Antonio Roberts sent us this info about an upcoming workshop at Black Hole Club:

Navigating the world of copyright and intellectual property can be daunting, but it’s important to know your rights and how protecting them can be central to your success. Come find out everything you need to know about copyright, the law and your rights as an artist.

Established by artists for artists, DACS is a not-for-profit visual artists’ rights management organisation. Passionate about transforming the financial landscape for visual artists through innovative new products and services, DACS act as a trusted broker for 90,000 artists worldwide.

In this workshop, Reema Selhi (Legal and Policy Manager) and Abby Yolda (Head of Communications) will explain how you can protect your rights, earn from licensing your work, and will answer your questions about copyright.

MADE are looking to commission five artists from Birmingham and the Black Country to enliven a space under the M5 motorway in Sandwell for a one day event on Saturday 16 July 2016.

The commissions are inspired by MADE’s vision for a Black Country Garden City utilising a neglected section of land under the raised section of the M5 motorway between junctions 1 and 2.

Full information can found here. Deadline: Midnight, Wednesday 22 June 2016.

Yarningham is a new yarn festival produced by Stitches and Hos, Brum’s motley crew of enthusiasts for all things knitted, crocheted and stitched. Taking place over the weekend of 16 and 17 July at Stirchley Baths, it will feature stalls from independent yarn producers from across the UK…and two live alpacas (called Cookies and Cream).

To compliment the marketplace, Yarningham will also include a programme of workshops for visitors. Learn how to knit socks, or even how to spin your own yarn. It will also feature demonstrations from the Weavers, Spinners and Dyers Guild.

Yarningham will be open from 11am-5pm with day tickets available for £5 (+ booking fee) in advance or £7 on the door.

More information on Yarningham can be found here.

Ikon and Birmingham Cathedral present a new site-specific work by Birmingham-born artist Roger Hiorns, Untitled (a retrospective view of the pathway), 2016

Working with the choir of St Philip’s Cathedral, Birmingham, the event sees choristers undertake Choral Evensong whilst lying on their backs on the floor, within the nave of the church, rather than standing to sing in stalls behind the altar. This will be a full service rather than a performance – led by The Very Revd Catherine Ogle, Dean of Birmingham, and directed by Canon Marcus Huxley – with the congregation seated in the aisles and galleries. The event raises important questions concerning the aesthetics of faith and worship in modern life; plays with perceptions of life and death and sleep and consciousness; and re-imagines an ancient ritual, part of an establishment that defines our society – all within sight of the Cathedral’s stained glass windows by Edward Burne-Jones depicting the Last Judgment.

Untitled (a retrospective view of the pathway) takes place from 5.30-6.30pm on Wednesday 15 June and Friday 17 June 2016. Places are free but should be booked.

Longbridge Public Art Project (LPAP) is offering recent graduates in art, design or media related subjects (such as Art & Design, Fine Art, Performance, Music, Visual Communication and Architecture) the opportunity to further their artistic practice and career.

During a two month long Summer School, participants will have opportunities to learn new skills, attend talks by LPAP artists-in-residence, national & international artists, develop site specific work that responds to Longbridge independently or collaboratively, support the LPAP programme of activities, manage the project space and work closely with the WERK team.

The LPAP Summer School will start week beginning 20 June and run until the end of August 2016 with activities scheduled to take place on a weekly basis, with some evenings and weekends.

More information can be found here.

Deadline: 5pm, Friday 10 June 2016.

On Saturday 11 June, Birmingham-based Czech artist Tereza Buskova will revitalise a very old English tradition and bring it back to the city. Working with the local community, she will reinterpret the custom of ‘Clipping the Church’ in an event which will explore motherhood and investigate British identity through its traditions.

Derived from the Anglo-Saxon word ‘clyp-pan’ meaning ‘embrace’ or ‘clasp’, the ceremony is believed to have originated in the 16^th Century. Clipping the Church took place once a year when young apprentices and women in service were allowed to visit their families. During the ceremony, the reunited families and local faithful would link hands to form an unbroken chain around the entire church. Facing out towards the world, members of this living circle would often sing hymns as they slowly moved around the symbol of their faith and belonging. Although there is evidence ceremonies took place in Birmingham, it is unknown where.

On 11 June this custom will be recreated with over one hundred locals at St Barnabas’ Church in Erdington. Buskova will explore motherhood through live performance, music and ornate baked goods, which will be paraded and affixed to the church as decorations.

Just a few days before the EU referendum, this event will also invite reflection on how the meaning of ‘community’ has changed from the days when Clipping the Church involved the people of a single village.

Full details and times of the performance can be found here. The finished film Clipping the Church (2016) will be debuted at Eastside Projects at an event exploring ‘Motherhood, maternal and art‘ on Thursday 21 July 2016

Constructing The Self is raising funds for Cancer Research UK. Please give what you can on the night.

The roving platform connects the mechanics of everyday space with the process of artistic production, giving visibility to the work that artists do. The first phase of the project explores social practice across outdoor sites in Digbeth, Sparkbrook and Balsall Heath.

Artists Claire Hickey, Emily Warner, Laura Burns and Sarah Taylor-Silverwood will carry out a series of public realm residencies and community engagement opportunities between May-June 2016. Details on upcoming dates and locations can be found here.

Each artist selected will:

• Spend four months developing new work
• Receive mentoring from some of the most innovative and exciting live artists currently working in the UK.
• Have access to rehearsal space in Birmingham.
• Receive support from the Directors of Home For Waifs And Strays.
• Attend talks on making, documenting, producing and funding from experts in these fields.
• Perform your work in development across four venues in the UK.
• Receive £100 for each performance (£400 total) plus documentation of your work.

More information on the programme can be found here. Apply by noon, Friday 22 April 2016.

A new exhibition of original wall sculptures from French artist Frédéric Daty launches at Castle Fine Art in The Mailbox on Saturday 2^nd April, with the artist in attendance from 1-4pm.

In his second ever UK solo show, ‘Trinity’ sees world-famous cities and iconic UK landmarks depicted in metal. Daty’s innovative sculptures strip these overrun spaces of living organisms, revealing only the structure; the city’s skeleton.

For the exhibition in Birmingham, Daty has created four bespoke wall sculptures inspired by the UK’s second city – The Mailbox, the Bullring Bull, The Cube, the Library of Birmingham, The Rotunda and the spaghetti junction all feature in the new pieces.

The artist – who was talent spotted by Birmingham based art publishers Washington Green in 2014 – uses layers of hand-cut steel sheets to create the sculptures, which are then polished with varnish and coloured tar. The individual elements stand away from the wall at varying angles and distances, creating a 3D wall sculpture.

The shadows cast on the wall behind create another dimension to Daty’s work. Although the metal itself is static, the surface and colour of the sculptures change in response to how they are lit, giving the impression that the work itself is also moving and evolving.

‘Trinity’ launches at Castle Fine Art, The Mailbox, Ground Floor, 5 Wharfside, Birmingham, B1 1RD on Saturday 2^nd April. The exhibition will then run for a further week.

For further information please see www.castlefineart.com.