Planetaki Planet Birmingham

Still Walking

2012-02-09T13:29:18Z

A festival of walking taking place across Birmingham, 15th March – 1st April 2012.

Artists, architects, historians, ramblers and lovers will show you the city in a new a light… [link]

Pre-planning application ’consultation’ on Paradise…

2012-02-09T13:29:18Z

Pre-planning application ’consultation’ on Paradise Circus

(via Paradise Circus)

from Brumblr, the scrapbook of Brum web ephemera:

Mark Gonzalez

2012-02-09T13:29:15Z

Mark Gonzalez is down at The Hubb in Sparkbrook on Sunday, with a performance in the evening and some masterclass sessions earlier in the day. Info via muslimwritersawards.org.uk.

The Hidden City

2012-02-08T12:38:49Z

Yesterday it was an Invisible City, today it’s a Hidden one:

The Hidden City’s aim is to create a database of stories that have helped shape the community we live and work in today

It’s basically a map with some nicely produced audio slideshows and very nice it is too. You can subscribe to updates via Twitter, the Tumblr or iTunes. Have an explore around. This one’s about The Drum:

Saltley Gate 40th Anniversary Rally – Battle of Saltley Gate

2012-02-07T11:53:45Z

Saltley Gate 40th Anniversary Rally

11am Friday 10th Feb

at the site Nr Saltley Gate Roundabout

Speakers from the Strike & Current Struggles

& performance by Banner Theatre

We are commemorating the day that 30,000 Birmingham Trade Unionists went on strike in support of the National Union of Mineworkers in their bid for fair pay.

15,000 engineering workers picketed to close the gates of the last remaining open fuel depot – Saltley. [link]

Direction of Travel

2012-02-07T11:53:41Z

The West Midlands Participatory Arts Forum are having a get-together on Friday. They’re planning to set out where the participatory arts sector in the West Midlands is now, and where it goes next.

There’s a flyer and a programme here, but I’m on a train at the moment and Chiltern’s wifi is blocking me from seeing them. What I do know is that there are still a few tickets up for grabs here.

Birmingham’s Invisible Live Art Gallery

2012-02-07T11:53:41Z

Not yer usual call for artists this one. The Hippodrome are getting Smile to make an iPhone app that’ll be used to showcase live art around the city.

They’re looking to commission regional artists and designers to devise and produce a piece of live art that will be featured inside the iPhone app. It says here that inter-disciplinary collaboration is favourable.

The full brief is here. If you’re interested, you need to submit your idea by 8 Feb (that’s tomorrow). They’re only looking for 200 words and your contact details though, so it’s not too bad.

The British Animation Awards screenings

2012-02-06T19:24:35Z

Three nights of animation are coming to The Custard Factory this week for The British Animation Awards Public Choice screenings.

Animation Forum WM have teamed up with Dice Productions and Flip Festival to bring three separate programmes of screenings of the best UK animated films of 2010 and 2011 to Birmingham. The shorts will be screened on Thursday 9th, Friday 10th, and Saturday 11th February from 7pm each night at The Custard Factory Theatre and you can vote to help determine the Public Choice winners.

Buy tickets and get more information on the Animation Forum WM website.

brumDished

2012-02-06T11:15:29Z

The flip-side to Digbeth Food Wastage is brumDished from 383 Project.

Voted 19th in the New York Times 45 places to go in 2012, Birmingham has been touted as the UK’s ‘foodiest town’. This site is curated by the good people of Brum, to show the good people of the world exactly what we’re eating.

Fortunediablo Productions

2012-02-05T11:32:30Z

Fortunediablo Productions:

is an independent film, music and publishing company producing and distributing film, music and books through new media.

There are a few things to discover on their site. From what I gather their main project (at least on the film side of things) is called Ugly and in Love (warning on the strong content), the extract from which was filmed at The Mitre in Stourbridge and features (unless I’ve got my wires crossed) Swampmeat’s Dan Finnemore.

Snow visits Birmingham again

2012-02-04T19:56:16Z

It’s been almost a year to the day and Brum gets a dusting of snow once more. Prior to the snowfall the temperatures have dropped ludicrously low; here’s a lovely video of icebreakers at work in the Canal Street Basin (just behind Broad Street and the NIA):

When it did hit, many people were still unprepared. People I spoke to who’d been driving between Birmingham and the Wolves area had witnessed multiple accidents on the roads. @KeithWilkoITV reported earlier that all 23 of the city’s gritters have been out and the council are braced for more snow tomorrow.

The Mail reported on Thursday that the council, in partnership with Amey, has been treating 1200km of routes – around half of the city’s roads – every night. BBC News reported that, as snow began to fall at around lunchtime today, the West Midlands remains on an amber snow alert as 5cm (2 inches) of snow is expected to fall over the next day. “The snow is expected to give way to sleet and rain and could cause some travel disruption. Temperatures are set to drop down to -1C overnight.”

More snaps and vids as I come across them.

Mapping The Landscape

2012-02-04T12:02:36Z

Mapping The Landscape is the:

Day to day blog of Artist Paul Hirst as he creates new work on his art residency at the Bond in Birmingham

Links for 3 February 2012

2012-02-03T12:07:52Z

Job listing for Trustee – Audiences Central
“Birmingham Museums Trust is seeking Trustees to take up the challenge of steering this new organisation (a trust to run the city’s nine museums sites) through its first few years and delivering our vision for a national museum in Birmingham”
InterFace 2012
InterFace is a symposium for humanities and technology. In 2012 it is being hosted by Birmingham Institute of Art and Design at Birmingham City University
IdeasTap | Creative Briefs: Fierce Festival Press Gang
If you’re aged 16-19 and fancy some experience in multimedia journalism this may be the gig for you. Not everybody has ‘interviewed a dachshund’ on their CV
Oxygen Rooms
Rehearsal and recording studios in Hockley
Flickr: “wagflickrmeet”
Wolverhampton Art Gallery hosted a Flickrmeet the other weekend. Not sure if there’s a page with more info but all the tagged photos are here
Turning Point West Midlands | Part of the Turning Point Network | Road Trip West Midlands – Artist and Writer wanted
“The commission will fund a visual artist and a creative writing to undertake a road trip in the West Midlands and to produce art work (visual art / creative writing) in response to this experience”

Factory Nights

2012-02-02T12:00:25Z

Factory Nights:

is a series of inspiring working sessions for ANY visual artists, photographers, writers, poets, musicians, filmmakers and any other creatives! Factory Nights is not a discussion event, seminar or workshop. Factory Nights are free sessions that simply provide an opportunity for creative people to come together in an interesting venue and supportive environment to make work or initiate ideas

The organisers are Rednile Projects and they’ve put out a call for “artists and anyone creative” for the next one:

Factory Night @ The Historic JA Crabtree & Co. Ltd. Factory (now the characterful Lyndon House Hotel), on Thursday 16th February 2012, 6-8pm . In collaboration with Multistory and The Crabtree Society

Russ L’s Lots Of Things To See And Do In The West Midlands – February 2012

2012-01-30T03:47:38Z

You know the drill… [link]

Walk of Fame for King’s Heath

2012-01-25T04:48:38Z

"A Walk of Fame is to be created along York Road to celebrate King’s Heath’s musical and comic heritage that will include a specially commissioned floral display featuring a guitar and microphone.

York Road has been chosen because it contains the Hare and Hounds where UB40 and Frank Skinner started their careers and the Cash Converters building which was previously the Ritz Ballroom – one of 4 ballrooms run in the 1960’s by Irish husband and wife team Mary (Ma) and Joe (Pa) Regan – where most of the famous groups and artists of the 1960’s played." [link]

Go Green week at Aston Uni

2012-01-18T00:24:54Z

Please see press release below for information on Go Green, a week of sustainability-themed activities taking place at Aston University in early February. Further information, images and interviewees are available should the content be of interest to you.

Many thanks,

Kathy Hopkin

***

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A SUSTAINABLE START TO THE YEAR AT ASTON UNIVERSITY

- 'Capitalism or a habitable planet' talk with comedian, author and environmental activist Robert Newman

- Friends of Earth, Greenpeace and Digbeth-based walkit.com to feature in Eco-Marketplace

- Second-hand bicycle sale from Birmingham-based social enterprise Cycle Chain

- Aston University Chaplaincy faith and climate change debate, ‘Safeguarding the planet’

- The Co-operative’s highly acclaimed ‘Tarnished Earth’ exhibition on campus

Aston University Go Green Week

Monday 6 February – Friday 10 February 2012

Aston University, Birmingham

All events are free and open to the public

Website: www.aston.ac.uk/go-green-week

Twitter: www.twitter.com/GreenAstonUni #AstonGGW

Facebook: Green Aston Uni

Go Green Week, a five-day programme of inspiring free events, talks, activities and exhibitions open to the public and celebrating Aston University's commitment to sustainability, is to take place between Monday 6 and Friday 10 February around it’s Birmingham city centre campus.

Building on the success of last year’s Go Green Week, Aston University’s Environment and Sustainability Team have organised the third annual week of free events to demonstrate sustainability and carbon reduction across their city centre campus, as part of the nationwide Go Green week run by People and Planet.

Highlights of Go Green Week at Aston University include an Eco-Marketplace offering greener living advice from organisations such as Friends of Earth, Greenpeace and the Digbeth-based business walkit.com, a screening of the award-winning deforestation film ‘Green’, a second-hand bicycle sale managed by Birmingham social enterprise Cycle Chain; a discussion on faith and climate change organised by Aston University Chaplaincy; a programme of sustainability themed lectures from academic staff; and an inspiring talk from the comedian turned environmental activist Robert Newman.

All events are free of charge and open to the general public.

Aston University Vice-Chancellor Professor Julia King, who is the UK’s Low Carbon Business Ambassador and a member of the Government's Committee on Climate Change, said ”We hope that our diverse programme of events and our convenient campus location in central Birmingham will help to make this year’s Go Green Week our most successful yet, attracting visitors from the wider community and local businesses as well as increasing awareness of sustainability issues amongst the University’s staff and students.”

Aston University ranked within the top 10 of People and Planet’s award winning Green League for the past two years. As a recognised leader in the field of sustainability, Aston University already has a number of technologies on campus, such as a Combined Heat and Power plant, a wind turbine and green roof on the recently built student residences, and an electric car and charging points, as well as ambitious targets to further reduce carbon emissions by 48% by 2020.

Past Go Green Week events at Aston University have included a World Food Market, a fuel efficient driving simulator and live webcam footage of Kestrels nesting within the main building on campus.

Aston University Environment and Sustainability Assistant Kathy Hopkin said, “Following on from the success of Go Green Weeks 2010 and 2011, we've put together the most varied programme of events yet, designed to appeal to students and staff alike as well as reaching out to the wider community. Visitors can receive advice on reducing energy use and costs in the home, explore alternative travel options or simply learn more about environmental issues.”

***END***

Notes for editors

Images attached:

Aston University Lake © http://www.flickr.com/people/donabelandewen/

Programme of events for Aston University Go Green Week 2012

Listings:

“Green”

6.00pm Monday 6^th February 2012

Main Building Room 155, Aston University

The story of a female orang-utan in the Indonesian rainforest, struggling for survival against the devastating impacts of logging and land clearance for palm oil plantations.

Eco-Marketplace

11.30am – 2.30pm Tuesday 7^th February 2012

Student’s Guild Hall, Aston University

Exhibitors include: Birmingham Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, Student Switch Off, The Co-operative, Globally Local, Office Depot, walkit.com, Riverford Organic Veg, Change Agents, Traidcraft, Fair-trade Design and The Body Shop.

“Safeguarding the planet”

6.00pm, Tuesday 7th February 2012

Martin Luther King Multi-Faith Centre, Aston University

Aston University Chaplaincy faith and climate change discussion evening.

Bicycle Sale, managed by Cycle Chain

9.00am to 1.00pm Wednesday 8^th February 2012

Main Building Reception, Aston University

Cycle Chain is a social enterprise working in Birmingham and the West Midlands to refurbish unwanted bicycles for re-sale. Cycle Chain works with people with visual impairment and those recovering from mental health problems and gives them training in bicycle maintenance.

RSPB city centre wildlife walk

1.00pm – 2.00pm Friday 10^th February 2012

Meeting point: Main Building Reception, Aston University

“Capitalism or a habitable planet”

6.00pm. Friday 10^th February 2012Main Building Room G8, Aston University.

Interactive talk from stand-up comedian turned environmental activist Robert Newman.

Further enquiries:

Victoria Johnsen / Kathy Hopkin

Environment and Sustainability Officer / Environment and Sustainability Assistant

E. v.johnsen1@aston.ac.uk / k.hopkin@aston.ac.uk

T. 0121 204 4970 / 0121 204 4961

Aston University, Aston Triangle, Birmingham, B4 7ET. http://www1.aston.ac.uk/go-green-week

Background:

Go Green Week is a national initiative organised by People and Planet, which is the largest student network in Britain campaigning to end world poverty, defend human rights and protect the environment. http://peopleandplanet.org/

Issue date:

Tuesday 17 January 2012

Aston University GGW 2012 Press Release.doc Download this file

AstonGGW2012Programme.pdf Download this file

A piece of PR we couldn’t be bothered to re-write.

The Oasis Radio

2012-01-18T00:24:54Z

On Monday 16th January, students from Birmingham City University are
launching The Oasis Radio, the official radio station for the legendary
Oasis Market – Birmingham’s alternative lifestyle centre since 1971.

The station will run until January 27th, broadcasting from Birmingham City
University and being played out inside the market as well as online at
theoasisradio.net. The station’s music has been selected to reflect the
Market’s diverse range of store.

Everything from rock, dance and urban will have their place on The Oasis
Radio. The flagship shows, The Alternative Breakfast and Oasis Afternoons,
will be live every week day, playing the best in against the curve music,
as well as giving away prizes and providing up to the minute entertainment
news and opinions.

If that wasn’t enough, during the day there will be three different shows,
tailor made to reflect some aspect of the Market. On a new theme every
hour, the shows can range from specific genres of music, to ones dedicated
to certain stores in the Market itself.

The Oasis Radio is keeping things fresh by having a constantly revolving
line up of presenters, so there will be something you like sooner rather
than later. On top of that, they will have specialist shows between 7-9pm
weekday evenings exclusively for their online listeners at
theoasisradio.net, getting you ready for your nights out!

A lot of hard work and planning has gone into making this a station that
really speaks to fans of the iconic market, making sure it covers its
diversity in full. No stone has been left unturned in their effort to make
a radio station worthy of the Oasis name.

The Oasis Radio is a station that marches to the beat of its own drum, and
they hope you’re along for the ride! Get in touch, they would love to hear
from you:

Twitter: @TheOasisRadio
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/theoasisradio
Online: http://theoasisradio.net/

The Oasis Radio – Your Alternative
Launches Monday 16th January at 10amA piece of PR we couldn’t be bothered to re-write.

Today – Birmingham ‘beats space’ as tourist destination

2012-01-09T19:57:58Z

Little bit of vanity, this was me on the radio. [link]

Why contribute to the spread of ugliness?

2011-12-22T17:35:21Z

Alan Clawley reviews Stuart Whipps's new exhibition at the Ikon gallery. [link]

Libraries Petition And Campaign by Birmingham Against The Cuts

2011-12-16T01:05:59Z

Libraries are to open reduced hours, Birmingham Against The Cuts is organising protest. [link]

Birmingham music in the 60s… Untold Stories Part 1

2011-12-09T21:55:39Z

(by BMHMusic)

from Brumblr, the scrapbook of Brum web ephemera:

NUJ Public Meeting – "Crisis in Midlands Journalism"

2011-12-06T16:31:21Z

With the BBC cuts, and those at the Post and Mail, is it the end for journalism round this way? [link]

An old punk’s elegy for The Old Wharf

2011-12-06T00:31:09Z

Sad as another boozer bites the dust. [link]

Review: The Little Book Of Birmingham

2011-12-05T16:39:43Z

Books make ideal low-impact presents, they’re easy to wrap, they pretty much always describe their contents so you can be roughly sure that you’ve got something acceptable, and they are so portable that unthankful recipients can pop them down to the British Heart Foundation shop and say “yes, it was so good I’ve been lending it to people” to explain its absence from their bookshelves.

Publishers know this and will knock out any old tat around Christmas, books aimed at becoming presents for people you know or care very little about. Why else would Jeremy Clarkson be a published author, why else would tedious collections of Shakespeare’s unfunniest jokes clog the tills at WH Smiths (when all you really want is to pay for your fountain pen cartridges and get out of there, and no I don’t want a slab of Dairy Milk the size of Belgium for 5p thanks)?

But every so often there’s a book which, despite having the a title starting “The Little Book of…”, you can safely read without bemoaning the crass commercialisation of the spectacle. Such a book is my, as yet unpublished, Little Book of Cliff Richards’s Girlfriends, but another one is Norman Bartlam’s The Little Book of Birmingham.

It’s not that little, for a start, 200 odd full pages of normal book size facts and fun about England’s second city. Admittedly the back blurb won’t win any prizes for mentioning new things about Brum: Bill Oddie, motorways and Crossroad’s Amy Turtle all feature. Inside it’s not all lower-division culture, there are facts new and new to me.

Did you know that American novelist Washington Irvine wrote Rip Van Winkle while staying with his sister in Lee Bank? I did, but it’s nice to have it confirmed.

Could you list all seven of Birmingham’s official city organists? No, I couldn’t. I could have made a stab at a bunch of onanists though.

Did you know that Nick Owen and Bob Warman went to school together? I did, but being reminded of it made me think again just how much of a good ‘Alan Partridge’s School Days’-type sitcom it would make.

And that’s the joy of such a niche book, even the bits you know already will spark off interesting thoughts, memories and ideas. Some of the connections to Birmingham are a touch tenuous—a page on Dixon of Dock Green, as the character is named after its author’s school—but what is a city if it isn’t a collection of obscure links and bizarre thought-paths?

The Little Book of Birmingham is out now and would make a decent present…