Two of Birmingham’s most committed journaleers and artists of human experience—a bi-polar working class warrior with a romantic streak you could drown a fascist in, and a cheerful nihilist in love with his own legend—are willing to take on the challenge. The challenge of visiting every one of England and Wales’s 56 surviving pleasure piers in two weeks, because two weeks is as long as it’s possible to get off work.

Chuck them a few quid here then check out the Pier Review site.

The first of what might become a regular thing, Knowing Me, Knowing You was fun last week. As part of Capsule’s longest birthday party… ever, we got together and invited a bunch of interesting people along to introduce themselves and say (for the sake of getting a conversation going) what they might do if they were to get their hands on VIVID for a little while.

The kind participants were:

• Dan Davies
• Ben Waddington
• Fin & Ken from a new (currently nameless) housing co-op
• Sara from Needles and Hooks
• Mark Murphy from Surely?
• Stuart and Ben from First Fold Records (who’ve blogged about it)
• Sarah from Heat and Light
• James Yarker from Stan’s Cafe (well, I read out his submission)
• One of Eagle and Feather from Kipple
• Ben Javens

All ably compered by Jon Bounds with half-time entertainment provided by Charlie Pinder‘s cake orchestra.

Truth be told, we weren’t sure what people would come back with or what sort of direction the evening might take. As it turned out, ideas included:

• Social spaces
• Turning the place into a massive ball pool/packing it floor to ceiling with jelly
• Setting up a swapshop
• Using it as a place for realising unfinished ideas
• Creating an edgeless, white room and projecting images through hung pieces of perspex
• Kipple Live
• Artist talks

And some other things that escape me just at the moment. To be honest, the suggestions themselves weren’t the most crucial part of the evening. The point was really to get people out, meeting each other and sharing thoughts and ideas. As far as that goes I think the evening was a success.

Capsule have written up the event here with lots of lovely photos. Thanks to them, to everyone who took part and to those who came along to watch.