Creative Times are doing a series of events around the country, with the first being a panel discussion at Fazeley Studios on Wednesday November 30 from 6.30-8pm. It’s titled ‘The Beauty of Digital: New technologies, old aesthetics and where the two meet‘.

Tickets are FREE and available here.

Here’s the info:

A panel of four, chaired by Creative Times editor Chris Sharratt, will share their own experience of the creative interplay between old and new, followed by an audience Q&A and a chance to chat in the bar afterwards.

The panel for the night is:

Pete Ashton, Blogger, photographer, ‘webmonkey’ and trainer (peteashton.com/)
Chris Unitt, Head of Social Media, Made Media Ltd (mademedia.co.uk)
The Brothers McLeod, BAFTA-nominated animators (brothersmcleod.co.uk/)

The event is supported by Hello Culture.

Pete’s making a few appearances this month, and I’m speaking at a bunch of things too. Say hi if you come along.

I have the opportunity to start a new space where creatives can have a permanent base whilst having the opportunity to work with other like minded people. I’d like to tell you about it and see if you might be interested!

The space is in Fazeley Studios in Digbeth. There’s more information here and, if you’re interested, you should drop him an email on andycharrington@gmail.com.

He’s also got some ideas about collaborative efforts between the people in that space, which might be interesting – more co-op than coworking.

There’s information about the event here although the highlight of the evening will be:

a panel debate with some high-profile industry figures including; Chris Deering, former President of Sony Entertainment Europe, Kim Blake, Education Liason Manager of Blitz Games, Leigh Thomas, CEO of First Light and Mike Nutley, former Editor and Chief of New Media Age. The topic will be Nurturing the Digital Talent of the Future.

If you’re quick you might still be able to register here. Otherwise I’ll be liveblogging from 6pm and you can follow along with that here:

• Animation Explosion 2011
• Creative Enterprise Conference
• The Online Mainline

There’s also a set of Creative Metropoles Case Studies which looks interesting (if you like that sort of thing) and features a range of European projects, including the Advantage Creative Fund, Custard Factory and Fazeley Studios office spaces, the PLOT Project and Brilliantly Birmingham from our own fair city.

Meanwhile, the other day, D’log posted about some notes about some other articles including some mentions of Birmingham in a paper called “Enabling and Inhibiting the Creative Economy: The Role of the Local and Regional Dimensions in England“.

The large exhibition space at the heart of Digbeth, has provided the perfect setting for large-scale work, video and events over the past few years. It’s hosted work by internationally recognised artists, including Andy Warhol, Damián Ortega, Józef Robakowski and Siobhan Davies Dance.

Rites of Spring, a three day music festival featuring Turner Prize winner Martin Creed, Modified Toy Orchestra and Epic45 will be the last event held at Ikon Eastside, from 7 – 9 April.

We are extremely saddened to be losing Ikon Eastside, but our commitment to bringing internationally recognised art to the city is unwavering. Looking to the future, our goal remains to create a permanent museum of contemporary art for Birmingham.

– Jonathan Watkins, Ikon Director

It’s not all sad news though, since Ikon are intending to keep up their involvement with the Eastside district, focusing instead on site-specific events and promoting cultural regeneration through their membership of the Eastside Contemporary Art Consortium. Their current study into the feasibility of this permanent museum, (‘Ikon Two’) also remains unaffected.

Fazeley Studios might host some fine digital media companies, Ikon Eastside and our own fair office but there’s still some work to be done apparently. That or the guy’s a numpty.

There’s a shindig happening at Fazeley Studios on Friday 29 October. Tickets are free and available here.

Invisible City – Media Circus from Created in Birmingham on Vimeo.

Incidentally, we’re out of their now, so if you’re interested in leasing it the details are on the sign there.

First up, he’s resurrecting the social media surgeries that he used to run out of Rootys a couple of years ago. £20 will buy you half an hour to pick his brains, which should give you plenty of time to learn a shedload about how the Internet works and how it can work for you (especially, but not only, if you’re on the artsy/creative side of things). There’s some more info about these surgeries here.

To book a session with him, click this link and follow the instructions. Dates are:

• 13 July – MAC cafe
• 14 July – Fazeley Studios
• 15 July – Urban Coffee Co

He’s also doing one of the ‘These are a few of my favourite things’ talks at the Ikon on 11 August.

That’s me (on the right) working the mulled wine stall on Saturday at the Kings Heath Big Party.  A huge thanks to everyone who came down and bought a cup of something warm.

In fact, a fair few thanks are in order:

• Kings Heath Centre Partnership for having (and supporting) us
• Sarah Allen for her ever-impressive organisational skills
• Vivid and Fazeley Studios for lending tea urns
• Joanna Geary (co-stall runner) for services beyond the call of duty
• Emma Hardicker, Jo Ruth and Ginger Peach for being nice stall-neighbours (and for excellent cakes from the latter)

I’ll soon be putting up some info about the next project that’ll see CiB getting out and about in the world. I’d best write some posts about other folks first though.