan!] But the trip is well rewarded; another Grade II listed building, designed by renowned Birmingham architects James and Lister Lea, clad in terracotta and crammed full of deft touches such as cut glass mirrors, stained glass, corridor tiling and a rare surviving partition screen.
