November 4th, 2009 §
Here are a bunch of fireworks displays in and around Birmingham over the next few days. I suggest that you check the details yourself before heading out as some of the events are ticket only. Be careful with them sparklers too and although it may be fashionable to wear 80s clobber these days – please remember the danger of wearing man made fabrics, most especially ’shell suits’ around gun powder and naked flames. It may also be useful to remember the Swine Flu pandemic when bobbing for apples with strangers.
Pype Hayes Park, Birmingham / Fireworks Spectacular / Thursday 5 November
A traditional bonfire night including a spectacular fireworks display and a great fun fair. Visitors are advised not to bring their own fireworks / sparklers. More information
Tamworth Castle Grounds – Bonfire Night Celebrations / Saturday 7th November / More info
The firework show will be put together again by the award winning Dragon Fireworks who wowed the crowds last year, alongside the fireworks, the fair will be in town and there will be numerous entertainers walking around the crowd including jugglers and fire eaters as well as a treasure hunt for the kids.
Ironbridge Gorge Museums – Fireworks Night / Saturday 7th November / More info
Blists Hill Victorian Town will open its doors on the evening of Saturday 07 November for a spectacular Family Fireworks Extravaganza. Visitors will be able to enter Blists Hill at 6pm on the evening of the fireworks event to see the streets illuminated by gaslight as they would have been in the 19th century. The town’s shops, cottages and workshops will be open for visitors to enter and talk to the ‘resident’ Victorians, dressed in the costume of the day, who will answer questions about life in the late 1800s.
Kings Heath Sports Club – Fireworks Extravaganza / Sunday 8th November / More info
Gates open at 5pm at the cricket ground, located on Alcester Road South, with a fun fair, live music from Birmingham Conservatoire musicians, a licensed bar plus other refreshments and food and a variety of stalls to keep everyone occupied until the launch at 7pm.
The fireworks display is again being conducted by the West Midlands’ award-winning Jubilee Fireworks, who currently have two British titles to their name and were the first UK company to win the world championships.
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 27th, 2009 §
Green Coffee is a “physical forum” for exploration of techniques and ideas set or led by workshop participants. It is hosted by Louise Katerega, Foot in Hand’s Creative Director, and DanceXchange.
These quarterly, FREE workshops for experienced disabled and non-disabled dancers will take place in DanceXchange’s studios from 1pm – 5pm on the following dates:
• Sunday 29 November 2009
• Sunday 7 February 2010
• Sunday 16 May 2010
• Sunday 12 September 2010
To book your place, please call Louise on 07971 441 749. For more information and to read The Green Coffee Manifesto check here.
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.
September 30th, 2009 §
Music industry folks and companies from the West Midlands are invited to apply to Fused Magazine to gain a place on a UKTI (UK Trade & Investment) funded visit to SXSW Music 2010 in Austin Texas from the 17th to 21st March 2010.
SXSW Music 2010 features hundreds of musical acts from around the globe on over eighty stages in downtown Austin Texas. By day, conference registrants do business in the SXSW Trade Show at the Austin Convention Center and partake in a full agenda of informative, provocative panel discussions featuring hundreds of speakers including; Artists, music supervisors, branding executives, digital media gurus, activists, label owners, festival bookers, bloggers and publicists. Previous speakers have included that guy Tom who invented Myspace and big shots from the world of music distribution and marketing.
The aim of this trip is to take a group of companies representing music in the region in order to network, develop partner relationships, increase international trade and meet companies interested in developing opportunities and investment in the West Midlands.
Fused Magazine along with UK Trade & Investment are organising this trip which covers up to 50% of your costs, to apply please email kerry@fusedmagazine.com for an application form or you can call Kerry or David on 0121 246 1946 for more information.
