March 6th, 2010 §
Underneath Eastside’s arches you’ll find a whole host of organisations making and presenting film, music, visual arts, digital media, craft, literature, and photography – and some great pubs and cafes too. We Are Eastside is a guide to some of these hidden treasures.
We are Eastside is made up of;
7 INCH CINEMA – BIRMINGHAM JAZZ – CAPSULE – CRAFTSPACE – THE CUSTARD FACTORY – EASTSIDE PROJECTS – GRAND UNION – IKON EASTSIDE – PROJECT PIGEON (Photo featured above) – PUNCH – RHUBARB RHUBARB – THE EDGE – TINDAL STREET PRESS – THE LOMBARD METHOD – VIVID – VRU
A couple of exciting developments in the We are Eastside camp in Digbeth, Birmingham is the addition of a new photographic gallery space called Rhubarb East Gallery situated in the Rhubarb Building and a performance by Japanese artist Atsuhiro Ito.
Vivid and Capsule are combining forces to present Atsuhiro Ito. Atsuhiro uses a fluorescent light with pick up mics attached, and alters the voltage applied to tubes causing the lights to flicker. Microphones pick up electromagnetic noise perfectly synchronised with the flickering lights in a light/noise/electric eye festival at only a fiver it is well worth a look next week on Wednesday 10th March 2010, more information can be found here.
January 13th, 2010 §
The project is aimed at diverse young people aged 16 -19 from inner city Birmingham (some of whom are not in education, employment and training) but who have some interest/ability in the arts. The project will focus on ideas of guerrilla craft, DIY Craft and Craftivism – with a view to developing a young people led craft collective which will then organise a series of interventions throughout the city.
More info here.
January 2nd, 2010 §
Had a little heads up from my glamorous pal Alex about this Birmingham based fashion blog. Betty Who? aka Isabel Beresford makes gorgeous bespoke dresses – you could call it Kings Heath Couture. Gorgeous. Peep here.
I design each dress to be totally unique – I never make the same dress twice. betty who? dresses are made with love and care and I hope you like them! If you see something you like but its not in your size I will always do my best to create something similar for you, made to fit! x x x
December 17th, 2009 §
Here is a collection of alternative Christmas gifts available from creative folks in and around Birmingham. Firstly a Christmas type mix of records from me. Feel free to wang this mix on whilst wrapping your presents or mulling your pies… enjoy!
At the top of the page we have the infamous Spinwell Bobble Beanie – which had almost sold out from this Birmingham based cycle blog, before the delivery had even arrived. Thankfully some are still available and now in stock ready for Christmas, very reasonably priced at £15 a pop. You will look hot when you are cold.
Spinwell Projects No.1 will be the Spinwell Bobble Beanie. Limited to 30 pieces and available in two colour options – Red/Grey/White and Grey/Red/White ( unfortunately not the colour pictured, this is my special sample! ).
Current State is the work of Birmingham based designer and illustrator Jane Anderson. Current State do lovely bold prints and are often feature in Fused Magazine. You can purchase postcards and Eco bags from Studio 4 Gallery aka The Framers along with a whole bunch of other stylish prints, postcards, bags and stickers from other artists and designers. Picture of Current State’s Eco Bag below - online shop and information here.
Mouldy Loaf is an independent company and brand which stocks the best in men’s and women’s wares. We have created an innovative and alternative brand which provides a great change to mainstream, high street fashion.
I say amen to that! Mouldy Loaf also run We Create* in Oasis Market. To go peep their wares just head down to the Custard Factory or look online here.
From mouldy bread to tasty and mouldy (if you so please) cheese! I love cheese and I love this shop! Newly opened in Kings Heath with a tasty collection of cheese, deli goodies and chutneys.
Capeling and Co is a specialist cheese shop and delicatessen on York Road, Kings Heath. We sell a large range of artisan cheeses, charcuterie, olives, antipasti, chutneys, vinegars, oils and lots more!
You can find out more here and become a fan on facebook. Support your local independent cheese retailer!
Merry Christmas!
Best Believe xx
November 2nd, 2009 §
Grand Union is a new artist-led initiative that supports the development of artists and curators within Birmingham. It aims to establish and nurture dialogue between contemporary visual artists and facilitate links between local, national and international art organisations.
On Friday 6th November at Fazeley Studios in Digbeths, Grand Union will host an artists’ publishing fair (12pm – 9pm), including stall holders such as Via Vaudeville, Ellie Harrison, Milk Two Sugars, Public Works, BAZ, Serena Korda, Caitlin Griffiths, Pest Publications, 4hb, [insertspace], Leisure Centre and a performance by The Artists’ Association of Autonomous Book Arts & Magazines (A.A.A.B.A.M.).
A.A.A.B.A.M. representative Calum F. Kerr will present A.A.A.B.A.M. RESTORED: That Was 2004. This Is Now. He’ll be wearing The Book Coat, a portable garment containing over 50 individual artist books.
Performance times Friday 6th November, 2-5pm and 6-9pm.
For more info check here.
Grand Union will celebrate their opening with a new publication, with contributions from group members Helen Brown, Ian England, Mark Essen, Cheryl Jones, Karin Kihlberg & Reuben Henry, Charlie Levine, Alex Lockett, David Miller, Harminder Singh Judge, Joanna Spencer, Matt Westbrook, and Stuart Whipps.
The publication will be available at Grand Union, alongside a reading room full of artists’ books’ and independent publishing.
Grand Union is a not-for-profit organisation supported by the Arts Council and Birmingham City Council.
October 23rd, 2009 §
Flip is an eclectic mix of all things animation. Based in the heart of the Midlands the festival provides a wide range of experiences from educational workshops for young people to experimental animation for grown ups; from industry led panels to feature film screenings and from international showcases and retrospectives of short films to spotlights on animation studios.
Flip is on from the 5th-7th November, with the whole programme available to peep online here including details of the Flip Animation challenge…
This year the festival has become a bit more hands on giving people the opportunity to write scripts and make films. Here’s the challenge: on the 5th November, Flip will host a one day scriptwriting for animation workshop leading each participant to produce a 60 second script. These scripts will be posted to the Vimeo group at the end of the day and passed onto animators in residence at the festival. You will have a day and a bit to turn a script into a film, the deadline for posting your films on Vimeo will be 12noon, 7 November. They will then be screened later that afternoon.
October 22nd, 2009 §
This is the work of Robert Bradford he will be exhibiting his recycled toy sculptures at Royal Academy in London from the 1st December.
He creates his life-size and larger-than-life sculptures of humans and animals from discarded plastic items, mainly toys but also other colourful plastic bits and pieces, such as combs and buttons, brushes and parts of clothes pegs.
In 2002, he started to consider the possibilities that his children’s forgotten toys could have as part of something bigger. Bradford says he likes the idea that the plastic pieces have a history, some unknown past, and that they also pass on a “cultural” history as each of the pieces represents a point in time. Recycling is not his primary concern, but each sculpture certainly keeps quite a few pieces from becoming landfill. Some of the sculptures contain pieces from up to 3,000 toys and sell for £12,000. First seen at The Cool Hunter.
October 15th, 2009 §
Naz Koser is the Artistic Director of Ulfah Arts based in Birmingham. She has kindly written this post for Best Believe giving an insight into her recent month long trip to the states on a programme for arts workers entitled ‘Promoting tolerance through Arts in the USA’.
Very few journeys in a person’s life leave an ever-lasting mark on one’s memory. I’ve just been on one and even though I enjoy coming back home after long travels, the emotions are much more mixed this time. My name is Naz Koser and I’m the Founding Director of Ulfah Arts a social enterprise based in Birmingham but working internationally developing artists and arts practices by engaging communities that don’t engage with the arts.
The journey in question is my recent trip to the Unites states of America as a part of an international programme – Promoting Tolerance Through Arts organized by United States department of State.
This three week program included meeting leaders of major art institutions, community arts organisation, museums and independent artists in Washington, New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Texas and Los Angeles Starting in Washington on the East coast and finishing in Los Angeles on the West Coast, my journey lasted almost a month but felt like a lifetime of learning.
I was part of a 20 member strong contingent made up of other arts professionals , each representing a different country . There is no arts council in USA and no public funding so all arts organisations’ have to find other ways of existing and doing their work. There was one good practice/excellence I saw in each city however majority of the time I ended up sharing my work based in Birmingham and received recognition for the contribution I am making. New York based City of Peace project developed a youth theatre production with young kids from foster care, giving an insight as to why some children end up in care. It was one of the best youth productions I have seen, with a quality and humorous script, and having seen a Broadway show the day before I recognised some of the formula used and the potential of this work. This stirred the ongoing debate in mind around how to close the gap between community/professional arts.
I’m convinced there are ways in which both the need for quality of art achieved through arts for arts sake and social change using arts as a tool can combine to have really powerful impacts on the various levels and audiences. This is one of the driving forces behind my work in bringing different groups of people, perspectives together. Just thinking about this makes me so excited and almost being in the USA made it feel so easy and achievable. Having come back to Birmingham I’ve realized that power and influence are also things needed to really help arts make an impact. It requires a degree of working outside of my comfort zone in building a profile and associating myself with people who have power and influence who may not necessary know about the power of the arts. It’s a conflict because I personally want my work to speak for itself rather than me talking about what I’m going to do. I do it and it speaks.
For the first time I’m thinking about place and whether there is a place that is more conducive for people like me. Where a city supports great ideas without compromising the artist, a place where exploration is appreciated and valued as even in the arts their are conventions and conforms that restricts creativity and it becomes exclusive. The LA Gallery walk is one of my favorite memories. Artists are invited to showcase their work in empty shop windows, other unusual spaces as well as restaurants and shops, everything from performances to visual artists in the process of making work. The atmosphere was inspiring and as an artist contagious! It really felt like a city encouraging ideas and creativity. There were thousands of audiences walking around the rough streets of LA. A bit like Birmingham’s arts fest but less corporate and more rooted from an organic growth.
October 13th, 2009 §
Who am I? And What am I (Best Believe) on about?…here is what I came up with..
CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development. The term is said to have been coined by Richard Gardner, who was in charge of professional development for the building professions at York University in the mid-1970s. It was chosen because it did not differentiate between learning from courses, and learning ‘on the job’. CPD embraces the idea that individuals aim for continuous improvement in their professional skills and knowledge, beyond the basic training initially required to carry out the job.
CPD has never been more necessary than for those of us who work within the cultural and creative industries. For the purpose of Best Believe I would like to call it Continuous Creative Professional Development. CCPD can take on many forms; from seeing work, to attending seminars or workshops, to social networking, to going out, to reading a book/blog/magazine or to finding out about other creative types and their work. CCPD is as unique and bespoke as you are, an activity that makes you feel more informed or that gets your creative juices flowing.
Best Believe strives to reflect the interests of the hugely diverse creative community in Birmingham by highlighting the most exciting and valuable opportunities, news and events that are going on. Endorsing independent arts, culture and creativity in the city.
Author
My name is Amy Martin and I am a freelance creative consultant, project manager & event coordinator. I also am a DJ and promoter for Mama Feel Good! In 2004 I graduated from City University in London with a Post Graduate Diploma in Cultural Management. I studied all aspects of Arts Management including Cultural Policy & Framework, Finance & Fundraising, Arts Management, Arts Marketing and Education in the Arts.
I have a working knowledge of current cultural and creative trends in arts education and have worked within the creative sector, specifically in theatre and dance development roles for a number of years. This year as a freelance project manager I have coordinated, facilitated and managed creative projects & events for BBC Blast, Find Your Talent, Centre for Advanced Training, Sampad, Breakin’ Convention, DanceXchange, Birmingham Hippodrome, Bass Festival, Arts Award, Stan’s Cafe, Cultural Olympiad and Birmingham City Council’s Arts Education team. I am currently training as a life coach to individuals and small businesses in the creative industries and working with Bright Space as a Creative Agent.
From this blog you will get a flavour of what I am into but in short it is collecting Soul/Funk/Latin/Roots records & black music (pre 1995), fashion, design, what some might call ‘youth culture’, food, blogging, knitting, carboot sales, creativity and I would give away all my toes to own an original Miss Van.
If you have anything that you would like me to feature please holler via the comments box. You can also follow me on twitter at either Sister45 or Bestbelievebrum if that kind of thing tickles your social networking fancy.
October 12th, 2009 §
Once again we can stay in doors but feel like we still have our fingers on the creative pulse of Birmingham. Thank god.
