I feel a bit daft for not mentioning this earlier because it finishes tomorrow (Sunday 15 June).

Behind Closed Doors were given an area of rough ground just behind the Custard Factory and on it they’ve installed a couple of shipping containers and (in my prosaic language) done something arty.  In their (more betterer) words The Secret Garden is:

Reflecting on the regeneration of the surrounding industrial landscape, the familiar and iconic image of the shipping container has been transformed into an art object as a strategy for an encounter exploring function, transformation and fictional narrative.

Behind Closed Doors have been documenting the whole thing on their website, which features a few time-lapse videos and some of Pete Ashton’s photos.

They’re wrapping things up with a closing BBQ at 4pm and promise sun, sounds and sausages.  If you go down you’re encouraged to take a bottle.

Over the past two years the organisers of this show have visited in excess of one hundred private art collections within the Birmingham postal district. Now, almost 40 paintings, watercolours, drawings and prints have been brought together to reveal the range and variety of treasures that exist outside the realm of public galleries.

So you can marvel at works by Turner and Picasso, as well as more contemporary artists like Hockney, Rego and Parker, that are usually squirrelled away out of public view.

You never know when the next chance to see these will come around so if you’ve got a spare hour or two this weekend then why not pop down? Admission’s free, if you need any more excuse.