ArtsFest365’s Weblog

I got thrown/threw myself into the hectic world of ArtsFest on Thursday to start my third year volunteering with the event – as usual, everything was all-go and just a little bit confusing at first but I think I found my sea legs by Friday morning! In the afternoon I ran off – blindly – to help out with an event called RE: FLUX.

I had no idea what to expect but soon learnt that it was part of FLUX FEST run by an organisation called VIVID ( www.vivid.org.uk ). RE: FLUX was a ‘concert’… but not quite the type I’m used to.

As a revival of the 1960s Fluxus movement the artists creatively reinterpreted older scores alongside their own conceptions. Although the movement definitively defies definition, it could be said that Fluxus is about finding art in the every day, bending, blurring and abandoning artistic boundaries - all with a big fat emphasis on FUN. To give you some idea, the concert involved: juicy apples, falling bats, sword-fights with bubbles, real live tumbleweed, electric saws, audience participation, the very low-tech, the super hi-tech, candles, violins and staged self-mutilation. The performances were all obnoxiously witty, blowing raspberries at the often-pretentious world of modern art - an interesting experience to say the least!

We have two new volunteers in the office;

Louise Programme confirmation queen who may be calling you soon!

Julie the Bookers and Presenters coordinator, who has an address book full of stars.

Louise is heading along to Re:Flux tonight, so watch out for her blog Monday.

Our volunteers are looking to become Roving reporters this year, feeding back on all the gigs, exhibitions and performances from ArtsFest artists in the lead up to Birmingham’s Big weekend.

If you’d like them to cover your gig/opening or performance then call the hotline number 0121 464 5678 and we’ll send them along!

Have a good weekend

Elise, Emily & Kate

P.S. Emily has gone to Glastonbury again this year, for those of you looking for her in the office she’ll be back next thursday!…..hopefully.

Hi Guys

A quick shout about the Jewellery Quarter Arts & Crafts Festival next weekend on Saturday 5 July.  ArtsFest will be there with a couple of our artists so if you‘ve got a couple of hours to kill come and say Hi to Emily and I!

Details below. Please use the contact number at the bottom for all enquiries….

Artsfest artists to be confirmed…watch this space!

Cheers, Kate

FOLLOW THE SILVER BALLOON TRAIL AROUND

The Jewellery Quarter Arts & Designer Crafts Festival

Saturday 5th July 2008 10.30am - 4.00pm

Over 50 Arts & Designer Craft Stalls at St. Pauls Square and The Big Peg
• Open jewellery workshops – See behind the scenes
• Live Jazz at The Big Peg 11am (Becky Brine) and St. Pauls Square 12.30pm (The Legendary Digby Fairweather)
• Family Events including Harry Potter at the Pen Museum - Tel 0121 236 9834 for details,
Arts & Crafts Family Workshop 1.30pm-3.30pm at the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter - Tel 0121 554 3598
• Live Sculpture Demonstration by International Artist Melissa Mailer-Yates in St. Pauls Square
• FREE Vintage Bus Rides around the Quarter
• Special Restaurant & Bar Offers including Pimm’s Promotion in St. Pauls Square

Telephone 0121 604 7700 for general information

Hi Guys

Just wanted to let you know whats happening at the weekend and what I’m getting myself involved in!

Dizzolvers are playing at the Wagon & Horses (28 Adderley Street. B9 4ED) on Saturday and I am hoping to be able to go along and report back to you all. This will be my first attempt at roving reporting so please let me know if you’re planning on going and I’ll happily rope you in to have a chat to the camera…

V. good

Big thanks go to the arts gods this week who gave us the good sense to branch out of our little office. In our bid to take over the House of Sport we now have our very own programming room! (And for those of you worried about our impact on the environment with our giant spreadsheets we will be planting trees come September).

Talking of programming… I will be getting updates from Emily this afternoon who is as we speak madly beavering away to get it finished.

Isn’t it a small world! Here we are ( ArtsFest) working with Kerrang to stage a non-stop showcase of unsigned bands in City Centre Gardens, and then my mate ( the drummer) in Glasvegas calls me yesterday to say they have an interview with them in Brum! So I popped down to see Caroline and ended up sitting in on their interview with Loz and Christian. It was all very exciting and yes for once I had to remain silent, which for those of you who know me will know was very difficult.

If there is anyone out there who doesn’t know who this band is then, shame on you! I know Im biased but they’re a cracking band, get on myspace and see for yourselves. They’ve got gigs up and down the country and their new single ‘Geraldine’ will be out 23rd June.

As for ArtsFest, watch this space… expect to see more of the team planning the event, blogs from our valiant volunteers and some inside knowledge of what’s on 12-14th September!

Elisex

Adham Fisher is the other new member of the ArtsFest Volunteer Team (AVT). He likes to keep things brief - this is why he is also known as AFS. Having been involved with numerous projects including music, radio and the Birmingham City Council commissioned films ‘Joy’ and ‘Helen’ in the past year, it is perhaps appropriate that Adham has offered his creative prowess to the team of the biggest creative event in the West Midlands.

Adham is also something of a record seeker and has attempted five times to break the Guinness World Record for visting every London Underground station. Recently he has been keeping such exploits closer to home, and as such, is planning to be part of the ensemble that will aim to set a new world record for Dhol playing:

DHOL FEST 2008 –ArtsFest Saturday 13th September!

DholFest 2008

DholFest is large outdoor staged event set to break the existing world record for Dhol drumming. The current record was set on Saturday 3rd July 1999 in Sandwell. 314 Dhol players gathered together to set the first ever Dhol drumming record, and this was confirmed by the Guinness Book of Records!

The event marked the 300th anniversary of the Khalsa (implementation of the Sikh faith).

This year we are anticipating over 500 Dhol players to take part in breaking the record. The event will take place on Saturday 13th September 2008 in Victoria Square, as part of ArtsFest.

Look out for Dhol workshops across the UK in August leading up to the event, working in partnership with Dhol and Bhangra groups up and down the country. Details of workshops in your local community will be released soon.

Every Dhol player who participates in this event will be given a T-shirt, trophy and certificate and their name will be forwarded to Guinness World Records!

This event will mark the celebrations of the 300th Anniversary of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji – as the word Guru.

Guinness World Records

Channel Punjab have registered this event with Guinness World Records and will be working towards setting a new WORLD RECORD!

If you would like to take part in DholFest please register with:

Bindi Sandhu

0121 580 2123

07908 059470

bindi@channelpunjab.net

www.channelpunjab.net & www.dholfest.com (To be launched 3/7/08)

…6. Jack is the fastest copy and paster in the West Midlands

 I heart spreadsheets… Although we are all living in databases at the moment we are keeping the faith and a very exciting programme is beginning to emerge. Emily in particular is V. excited about the Visual Arts Workshops she has planned and can’t stop smiling at herself! Apologise for any delays with any current correspondence and huge apologies that we are about to overshoot our deadline for confirming successful applicants. We do appreciate your patience and are coming as fast as we can… you will hear from us shortly.

Our super keen ArtsFest Events Assistant Kate Sullivan is off to the Ikon Eastside down in Digbeth, Birmingham tommorrow night for a one off A/V spectacle special! ‘The Society of Futopia’ (teaser trailer can be seen here - link) is a collaborative piece by students from BIAD, headed up by Visual Communication student Gareth Barnett.

‘The performance is rooted in Futurist Theatre and mixes live performance with film and animation; at its core it is an exploration of the human condition. There is a level of interaction with the audience; instead of conventional lighting the audience will be given torches to discover the characters themselves.’

If you dont want to miss this night event then head over towards the Custard Factory Digbeth on Tueday 3rd Of June. Details below