Do you like to push your writing to the extreme? Well next Saturday at Grand Union you will have the chance to push your pen wielding fingers to their very extreme with a 12 hour, all night writing extravaganza.

‘Part 12-hour exam, part club night, part endurance writing event’, the organisers BAZ and Hooky Street Press welcome all those who cross the path of the location to take part and give their unique responses to the proposed subjects. A little more info:

Grand Union are currently looking for a new studio holder, Download the PDF for details of how to apply. studio@grand-union.org.uk. DEADLINE 29th August 2012.

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery in partnership with The Barber Institute of Fine Arts and Grand Union, Birmingham is organising a high profile selected exhibition as well as offering five bursaries for recent visual arts graduates from the five regionally-based university art schools. The aim of the exhibition and bursaries is to profile the best, critically-engaged work emerging from the university art schools in the West Midlands since 2010 and offer new visual arts graduates a high quality professional development opportunity.

Click this here link for more info.

Getting to wander around Curzon Street Station (although there’s some good stuff in there, I have to admit I was excited enough about the building itself), finally making it over to The Lombard Method, Simon Faithfull’s window piece at Grand Union, meeting the guys behind BAZ (and Athletico Tortured Artists), Crowd 6‘s exhibition and all sorts of other bits and pieces.

Not that it was all my cup of tea, necessarily, but then that’s all part of the fun too. Charlie Levine’s written a post of her own about what’s going on – she’s got pictures.

The Event is on until 30 October. If you don’t know your way round (and even if you do) it’s worth joining one of the guided tours.

The last one was good. Lots to see and lots to do, so go discover on The Event website. Or read on for some blurb:

Birmingham Contemporary Art Forum is delighted to announce it will be hosting The Event’s third bi-annual visual art festival from 21 – 30 October 2011 from their galleries, studio spaces and empty buildings in various locations in and around Eastside, Birmingham’s creative quarter in Digbeth.

Groups presenting works in The Event 2011 are: AAS, An Endless Supply, Companis, Crowd 6, Eastside Projects, Grand Union, The Lombard Method, SLICE and TROVE.

SEARCH ENGINE

Starting next Monday is Grand Union‘s six-week open residency programme, which will run from 21 March – 30 April 2011. Three artist groups have been invited to work in the project space for two weeks each, starting with Manu Luksch & Mukul Patel.

MANU LUKSCH & MUKUL PATEL, Kayak Libre <<free thinking, free transport>>

Thursday 24 March, 6-9 pm: Opening
Artists’ talk at Grand Union, 6.30 pm
Screening of shorts by Manu Luksch at VIVID , 9 pm

Thursday 24 Mar – Sunday 27 March:
WATER TAXI available to book from 19 March.
For booking please contact info@grand-union.org.uk

Saturday 2 April, 12-2 pm: Final open workshop

Behna (Sisters)

This unique and intimate theatre production by Kali Theatre will be performed in the kitchens of Punjabi households across the Black Country from 22 March to 15 April.

It’s the day before a wedding, Ladies’ Sangeet Night, in a Punjabi household. The bride is having her henna done and the guests are busy eating, singing and dancing. But in the kitchen, sibling jealousy simmers alongside the samosas.  Fast-paced, funny and moving, Behna takes a look through the keyhole of a family house to reveal the secrets and lies of two generations of sisters.

For more information and to book tickets, visit The Public’s website.

One, Nineteen

One, Nineteen from local ‘Archers’ writer, Tim Stimpson, is on at The Old Joint Stock Theatre on 18 & 19 March.

19th January: Freak storms bring devastating floods to the English coast, but before the rescue effort arrives, the media are already in town spinning their story. A play about the power of the news, the strength of the government, the question of climate change, and of course, and the search for Sam, Jack and little Chloe…

After premiering in London, it was given a 4 star review from Time Out, so it’s probably worth a watch.

For more info and how to book tickets, visit The Old Joint Stock’s website.

LUNÄ Talks

Ikon and the Lunar Society present this series of evening talks revisiting themes discussed by the original 18th century Lunar Society within a contemporary context.

The next talk is happening on Wednesday 23 March, from 7 – 9pm and focuses on Education. The panel of speakers looks a bit like this:

Felicity Allen: Artist, writer, educator. Former Head of Learning, Tate Britain (2003-10). www.felicityallen.co.uk

Nancy Evans: Education Manager Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, freelance musician and trainer working in early years education

Colin Gale: Head of School of Fashion and Textiles and Course Director for MA Textiles, Fashion & Surface Design, Birmingham Institute of Art and Design

Kate Iles: PhD student, University of Birmingham; Constructing the 18th Century woman; The life and education of Sabrina Sidney

For more information on the future talks, entitled ‘Urban design and regeneration’ and ‘Medicine and science’, visit Ikon’s website.

Tickets cost £10 (£8 concessions), to book call Ikon Shop on 0121 248 0711.

In the last of Grand Union‘s Live Acts and Sound programme, artist duos chris+keir and Melville Mitchell will present an evening of live, alternating performance challenges on Fri 25 February.

The duos both use ‘forced performance’ as a working method, meaning their performances go off structures, tasks, systems, rules, formulas and instructions.

‘What performs? Air fresheners, roofing insulation, bicycles, carpets and rugs, powerboats, wallcoverings, drain panels, cleansing towels, car-stereo equipment, bakeware, aquarium filters, tires, fabric, window film, woodworking knives, automotive timing chains, foil containers, audio antennae, deep fat fryers, embossing tools, mop handles, music synthesizers, casement windows’

– Jon Mckenzie, Perform Or Else (2001)

Through a combination of classic performance work, formulaic jokes and wooden contraptions, chris+keir will be searching for a punchline to ‘What is the difference between Bruce Nauman’s Walking in an Exaggerated Manner Around the Perimeter of a Square and Monty Python’s The Ministry of Silly Walks?‘

Melville Mitchel on the other hand, will be utilising the paraphernalia of British drinking culture, by undertaking a series of formidable tasks which place them in both conflict and coalition, together with a set of complex rules encouraging a unified thirst toward a common goal.

Doors open at 7.30pm, performance starts at 8pm

Over the next month, Grand Union have a programme of Live Acts and Sound lined up, which kicks off this Friday, 4 Feb, with performance artist Tom Marshman.

He’ll be performing ‘The Passion of the Pole’, a controversial piece which confronts taboos of mental disorders and religion.

Clinging to a dancing pole, a sentimental character exposes itself to you, with layers of issues, a crude honesty, and a wincing humour. The pole becomes a crucifix: a site for Tom to expose and execute his anxieties.

Doors open at 7.30pm, starting at 8pm and its free admission.

Codify is a free event taking place at Grand Union on Friday 10 December, presented by My Imaginary Friend.

Musicians and artists based in Birmingham will be putting on this special performance, featuring live adjusted sound and video, guitar, bass, drums, trumpet, sax & ableton.

Doors open at 7.30pm, and the performance starts at 8pm.