Looking to develop Birmingham artists, Critical Spaces sets up local, critical support networks for socially-engaged artists, e.g. site-specific, situationist, public, community and outreach artists. These pilot groups are lead by artist Hannah Hull, with the eventual hope that the groups will begin to run self organised meetings.

From Critical Spaces:

We find individual artists that want to discuss their work with like-minded people – and when we have located enough artists in one geographic area, we set up their first meeting.

The programme for the first network meeting is curated by Critical Spaces in conversation with the local artists, and may include critical exercises such as:

Critiquing a work-in-progress – someone presents a social art project they are working on

Discussing a short text – someone provides a current or historical text relating to social art practice to stimulate debate

Debating a provocation – for example, “Artists cannot produce art in care settings until participants’ care needs are fully met”

A task or exercise – for example, demonstrating an exercise used with community groups and opening this up for critique, or an exercise designed to explore a key issue, such as evaluation

Sharing experiences/advice on a key issue – everyone shares their experience of – or opinion on – an issue such as negotiating fees with commissioners, or policy changes

Critical Spaces #3 is on Wednesday 5th June, 2pm to 4.30pm at Ort Cafe, 500 Moseley Road, B12 9AH and is open to turn up on the day, but invites you to register here: http://criticalspaces.wordpress.com/2012/10/04/get/

You are encouraged to bring a bring a task, exercise, text, question, etc. to the session. This can be as playful or serious as you like, lasting anything from 1 minute upwards.

]]> http://www.createdinbirmingham.com/2013/03/21/birmingham-architecture-festival/ http://www.createdinbirmingham.com/2013/03/21/birmingham-architecture-festival/#comments Thu, 21 Mar 2013 09:30:11 +0000 http://www.createdinbirmingham.com/?p=14711 [Read more...]]]>

A new festival makes it debut this year, celebrating the second city’s structures, with everything from the heights of the skylines to the hidden corners. The Birmingham Architecture Festival will be running from the 24th to 27th of May, with the theme ‘Take a Second Look’. This independent festival will span across the city and will take your on tours to the lesser known (and even secret) spots, as well as some of the centre’s well known favourites. All this explored through a multitude of lectures, exhibitions and workshops.

So far events include a Pinhole Camera Workshop with Matt and Pete’s Photo School, Wild Walls Tour looking at the planet and wildlife that in habits the city;s structures and a Derelict Buildings Tour. Loads more events can be found on their page, with plenty more to be announced.

Keep up to date with the latest on their Twitter and Facebook, and if you’re interested in getting involved then find out more here or go to the contact page.

Really excited about this, so we’ll be sure to update you with more information as it comes out.

Located in the Digbeth art booming workspaces of Minerva Works is Stryx, an artist led studio and exhibition space in Digbeth formed by recent Fine Art graduates from Birmingham Institute of Art & Design.

From the Stryx site:

‘Formed by six female graduates of Fine Art from Birmingham City University, 2012, Stryx’s joint ambitions are to continue developing their art with the ever-growing cultural wealth of Birmingham, and maintaining support for artists internally and externally by creating an accessible community of practice.’

Co-Founder Aly Grimes had the chance to speak to Axisweb in this great video below:

Stryx apparently have lots planned for the new year, but for now you can take some Life Drawing classes in the space every other Wednesday, with the next 13th March.

Check out their website, Facebook and Twitter for more details.

Councillor Ian Ward has stated in a Birmingham Post article that a new event would happen this year to replace the festival and celebrate the opening of the new library:

“It has been decided to roll the arts festival into a festival for the opening of the new library on September 3 and I have spoken to the major arts organisations in Birmingham, and the Arts Council about putting together a new festival to provide a showcase for the best that Birmingham can offer.”

Apparently this new arts festival will bes starting from 2014, but will see the £130,000 budget for Artsfest going down to £80,000; although it has been suggested that the Arts Council may look to matching that bid if it goes forward. Maybe.

Artsfest has been a mixed bag over the past few years, but negative aspects aside, it is a shame for the city to lose such a large outlet for the arts and creatives, and also for for those visiting to see what Birmingham has to offer. Hopefully this will work out for the best and the new events that unfold will be an even better showcase for the city’s talents.

If you have any updates or any more information, let us know by contacting or putting in the comments below.

An interesting project has come about through new Birmingham scheme maker Ideas Vendor that looks to give young people getting into the artistic and creative industries a chance to imagine their futures working on these platforms will be like. Titled Birmingham 2022, this opportunity is partnership between Ideas Tap and Midlands Art Centre that will, with support from Arts Council funding, work with their select group to develop and produce their ideas through a research and development programme.

From Ideas Vendor:

Birmingham 2022 is both a digital social media project and a training ground for young people wishing to engage with Birmingham’s diverse cultural offer. Birmingham 2022 will recruit and train up to 14 young people aged 16-24 to produce content for a new website/publication/digital time capsule that will provide a space for young people’s unique perspective on the current and future cultural offer for young people in Birmingham. Birmingham 2022 will have a strong digital media legacy with participants using a range of online social media to share their ideas.

Birmingham 2022 aims to:
– Provide a unique personal development opportunity for a group of young people from Birmingham
– Develop both artistic and employment skills amongst the participants
– Support careers development within the creative and cultural industries for a wider community of young people
– Invite cultural organisations to hear the views and ideas of future audiences and artists

Hopefully this sounds attractive to some young and eager creative types in the city, and if that sounds like you then you’re invited to head over to the website and contact them or through any of their social networks – heres their Twitter and Facebook.

Out of the ashes of the Digbeth media arts centre that was VIVID (which closed in March 2012), a new venture has been born with VIVID Projects opening a new space and exciting plans out of the thriving eastside artists allotment Warwick Bar. This all comes as a result of receiving an Arts Council grant for a two year development programme of local Birmingham based work – great news.

Vivid Projects will be setting up shop on the February 22nd with a launch party in the space, check out the details on their Facebook event, and also launching 33 Revolutions, with the first of their projects with Revolution 01, ‘Ladies and Gentlemen, How Long Will They Last?” starting at 7pm on their opening night.

Here’s a few more details about 33 Revolutions lifted from Vivid Project’s Facebook:

The opening multi-media season 33 REVOLUTIONS will be a dynamic and sometimes challenging 8-month programme that asks the question; can art and culture be a catalyst for social change? Thought provoking encounters between new works and archive from 1960s to the present will addresses the ways in which film makers and artists from a diverse range of cultural situations and societies have protested. 

33 REVOLUTIONS takes the audience on a journey through film, print, performance and song, celebrating personal acts of protest and resistance from the dance floors of 70’s NYC to the anti-institutional spirit of 1960s – 70s Britain right up to the simmering Arab Spring and Occupy!. 

Keep an eye on Vivid Project’s Facebook for more details.

Now that is out the way, let’s get back to the cool stuff happening in Birmingham.

First off is an extremely exciting project Thrift Radiates Happiness, a contemporary art exhibition happening in the often ignored Municipal Bank in Birmingham; the impressive yet slightly dishevelled building on the opposite side of Broad Street to the New Library.

From TRH Blog:

This exhibition presents works based on the British class system, the ever-present UK recession and investment in art and the world economy.

With the main foyer space hosting a specifically commissioned sound piece by Elly Clarke, the offices off this central entrance will house pieces of work by Tom Crawford, Caitlin Griffiths, Ellie Harrison and Nicole Wilson, all of whom work with and present works based on commerce, current economical issues, up-cycling objects and investment.

This event will be opening 13th March and close on the 17th of the same month and, although free to enter, there is a little twist should you care to make a deposit…

For the second part of this exhibition audience members will be invited to ‘invest’ £2 for which they will be given a number to a safety deposit box, within which will be a limited edition print by one of the contributing artists.  Their £2 investment immediately rising and resulting in an original piece of artwork made for the exhibition by artists and architects. 

This is a RIBA event, curated by Charlie Levine / TROVE, in association with Aedas Presents, Birmingham Architects Association and Birmingham City Council/Library of Birmingham.

Check out their site, or head to their Facebook and Twitter – I especially recommend their Flickr to get a photographic insight into the space and their latest happenings.

This is outstanding, and will hopefully give the amazing photographic talent Birmingham has, the attention it deserves.

For more information go to the Birmingham City Council website.

via Birmingham Loves Photographers

This outstanding video documents some of the rehearsel and creation process of Birmingham Royal Ballet‘s Cinderella. Created by BRB’s Rob Lindsay, this is a rare glimpse behind the scenes, while also being directly set against moments in the final production, all with commentary by choreographer and company director David Bintley.

Well worth 3 minutes of your time.

Last minute call out for the Shorts on Walls animation event on TONIGHT (27th November) at the Victoria from 7pm. It promises to show a collection of local animators projected on the upstairs room of the pub.

Heres more info from the organisers Animation Forum West Midlands:

After much delay, Shorts on Walls is back for another night of fun, frolicks and animated films.

Pop along for free to The Victoria, Birmingham, on 27th November 2012 (7pm) and catch a screening of some great animated short films, all made in the Midlands.

To attend the screenings and meet some talented animators, simply reserve your place using the huge Register button above.

Click here to register on their Eventbrite and find out more.