Best Believe ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

This is Tavi Williams of the infamous Style Rookie blog and she is only 13.

From her blog:

13 year old garden gnome with the brain of a wind-up monkey, posture of a crotchety old hag, and tact of Larry David. I enjoy vulgar thoughts, rapping about Rei Kawakubo, and reenacting scenes from the Lion King with 10-month-old babies. I am not cute.

I am currently in the middle of researching youth bloggers for a project at Bright Space and am pleased to see the sheer volume of young people who recognise that blogging is a fantastic way of getting their voices and opinions heard. Tavi is a great example of this and her blog is well worth a subscribe. If you are a blogger or read any blogs written by young folks please get in touch via the comments box I would love to hear more…

6 February – 23 May / Waterhall Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery

Since the mid-1960s Bridget Riley has been celebrated for her distinctive, optically vibrant paintings that actively engage the viewer’s sensations and perceptions.

The exhibition is a first in a new series of solo artist’s exhibitions from the Arts Council Collection; it includes the iconic Movement in Squares (1962), which Riley credits as the beginning of her breakthrough into abstraction.

The exhibition also includes paintings and over 30 works on paper from the artist’s own collection that have never been exhibited before.

A Hayward Touring Exhibition from Southbank Centre

Admission Free

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.

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

Lindy Hop, also known as Jitterbug, is the authentic Afro-Euro-American Swing dance. It is an unabashedly joyful dance, with a solid, flowing style that closely reflects its music — from the late 20’s hot Jazz to the early 40’s Big Bands. Just as Jazz combines European and African musical origins, Lindy Hop draws on African and European dance traditions. The embracing hold, and the turns from Europe, the breakaway and solid, earthy body posture from Africa. The dance evolved along with the new swing music, based on earlier social dances such as the Charleston and the Black Bottom.

As a marital aid or just for fun you can now take Lindy Hop/Swing dance lessons in Birmingham, every Tuesday from 7-11pm at King’s Heath Cricket Club.

- Lindy Hop lesson at 7:30pm
- Lindy Hop/Swing dance to 11pm.

Come by yourself or bring a partner. Everyone of all ages is welcome. For full details peep here.

Pioneering typographer, sleeve designer and artist Swifty will be setting up shop at the Sauce Gallery in Birmingham’s Custard Factory from Saturday 12th December. Everything from originals and one off prints to T-shirts, skateboards and stickers will be for sale in The Swifty Pop Shop.

The Pop Shop, which is being brought to Birmingham by Sauce Gallery and Punch Records, will feature Swifty’s Newsagents installation. This life size shop front was partly inspired by Peter Blake’s ‘Toy Shop’ and the artist’s fond memories of a local village newsagent in Lancashire. The Shop will also be home to the A-Z of Swifty Show, including pieces based around everything from Action Man to Zebedee from the Magic Roundabout.

The Pop Shop is the latest branch of Swifty’s expansive career. Having studied design at Manchester Polytechnic, at the age of 21 he trained under Neville Brody at The Face magazine. His work at The Face and later led him to be recognised as one of the top new talents in the specialist world of typography.

In 1989 he joined the team at Straight No Chaser, a publication aimed at the jazz, jive and soul community. As art editor he drove the creative style that went on to embody the magazine as a whole. At the same time he established his own font company, Swifty Typograpfix, and spread himself between the magazine and producing fonts, record sleeves, club flyer designs and many other sidelines. Swifty dominated the scene, being the designer of choice for nearly every acid jazz label.

Punch Director Ammo Talwar said:

“Swifty is a design legend whose work cuts across all typography boundaries. Bringing the Pop Shop to Birmingham is a real scoop for the city, and will give visitors a rare opportunity to see many of Swifty’s personal projects first hand.”

The Pop Shop will be open to the public at the Sauce Gallery, 5 The Custard Factory, Gibb Street, Digbeth from 11th December to 10th January 2009. For more information visit www.punch-records.co.uk

Inclusion Inspires – music making a difference a free conference delivered by MusicLeader West Midlands, Youth Music and Symphony Hall on Monday 16th November.

For teachers and musicians leading music with young people who have special needs, physical and learning disabilities.

Learn about the best techniques and technologies, share skills and stories and try out the Patrick Music and Multimedia Studio and its equipment. For anyone working with music in school, mainstream or special, youth clubs, health settings, support groups.

This event is free to attend.

For further information contact 0121 236 7978 or west-midlands@musicleader.net

Visit this site for more information… 

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.

We all know that the first rule of fight club is don’t talk about fight club but nobody said a girl can’t blog about it. Birmingham’s answer to fight club uses pens and poscas rather than bare knuckles and fists, but is just as underground and sometimes just as moody.

Secret Wars has been a revelation – A cultural movement that is spreading across the globe! Started in March 06’ (By Monorex kingpin, Terry Guy in London UK) as a testing ground for artists to show the public what they can do. The idea quickly evolved into a knockout cup style contest that now attracts huge crowds of people anywhere it is held.
Seeds, Slobz and Keefy run and maintain the Birmingham rounds.

Secret Wars is the world’s premier live art battle, and in Birmingham…. things get very live.. Illustrator vs graf writer vs comic book writer vs street artist vs toy maker vs animator vs graphic designer etc etc etc …

This dissident group of artists meet regularly at The Rainbow to battle one and other, the rules are simple:

- 90 MINS ON THE CLOCK
- BLACK PAINT ONLY – ON WHITE WALLS!
- NO SKETCHES / NO PENCILS
- INVISIBLE MIDDLE LINE WITH AN ARTIST EITHER SIDE

JUDGED USING A 3 POINT SYSTEM – 2 GUEST JUDGES AND A CROWD VOTE (USING A DECIBEL READER)

GO BIG OR GO HOME!

Much like the 1984 comic Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars the key players from the scene, both evil and good get summoned to the planet “battleworld” in a distant galaxy (The Rainbow in our case) to duel to the death. I wouldn’t like to speculate on who the heroes and their opposing villains are in the Secret Wars Birmingham series but just like in the comics, world domination is getting to look quite attractive. The boys in charge have decided to put together a crack team of artists that can compete in battles throughout the UK and Europe.

Representing our city will be a squad of 5 artists, made up of previous winners Phill Blake and Newso with all round heavy weights in the field of graffiti illustration; Chu & Agent.

With four already in the crew the hunt is on to find the 5^th member, this place will be given to the overall winner of the mini series that kicks off at The Rainbow on Sunday 4th October at 4pm, then on every Sunday through October and November. The official draw was pulled on the Secret Wars radio show on Rhubarb Radio and is as follows: AS-ONE / MIKEY BRAINS / POSH-ONE / ROO / SOL1R / SYLPH / TITLE / TX

For all the info on round one check the facebook page …Let the battle commence!