“Each September the British Science Festival transforms a different UK city into a vibrant celebration of science, engineering and technology. This year’s Festival will take place in Birmingham, in partnership with the University of Birmingham, from 6 – 11 September 2014.”

There are more than a few creative events that will satisfy curious minds, and here’s a pick and mix of a few events with a snapshot summary from the programme. The full programme is well worth a read through and is available here.

• A Perfect Picture. Discover basic science of modern photography. (Sat 6th 4pm-5pm)
• 21st Century Materials. Bionic people and living buildings are on the horizon! (Sat 6th 4pm-5pm)
• Things that go Pop. Flatpack’s freewheeling one-night festival to help kickstart the British Science Festival. An evening of combustible vapours, fizzy drinks and free thinking. Inspired by chemist, theologian, and all-round visionary Joseph Priestley (Sat 6th 6.30pm-10.45pm)
• How Does the Brain Cope with Modern Life. Find out how modern brain imaging can shed light on the changes to brain structure and function. (Sun 7th 11am-12pm)
• The Art of Anatomy. History of the illustrated anatomy text through time, illuminating advances in anatomical knowledge, the changing relationship between art and science, and the development of new technology (Sun 7th 2pm-3pm)
• The Future of Cities. What will your city look like in the future? What will a city look Like in 2065. (Mon 8th 4pm-5pm)
• Gauging sentiment on the social web. Many of us now express all sorts of opinions on the internet through blogs,forums and social media. All this data can be analysed to track public opinion and sentiment. How does this happen? (Tue 9th 1.30pm-2.30pm)

Details of all the events are available online at www.britishsciencefestival.org.

Booking is required, although many events are free of charge, and tickets can be booked online or by calling 08456 807 207

The summer exhibition at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery Gas Hall captures beautifully the story of inventor Rowland Emett. It starts by introducing you to the breadth of his work, showcasing his skill and enthusiasm. The display then moves on to the wonder of mechanical wizardry, including the machines he created for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Emett’s creations are detailed and full of humour. The drawings are earnest and make you smile, and the machines are the illustrations brought to life as he imagined them.

Wait a few minutes in quiet wonder for each machine to spring into life and you will definitely leave smiling whatever your age.

The Exhibition runs from 10th May 2014 – 21st September 2014

Tickets can be bought on the door or booked via the museum events page.

To find out more about Rowland Emett visit The Rowland Society.

Showing at the Electric Cinema until 15th May (this Thursday) Locke is set almost entirely inside the car of its main character Ivan Locke (played by Tom Hardy) as he travels from Birmingham to London.  It’s the perfect film to see at the Electric as you chuckle whilst he drives out of town, towards spaghetti junction and past Star City…

Written and directed by Steven Knight, the creator of Peaky Blinders, it’s not your typical blockbuster, but an engaging and cleverly thought through piece of cinema which draws you in.

At The Bench 504, owner Rob’s pursuit of quality graffiti, and the experience of travelling to paint, has led him to create a thriving business providing an exhibition space for a varied range of illustrators. It’s also enabled him to be involved in a range of projects, as well as protecting local graffiti spaces and introducing youngsters to the skill.

Now based in a Custard Factory Unit, Rob saw a gap in the market and put his savings into opening his own shop selling paints. Progressing from a few years based at a shared shop in Quinton, The Bench 504 now sits overlooking the pond at the Custard Factory, and has a colourful floor to ceiling selection of thousands of paints, which sell Europe-wide from the Birmingham location.

Graffiti artists take time to plan, practicing and sketching, often taking a sketch to the wall. Colour counts as part of the preparation. Getting good takes a lot of practice.

There are a steady stream of customers, as well as those coming to look at the latest exhibition. A customer arrives asking Rob for an order simply by naming the colour  – “I have learnt all the fruits in German and Spanish” Rob laughs, going on to explain that the main brands come from around Europe, and the range he stocks now includes seven brands as the demand grows. The paints stocked at The Bench 504 are highly specialised, some are even artisan – including Spanish brand MTM (Montana) being run by artists who couldn’t get the quality they wanted, so started mixing their own.

The exhibition space in the shop features a different illustrator every four weeks. Until Wednesday 23rd April the exhibition is ‘Off the Rails’ by mixed media artist Lucy Danielle, a Birmingham-based freelance illustrator who studied at Birmingham City University.

Rob was also involved in the future of quality graffiti, ensuring it could continue in the local area. There was a park, Bournbrook Rec, in Selly Oak from the 1980s which councillors were happy to have as a legal space for artists, until mid 2000s when that changed. The local graffiti community gathered a focussed campaign and turned around the council’s opinion of the art, and of the artists, to overturn the decision and re-open the park.

The park is now back in full and frequent use with a high quality of work. The artists know what they can or can’t paint over, as the unwritten rules and etiquette of sharing the graffiti space are self regulated, ensuring they have somewhere to develop the skills and talent to create impressive work.

Rob’s enthusiasm for the art continues, and when the sun is shining the paints fly off the shelves.

To find out more about The Bench 504 visit their website. They are also active on social media: Twitter / Facebook.

Photographs by the author, Kate Wilkins.

On 19th April the Secret Walls Live Illustration Final Battle takes place, after first rounds and semi-finals mid month. Birmingham has gained itself a reputation over recent years, winning and hosting some impressive artist battles.

The event takes place at Boxxed in Digbeth, and you can turn up and pay on the door, or buy tickets in advance through Eventbrite.

Upon entering OFF KEY Studio, you are not confronted with any skin. This place is about the drawings; the sketches, the design style, the colour rendering, examples of the artists’ work adorning the walls.

There’s an air of calm, with space to breathe and walls covered with inspiring examples of established tattoo artists. Forget intimidating – you could be forgiven for wanting to hang out there.

I learn from talking to Craig, the owner of OFF KEY Studio, all tattoos produced there are custom-made and designed by the tattooists. The evidence of designs; tracings ready to be copied, stencilled and inked, are a reassuring note that these are works awaiting a next canvas.

OFF KEY was established in 2011, at first as a clothing line working alongside other brands, tattooists and designers. Craig, a local lad, set his mind to opening the Jewellery Quarter based studio, with his belief that the skills needed for tattooing, and the tattoos themselves, are the best form of art “you keep with you”. OFF KEY Studio followed in December 2012.

The studio is tucked between Birmingham City University School of Jewellery and an industrial tool shop. A subtle A-frame and hanging sign sit outside the red door. Head upstairs to a space where light floods in through the casement windows from both sides.

They produce mainly traditional tattoos with real artistic talent. Each of the two current resident tattooists – Max (explosions of intricate colour blocking, neo-traditional) and Rob (darker, detailed black work, without colour) – have a distinct style.

OFF KEY Studio is about art, respect, reputation. It is about dedication, commitment and finding that perfect (next) tattoo. With people often travelling miles to get a tattoo by an artist they respect, Craig thinks Birmingham is as good as anywhere location-wise, as it’s more about the person and reputation than the location. With guest artists on occasion coming to OFF KEY Studio, local people also get access to an artist who could be based anywhere in the country.

Next step for the studio is finding the perfect third artist to complement the skills and styles of the current two residents. Reputation and quality paramount, Craig knows he has a challenge to find someone that can match current standards. Having been around the scene for many years, apprenticing, training, working, gaining licences and meeting the standards needed for the impeccable studio, there will need to be someone out there with the same level of dedication.

If you are thinking of collecting your next tattoo, have a look on Instagram at the styles of the two artists, get an idea of what you want, head along and talk it through.

Rob’s Instagram: robert_w_ashby_tattooer | Email  rwatattoo@hotmail.co.uk

Max’s Instagram: maxrathbone_tattooer  | Email maxrathbonetattooing@hotmail.com

Art certainly doesn’t have to hang on walls.

Photo credit: Kate Wilkins CiB

The RBSA (Royal Birmingham Society of Artists) is calling for entries for its Birmingham Today Competition. As part of a year of celebration, the subsequent exhibition aims to raise the profile of contemporary Birmingham and its artistic talent.

The exhibition seeks to celebrate Birmingham in all its aspects: topographical, cultural, sporting, culinary, political and social.

Equally there will be a great opportunity for those of us not entering, to head along to the RBSA’s Jewellery Quarter Gallery to soak up the chosen collection of  artworks inspired by the city. The exhibition will be held between 6th February and 1st March 2014.

All artists are invited to enter – for specifics and for an application pack, see the RBSA website.

Deadline for entries 29th January 2014.