#InstaBrum is an Instagram Photomarathon, an event in which participants are given themes to photograph within certain time and post to Instagram.

Taking place on Saturday May 18th, the goal of this event is to network, have fun and spread great views of Birmingham through the web.

The starting point will be the Custard Factory, with participants given four themes to interpret and photograph within two hours before meeting at the finish line (the Bullring Bull) and heading for a drink and a chat.

More details can be found on the event’s Facebook page

Artist, Reveal Yourself! organised by PAiL West Midlands in collaboration with Polish Expats Association, launches on the 3rd of May 2013 at the post-industrial spaces of A.E.Harris. For three days, visitors will have a chance to see many artistic projects from various art disciplines including visual arts, theatre, music, slam poetry, and to participate in some interesting workshops.

The visual art exhibition will feature works of over twenty artists. Visitors will discover paintings, installations, photography and performance, inspirations and concerns of contemporary artists.

Here’s some notable times from their programme calendar of things I thought sounded interesting:

3rd May

18:00 – Festival Launch
19:00 – Theatre Performance The Lasting Sense of Sudden by Fred Company
20:00 – Slam Poetry

4th May

12:00 – 18:30 – Various Theatre, Photography and Art workshops

5th May

12:30 – Artists talk
14:00 – Theatrical etudes and Male Ojczyzny project screening by Georgina Biggs & Ilona Krawczyk

Visual Arts Exhibition 
Exhibition opens – 3-5 May 2013
Friday, 3rd of May 2013 ,-18:00 – 20:00
Saturday, 4rd of May 2013, 12:00 – 22:00
Sunday, 5th of May 2013, 12:00 – 16:00

Single day ticket £3
Full event pass £5

Click the here for a full programme of events

Ikon Gallery began life in the mid-1960s. Founded by Angus Skene and artists from the Birmingham School of Art, the gallery was initially housed in a glass-walled kiosk in the Bullring in an attempt to offer a more open environment for those unsure about what to expect looking from the outside in. After initial success, the gallery moved and expanded, changing locations as popularity grew and existing leases expired.

Before long, Ikon had become one of the most important contemporary galleries in the country. In 1997, after a lengthy stint opposite the Alexandra theatre, the gallery moved to its current location and a building I feel is very befitting of the name.

Now based in Brindleyplace – an area that was completely rejuvenated roughly 20 years ago – Ikon lives inside the former Oozells Street Board School, designed by John Henry Chamberlain in 1887. Just around the corner from the Sea Life Centre, easy parking right next door at Brindleyplace NCP and a beautiful, beautiful building. You can certainly see why it would make a great family day out.

Without wanting to sound like a broken record from my previous articles, it’s scenery like that which Ikon Gallery is based in that makes me appreciate Birmingham all the more. A lovely, modern square – the image of what good investment can do for depleted areas of a city. Recently, Ikon revealed plans for Ikon 2 as part of the redevelopment project in the Eastside district. Having not known the city 20 years ago (I was only 7), it’s difficult for me to judge too greatly, but from the outside in it feels as though Eastside is what Brindleyplace was 20 years ago, albeit Eastside starting from a better base point. A hefty piece of investment, Birmingham’s cultural spaces continue to grow and there’s more reason to be excited about where this city is heading from an arts perspective.

It’s the topic of where Birmingham sits as a culture capital that formed the basis of my interview with Helen Stallard and Stuart Tulloch when I visited Ikon not too long ago. Helen is part of the marketing team at Ikon, whilst Stuart is the curator and has been in the role roughly 6 months. With both myself and Stuart being new to the city it led to some very interesting conversations about how Birmingham is viewed form the outside, though Stuart is much better versed than I am on the history of Birmingham’s art movements.

Before we began the interview, Helen took me on a tour of the building and through the current exhibitions on display. On the second floor, the fabric motifs of Russian artist Timur Novikov don the walls in bright rooms with high ceilings, the perfect arrangement when viewing what are relatively large scale works. The shape of the building really lends to the gallery space and you feel like you’re in a special place.

Dotted around the rooms are Visitor Assistants who help the viewer understand the artist, the artwork and the technique applied in the creation. All seem happy to do so, which may seem a given, but I actually find it very refreshing. I’ve been to a few exhibitions lately in which people in similar roles have done everything to avoid eye contact with me and sat on their phones.

Part of Ikon’s 2nd Floor Gallery

Adjacent to the Second Floor Galleries is the Tower Room. In what feels like a really unique space, a video by Angolan artist Nástio Mosquito is played. You can see the Tower Room in the pictures of the front of the Ikon building, for want of a better phrase, it’s a pretty cool room.

Below in the First Floor Gallery is the work of Neoclassical sculptor John Flaxman. In what is once again a really vibrant, clean space the artwork is fantastically positioned. It’s easy to see why the gallery is held in such high esteem.

The Tower Room

A room I did not visit in my first experience of Ikon (but one I am sure shall become a frequent haunt for my son and I) is the Events Room, a base for Ikon’s learning programme. This part of the gallery is extremely important to Ikon, it’s a chance to engage with visitors on another level. On one hand, it promotes creativity and interaction with the art in the gallery and beyond. On the other, it enables the gallery to learn from its patrons about their experiences and further develop a programme that will continue to attract and develop relationships.

The learning programme is quite varied. From workshops based around the art on display (a good example of this would be the ‘Drawing in Stitch’ workshop on the 20th April), to walks, afternoon teas and storytelling event ‘Tell me on a Sunday the programme caters for a variety of interests and age groups. Many of the workshops are free, though occasionally you may have to pay for materials.

In sourcing artwork for exhibitions, Ikon takes its pick from emerging artists, both nationally and internationally. There will often be historical works, but these will have a significance to now. The gallery will often collaborate with other organisations in order to produce touring shows, or even exhibitions in other spaces in Birmingham, much like Metropolis currently on display in the Gas Hall at BMAG. Metropolis has been collected by Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and the New Art Gallery Walsall in partnership with Ikon. I went last weekend and it’s a great exhibition. For someone with a real affinity for large cities like myself I found it a visual feast. It’s on until the 23rd of June so plenty of time to make a visit if you haven’t already.

The Events Room

The exhibitions at Brindleyplace mentioned above finish on the 21st of April, so if you are intrigued then head over soon before it’s too late. A typical cycle between a gallery refresh is 7 weeks, with a brief break in between to install the new exhibition. In this instance, the new galleries will be open from the 1st of May and include work by François Morellet and Giorgio Sadotti.

It’s now 15 years since Ikon moved to Brindleyplace, and next year marks the 50th anniversary of the gallery’s conception. In the programme over 2014 you can expect to see reflections on some of the significant artists they’ve had in the gallery over the past half a century. From my point of view it’s going be very interesting to revisit how the gallery was founded. It clearly has a big part to play in what Birmingham has to offer the arts community in the future, much like it has done for the past 50 years.

You can find out more about Ikon Gallery’s events, programme and history at their website www.ikon-gallery.co.uk

What are you experiences of the gallery? Please comment below and share with us what you have enjoyed over the years.

Back in October, not long after I moved to the City, I met Mike Hyde who talked me though the work DanceXchange have been doing for the past 20 years. Amongst the things we discussed was WestMidlandsDance.com – a resource that would be delivered by DanceXchange to continue the great work funded by the Cultural Olympiad last summer.

When I spoke to Mike the website was very much at the early stages as they planned how to deliver content that suited the needs of the region.  Based on the West Midlands Dance blog that had been run by Chris Unitt (who passed the CiB reigns on to ourselves) and Ian Ravenscroft since 2008, the theory behind the project was to create a central hub for all dance in the West Midlands to be promoted in.

The site launched last month and quite frankly I have been taken aback by the functionality available as well as its generally beauty. It is much more than I expected.

The design suits an events listing website wonderfully, almost like a well thought out what’s on section in a theatre magazine. It’s also responsive, meaning you still get a great experience no matter what device you are on (I was on my phone when I first looked at the site). The homepage displays an array of links to navigate through the site, colour coded to their relevance in a grid system. Magenta for ‘What’s On’, purple for jobs, opportunities and resources and different shades of blue for news, images and video content.

The What’s On page takes a similar shape with the grid structure, making it easy to navigate and find exactly what you’re looking for as well as having the helpful ability to filter results by date of performance and proximity to your location.

The ease of use continues through to the other sections of the site, which I am sure you can discover for yourselves. What is really interesting to me is how the user can contribute to the site’s eco-system.

WestMidlandsDance.com gives you the ability to create one of two profiles. The first – a standard profile enabling you to comment on the existing content, post updates, images and videos to your profile, giving yourself a social platform within the community.

The Edit Profile Screen

The second is a professional profile. Whilst still a free service, the professional profile gives dance organisations and professionals the ability to be listed in the Directory. This really is a great resource, because it allows the community to thrive off one another. If you’re putting on a production and need someone to perform a specific role on stage or off you can use the Directory to find that person.

The Directory also has a use for people not specifically involved in dance. For example, you may be a photographer or a fashion designer who isn’t particularly interested in dance, but you do have a service that can be beneficial to a dance company and they can find you in the Directory on the website. The same can be said for designers like myself, architects, illustrators etc. If you’re a freelancer listing yourself on WestMidlandsDance.com could be extremely beneficial for both yourself and for the dance production who is looking for someone with your talents, but before had not known where to begin looking.

Over time, the Resources section of the website will be populated with examples of productions that have taken place over the past few years, describing the work done to complete the project and (using the Directory) inform the reader of the individuals and companies involved. The page displays a list of these profiles enabling an easy link to anyone that the reader feels could help them with a future project.

As well as Directory listing, the professional profile also allows an organisation to post opportunities and events to the site, allowing them to create a significant web presence despite their current size or reach. Great for independents who aren’t quite sure the best route for promotion, or even larger companies who want another medium for listing their next production or job vacancy.

When I first spoke to Mike about West Midlands Dance, I imagined a blog similar to Created in Birmingham that simply listed upcoming dance productions chronologically. In reality, it’s much much more.

WestMidlandsDance.com offers a great platform for performers, organisers and viewers of dance to go out and find new opportunities and plan the best way develop their future productions. It also offers ‘the rest of us’ an opportunity to help in any way we can and ensure the community builds and grows, developing lasting relationships with anyone who has something to offer.

It seems a massive project and has been brilliantly delivered, a big well done to everyone involved and I’m sure it will continue to improve even further.

All that’s left is to see how you can get involved. Visit the site, attend a performance, get a profile, write a blog post. Why not start a production company? Get inspiration, create an event, find the people who can help make the event a reality, recruit some performers, list the event on the site, start the process again. All can be done on WestMidlandsDance.com

23 March – 18 May 2013

Launch: 6-8pm Friday 22 March 2013

Head down to Eastside Projects this Friday for the launch of their newest exhibition ‘Puppet Show’ that will be on show until mid-May. It sounds pretty intriguing, and as always with Eastside Projects’ launch nights the gallery will be buzzing with creative types to converse with over some very reasonably priced beverages.

Eastside Projects is finally revealed as a ‘puppet state’ or ‘marionette government’. The art organisation has been taken over by little ‘creatures’, marking what could well be a latent global condition.

Puppet Show is populated by impersonators, impostors, and transvestites – by ultimately dubious characters that are used to criticise, debase, mock, undermine or protest in the place and voice of others. Puppets reveal their ultimately political role in this faculty to represent, much like democracy is representative. During Puppet Show, Eastside Projects has been possessed in order to come to life, and speak what cannot be said through the mouthpiece of its puppet population—reversing the role of puppet and puppeteer. Puppet Show in this way exposes the animal and the natural worlds, architecture, music, education, entertainment and death, all subjects analyzed through their possible revolution.

Find out more at eastsideprojects.org.

If you’d like to do a bit of reading on what Eastside Projects is all about then check out my ‘Welcome to Birmingham’ article and it should cover everything you need to know.

An exhibition of artworks by Birmingham based graffiti artist Scribbleffiti is currently being held at the newly(ish) opened Greenhouse cafe in the Custard Factory until the 1st of May. You can say hello to the artist on the 15th March between 4:30pm and 7:30pm. Here’s a little preview:

 To find out more about the artist, visit scribbleffiti.com

Saturday 9 – Sunday 24 March 2013

A two week celebration of theatre will highlight the best of West Midlands’ creativity this March. Theatre Fever includes over 30 shows in Birmingham, the Black Country, Solihull and Coventry, including eight special commissions from some of the region’s most exciting talent.

The West Midlands has a thriving theatre scene, with many playwrights, producers and actors choosing to forge their careers in the region. Nationally, as many people watch live theatre as attend English Premiership and Football League matches combined. Theatre Fever will draw attention to this key part of the region’s economic and cultural life with a busy programme of shows by both established and emerging theatre companies.

Shows include 1984, Footloose and Lady Chatterley’s Lover as well as 8 new works specially commissioned for Theatre Fever.

Click here to see performance dates, time and venues.

Theatre Fever has been organised by Holding Space, a consortium of arts organisations who help theatre to flourish in the West Midlands. Holding Space are Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Black Country Touring, mac birmingham, Stan’s Cafe and Warwick Arts Centre.

A very happy new year to CiB readers. As I begin my first full year living in this city I am coming to the end of the first batch of Welcome to Birmingham venues that I have researched since my move. It’s taken a while to get through them due to a rather hectic last four months of the year and I haven’t wanted to sell anyone short. The venues I have visited have opened my eyes to a varied world of art and performance that a year ago I did not know existed in the Midlands. The best part about this is I know I’ve only scratched the surface of what Birmingham can offer and I will continue to unearth locations to feed my creative mind in the coming months.

A short while ago I visited Eastside Projects for the opening of ‘Abstract Possible: The Birmingham Beat’ – I’d never ventured to this part of the city before, with the exhibition space located near the Custard Factory I knew there was an art community in Digbeth but I hadn’t expected such an array of locations upon driving in. With so many converted warehouses combined with a few pubs and independent shops the area reminded me of Brick Lane in London, it has that old, industrial vibe to it.

Eastside Projects’ gallery opened in 2008 on Heath Mill Lane and has since played host to various domestic and international artists, who take advantage of the unique environment created by the large industrial space.

The gallery (interactive tour below, due to bug you may need to refresh the page) is constantly changing and designed to be responsive to the work it is exhibiting. According to the User Manual available on their website – “At the end of every exhibition at Eastside Projects we build on, recycle and upcycle its remains. In this way, each exhibition alters the space and space writes and records its own history.”

In my first visit to Eastside Projects, the space appeared to be split into three sections. The first containing large sculptures, the second an exhibition of paintings and the third a large wooden construction that is their office space.

Whilst a lot of the works on display were temporary and part of ‘Abstract Possible’, certain artworks have become more long term fixtures in the space. You’ll find these positioned at various places around the gallery and include works by Susan Collis and Martino Gamper.

Pleasure Island

One of these long term artworks is ‘Pleasure Island’ by Heather and Ivan Morison. Originally commissioned for the Wales Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2007, the structure has been modified to function as the aforementioned office that you’ll find at the back of the gallery. It is quite a bizarre sight, yet incredibly intriguing and suits its surroundings very well.

The space in general lends itself to an uninterrupted, flowing experience and really shows off the work on display nicely. With the high ceiling and large white walls it gives off a certain freedom that you don’t get in more confined galleries and has a great industrial quality that adds to its presence.

On this opening night, I was equally impressed with the number of people attending the event and found it a fantastic place for networking. There were a lot of interesting figures from the Birmingham art scene that I had been recently learning about, so to actually get to talk to individuals and share their creative mind was an enjoyable experience and enough reason to go back alone.

It’s the sense of community that Eastside seems to thrive on and is what makes it an endearing location. Be it hosting family workshops, their ESP programme or the monthly Lunch Club, in which you simply bring a packed lunch to the gallery and enjoy some time out of the office for an hour – there are some great opportunities to meet new people and delve further into the city’s art community.

One such opportunity is this Friday, 6-8pm when the gallery launches ‘M6’ by Mike Nelson, ‘Revolving Woman’ by Rachel Lowe and ‘Curiosity Killed the Cat’ by Marie Toseland and Birmingham based Andrew Lacon, and I shall be there to take it in once again.

You can find out more about Eastside Projects at eastsideprojects.org

Photographs by Stuart Whipps, courtesy Eastside Projects

Mike Nelson M6 (detail, photograph) 2013

Eastside Projects, 86 Heath Mill Lane
12 January – 9 March 2013
Preview Friday 11 January, 6-8pm (tonight!)

Eastside Projects presents M6 a new commission by Mike Nelson, one of the most significant artists working in the UK today. M6 is Nelson’s first major exhibition in his home region and continues his singular investigation of political histories through the raw materials of our world.

Within the old industrial heart of Birmingham, discarded, utilitarian objects have been collected as if they were trophies of an ignored parallel world – a dark, abject monument. M6 acts as an invocation of the highways and their concrete islands, memorialising their past production and the shifting economies of spent resources.

Nelson represented Britain at the 54th Venice Biennale in 2011 and has twice been nominated for the Turner Prize: in 2001, and again in 2007. His work The Coral Reef (2000), commissioned by Matt’s Gallery, London, was installed as part of the collection at Tate Britain, London (2010-11).

Eastside Projects’ preview nights are great for meeting people involved in Birmingham culture, so I highly recommend you venture along tonight. I shall be there. If you’d like to find out more about Eastside Projects, please take a look at my Welcome To Birmingham article or visit their website eastsideprojects.org.

I often pop in to look over the artwork and long for a day when I will be able to purchase one of the lovely pieces of work they have on the wall. I always particularly enjoy the work of Paul Horton. His work reminds me of my favourite children’s author, Oliver Jeffers, and makes me feel happy whenever I look at it. It’s artwork like this – and the general mood of the place – that makes for a pleasant venture when out and about.

Paul Horton’s Safe & Sound – Night

Recently I was invited to the John Myatt exhibit hosted by Castle Fine Art and I took great heart to learn that the Castle Galleries story began in the West Midlands. Zoe Ralph and Helen Moulton from Washington Green graciously sat down with me to discuss the history of the business and plans for the future.

In the mid 1980s Paul Green established the Halcyon Gallery in Birmingham City Centre, expanding into the ICC before moving on to London where the gallery is now based. In this time a collaboration with Glyn Washington led to the formation of Washington Green Fine Art Publishing. Washington Green specialised in developing artists by translating original works into collectable limited editions and sculpture, something that it continues to do to this day.

By hand embellishing limited edition prints of an artist’s work, the gallery is able to produce something unique to every buyer. In 2005, Washington Green acquired Castle Galleries who now distribute these works in 30 galleries across the UK.

With a goal to break down the barriers of traditional fine art retailing, the galleries are welcoming and open yet still give the viewer a good ability to focus on the artwork displayed.

Artists often contribute to their local galleries by introducing their work as an exhibition begins. You will also find some of the artists touring the galleries, sharing the stories of the work that currently hangs on the walls, so it’s always worth keeping an eye on the schedule in your area.

The John Myatt exhibit was held at the Waterhall Gallery in the BMAG, a throughly enjoyable experience and something that Castle Fine Art plans to do more often. In addition to exhibitions in public spaces, the Castle Fine Art Gallery located in the ICC hosts art fairs to launch their new collections. The Autumn launch was unfortunately timed the week I moved house so I am yet to attend one, but looking at the new work displayed (including works by Ronnie Wood) it seems a good time to visit the gallery and get a first look over the new pieces.

Also found at the ICC gallery are some more high end works, with some Dali pieces on display that last time I made the visit.

The artwork at Castle Galleries is immaculately displayed and the featured artists can be quite varied, there’s a definite style to the things I like however. Local boy Paul Horton’s work attracts me every time through the sheer joy his paintings create in me. In contrast Bob Barker’s work engages me through drama, with subtle colour splashes creating work that seems impossibly vibrant for largely monochromatic pieces.

You will find Castle Fine Art on the ground floor of the ICC, towards the canal and Castle Galleries in the Mailbox as well as other locations across the country. Visit CastleGalleries.com for more details on featured artists and galleries.

Why not visit Castle Galleries today? Artist Emma Grzonkowski will be appearing at the Mailbox gallery, her latest collection Seven Deadly Sins explores the infinite complexity of the human condition. Find out more about Emma here.

The Welcome to Birmingham articles document my first experiences of the Birmingham arts scene as I discover what the city has to offer. You can read more here.