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Pre-planning application ’consultation’ on Paradise...

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:54:46 +0000

Pre-planning application ’consultation’ on Paradise Circus

(via Paradise Circus)

Birmingham music in the 60s… Untold Stories Part 1 (by...

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:54:47 +0000

Birmingham music in the 60s… Untold Stories Part 1

(by BMHMusic)

A short film of photos taken around/under Birmingham Central...

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 13:18:14 +0100

A short film of photos taken around/under Birmingham Central Library - brutal sound (by eightbaII1955)

Nirvana - Lithium - Birmingham Hummingbird 1991 (by...

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 22:48:16 +0100

Nirvana - Lithium - Birmingham Hummingbird 1991 (by Curmodgeon)

‘Ain’t no revolution without women’ graffiti...

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 19:57:55 +0100

‘Ain’t no revolution without women’ graffiti spotted on Birmingham Horsefair

Radio Birmingham audio slideshow This audio slideshow was...

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 21:14:40 +0100

Radio Birmingham audio slideshow

This audio slideshow was produced by Pete Simpkin, and used when he gave talks about the work of Radio Birmingham in the 1970s. It dates from the time when Pete presented the Breakfast programme, and illustrates the daily routine of the Station, which was based at BBC Pebble Mill. (via Radio Birmingham audio slideshow – Pete Simpkin | What Was Pebble Mill?)

The Boat That OxjamBrum Rocked OxjamBrum is gaining quite a...

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 14:59:27 +0100

The Boat That OxjamBrum Rocked

OxjamBrum is gaining quite a reputation for gigs with a difference. Remember the bus? Well this year we are going one better – an evening of music and entertainment on a barge. Come and join us as we navigate Brum’s canals starting at the mooring opposite the Canalside Café and travelling along Birmingham’s waterways. We will be making stops and collecting artists along the way. Tickets are £15 which includes a pre-sail BBQ. Starting at 5pm and finishing back in Brum city centre at 9pm. (via The Boat That OxjamBrum Rocked! | OxjamBrum 2011 )

Keep calm & candy on “Staff at CyberCandy in good...

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:15:40 +0100

Keep calm & candy on

“Staff at CyberCandy in good spirits, love what they’ve painted on the boards from #BirminghamRiots aftermath” /via @lauracreaven

(via http://yfrog.com/h0tw0smoj)

Freecode Hexagon, Hexagon Theatre, MAC 19th Aug 7pm Realtime,...

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 17:06:43 +0100

Freecode Hexagon, Hexagon Theatre, MAC 19th Aug 7pm

Realtime, generative Audio Visual performance presented in the MAC’s best kept secret - a gem of 1960s architecture - the HEXAGON theatre, originally the Cannon Hill Puppet Theatre. Featuring stunning work from the most experienced and freshest face, alike:
SCREE are DJ Sir Real (www.myspace.com/djsirreal) from the House of God and VJ Catweasel (www.colour-burst.com) who does visuals for artists like Stevie Wonder.
Modulate (www.modulate.org.uk/) are an AV collective who grew out of electronic ambient pioneers Higher Intelligence Agency.
FREECODE are an AV collective of tweakers featuring:
Chromatouch (www.chromatouch.wordpress.com),
Minuek (www.myspace.com/minuek),
Laternist (www.laternist.posterous.com)
Hellocatfood (www.hellocatfood.com)

Node based programming artists have risen to the fore over the last few years as graphical programming becomes more accesible and capable of harnessing computer functions more easily. Support networks like ‘hackspaces’ and festivals like the Maker Faire mean that girls and boys alike have been sharing knowledge and indeed creating their own canon in digital art. The upshot of this tweakery is that people can make the most unique of digital creations from a fundamental level, no longer limited to what a piece of software has in it’s palette of filters and effects, you can now make your own software patches fairly simply…

On a Friday night in August at the Midland Arts Centre, the Midlands finest node artists will be generating music and graphics live for your entertainment. The most wonderful Hexagon Theatre, situated next to the Bridges café bar, and there will be breaks between artists to refresh.

Showcasing at the Pixel Visions evening at this year’s Flatpack Festival, Scree are Chris Plant & Neil Spragg. Chris, aka VJ Catweasel has been showing visuals in Birmingham since the late 80s when he used to use 16mm projectors (and occasionally still does). He has had his work used as backdrops for TV shows like Top of the Pops, X Factor and for touring artists as big as Stevie Wonder… Neil, aka DJ Sir Real one of the founding members of Birmingham’s (and one of the UK’s) longest running techno night, the House of God, writes arcade machine tunes, drums in plasmic rock band, Omnia Opera, owns his own record label and DJs every Thursday night well into the wee hours with his Mouth of God radio show on www.musicworldradio.com, essential listening…

Modulate are a collective who formed in 2001 though a shared interest in electronic music, abstract art, and the work of early sonic visualists. In between working individually as musicians, film makers, graphic designers and sound installation artists, they enjoy coming together sporadically to create audio visual artworks and realtime live AV performances, as well as to produce and curate events.
Working on a pared down ‘less is more’ aesthetic, their works are finely honed, slowly unfolding journeys into abstract spacial realms. Other AV and ‘Live Cinema’ artists whom Modulate have brought to perform in Birmingham include Mia Makela aka Solu (Finland), SKIFF++ (NL/USA), and Frank Bretscnieder (DL).

Chromatouch makes mashup visual performances from a pool of loops, both sonic and seen. Feeding various VJ and music softwares into one another as well as using spoken word and modified instruments, he creates challenging environments and fuses media into constant streams.

Minuek visualises “the sound of Dying Machinery”.

Laternist uses open source software tools in the creation of works exploring relationships between sound, colour and shape.

Hellocatfood explores the aesthetic qualities of errors and glitches that occur when using software.

Kid Friendly: Yes!Dog Friendly: NoNon-Smoking: Yes!Wheelchair Accessible: Yes!

(via Freecode Hexagon)

‘Debtocracy’

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 11:54:51 +0100

‘Debtocracy’:

Birmingham Co-operative Film Society Presents: ‘Debtocracy’ A compelling film about Greek’s financial crisis makes the case that the entire euro system was rotten from the start 74 min. Cert 15 7pm, Thursday 11th August (Doors open at 6.30pm) Midlands Co-operative Member Relations Centre Birmingham & Midlands Institute, Margaret St, Birmingham, B3 3BS Tickets: £2.50 (members) / £4.50 (non-members) (Membership costs £10 a year for individuals - first film free) All Welcome!

From ATVLand in Colour This 5 x 45 minute documentary tells the...

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 20:00:54 +0100

From ATVLand in Colour

This 5 x 45 minute documentary tells the story of the affectionately known ‘ATVLand’ – the ATV Centre in Birmingham, from its beginnings to its ultimate closure in 1997 and beyond, celebrating some of the great programmes that came from the studios throughout its working life. The DVD includes a mix of rare archive footage, much of which has not been seen since broadcast, and interviews with those who worked at the centre including Jim Bowen, Barbara Bradbury, Reg Harcourt, Peter Harris, Diana Mather, Wendy Nelson, Jane Rossington, Debbie Shore, Chris Tarrant, Shaw Taylor, Gary Terzza, Bob Warman and Jo Wheeler PART ONE begins with a brief history of midlands broadcaster Associated Television (ATV) and its studio base in Aston, with anecdotes on some of the programmes produced there from those who were involved. The story then follows changes in the ITV system, leaving ATV in need of new premises for the age of colour broadcasting leading to the eventual opening of ATV Centre in 1970. PARTS TWO and THREE tell the story of the ATV Centre in operation throughout the 1970s, remembered by those who were involved and concentrating on the types of programmes made at the studios, including the regional output and various iconic shows, such as Crossroads, ATV Today, Tiswas and Miss ATV, with anecdotes from the interviewees. (via MACE | Media Archive for Central England |

"I maintain that Felt are by far the best band to ever come out of Birmingham."

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 10:58:27 +0100

“I maintain that Felt are by far the best band to ever come out of Birmingham.”

- Tim Burgess On Loving Lawrence & Felt, “Birmingham’s Best Band”

"culturally aware Birmingham locals (yep, they do exist …)."

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 10:53:32 +0100

“culturally aware Birmingham locals (yep, they do exist …).”

- Want to be het up about something of the day:

Cine-files: The Electric, Birmingham | Film | guardian.co.uk

Hell comes to Birmingham Tom Lennon tells us about Captain...

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 17:26:46 +0100

Hell comes to Birmingham

Tom Lennon tells us about Captain Midlands:

“if Birmingham-based cinemagoers want a superhero they can really identify with then they’ll have to look elsewhere. Luckily, an ideal candidate already exists. His name? Captain Midlands. Yes, that sprawling and overpopulated metafictional monstrosity that is the Marvel Comics Universe actually contains a patriotic, shield-slinging, living legend of World War II who is also a Brummie. If the likes of Captains America and Britain are (in the language of the aviation industry) national flag-carriers, then Captain Midlands is a hyperlocal hero.”

(more at This is Captain Midlands | Tom Lennon’s Blog)

Albion goalie beaten from the other box in US...

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 20:22:17 +0100

Albion goalie beaten from the other box in US friendly:

Earthquakes goalkeeper David Bingham’s unbelievable goal vs. West Brom (by sanjoseearthquakes)

The Flyover Show 4

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 20:25:10 +0100

The Flyover Show 4

fuckyeahstirchley: CoCoMad is coming soon. Since Stirchley...

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 22:52:35 +0100

fuckyeahstirchley:

CoCoMad is coming soon. Since Stirchley annexed Cotteridge earlier this year this is now technically ours, though the patronising booze-free peacenicks of Bournville might disagree. All good Stirchillians are required to be in attendance to ensure they don’t get the wrong idea, if you know what I mean. Leave the shooters at home though. We don’t want to scare the kiddies.

Matt Crowe on accent (via Creative Review - Degree Shows 2011:...

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 12:36:29 +0100

Matt Crowe on accent (via Creative Review - Degree Shows 2011: Lincoln)

Snooze (aka Stirchley News), 1st edition, April...

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 20:28:28 +0100

Snooze (aka Stirchley News), 1st edition, April 1984.

via fuckyeahstirchley:

Consultation on proposed changes to Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery’s delivery of services

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 12:15:56 +0100

Thier proposals:

To increase income generation – through extending charging for exhibitions, events and activities and increasing the use of our facilities for external hire
Temporary exhibitions, events and audience development programmes – we will maintain a full programme in our Gas Hall exhibition space, delivery of other programmes and activities will be dependent on available resources
Loans programme – we are proposing to reduce the number of loans we can make from our museum collections to other museums and galleries
A review of our picture library service – how we provide or licence use of images from our collections
Schools programme – we are committed to facilitate as many school visits as we can, but with reduced resources available, will need to review the number of taught sessions we can provide
General expenditure – we will look at all ways of reducing our expenditure with least impact on our services to visitors

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