05 Nov 2009

Birmingham Contemporary Art Forum presents The Event

The Event is the second contemporary arts festival organised by Birmingham Contemporary Art Forum and presents more than 100 artists throughout Birmingham's Eastside district.

Several new spaces will be open to the public for the first time including Grand Union on Fazeley Street; 119 Floodgate Street will temporarily accommodate Mona Casey Projects; and Crowd6 take over The Lombard Method on 68a Lombard Street.

a.a.s present The Family
Various locations in Eastside and City Centre
Daily taster sessions, meet outside Birmingham Central Backpackers at 10am and 2pm
The Family will be exploring a becoming-strange of the city and the individual, living communally and attempting rapid No-I transformation. They invite you to join them in a full day session or one of their shorter taster sessions. Call 07806 50 27 26 to sign up.

The Space Between, Surrounds Our Desire
Curated by Mona Casey
119 Floodgate Street, Digbeth, Birmingham, B5
This group exhibition began life online and now takes form in a space in Floodgate Street in Digbeth. The Event presents a second experience of the work and seeks to question curatorial choices based on a mediated presentation, in an attempt to explore the problem of the 'value of the artwork' as related to the specific medium through which it is shown.

What Takes Place
By Crowd6
The Lombard Method, 68a Lombard Street, Digbeth, B12 0QR
Carefully chosen subjects will have their boots filled and walked in, as the members of Crowd6 tinker with great works of film, usurp the place of some of art's historical giants and lurk in the shadows of accepted wisdom.

Abstract Cabinet Show
Eastside Projects 86 Heath Mill Lane, B9
To compliment the current exhibition, 'Abstract Cabinet Show', Eastside Projects will present 'F**k Book' by Clarke & McDevitt Present - a collection of new Tijuana Bibles (also known as Jo Jo Books or F**k Books) produced by artists from around the World. The books will be shown in a new extension of the gallery in the form of a Limousine outside the space.

[insertspace] is launching 2 publications:
Project Pigeon
The Rea Garden, 1-8 Floodgate Street, B5
2-4pm on 6-8 November.
Alex Lockett and Ian England have undertaken a period of research rearing twenty homing pigeons, which they have trained for racing. The artists have put together a publication to document the project, and the loft will be open to visitors during The Event.
Blood & Rorschach by E. P. Wakefield is a novella written by Wakefield about his alter ego, landlocked sailor Captain Ed. Both publications will be available from Grand Union.

Grand Union
Unit 19, Fazeley Industrial Estate, Fazeley Street, Digbeth, Birmingham, B5
To celebrate the opening of their new home at Fazeley Industrial Estate the members of Grand Union present a new publication with contributions from 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.

Springhill Institute
L 'Atelier est Mort, Vive l'Atelier!
All venues
Springhill Institute present 'First Person Singular' by Nina Beier. Operating on a simple instruction to gallery attendants: When alone in the exhibition space to sing all the songs he/she can think of that employ the word 'I'. By activating the passive player in the exhibition, yet keeping the activity private, the exhibition, when empty of visitors, transgresses from being idle in the mind of the absent viewer.

An Endless Supply
Available at all venues
An Endless Supply have created Issue 7, an Event specific edition of their publication, which features work from artists involved in the festival and works relating to the various projects happening over the five days.

Mark Essen's Record Exchange and Celebration
All venues (see the-event.com timetable)
Mark Essen's Record Exchange will roam from venue-to-venue throughout The Event also taking in Digbeth's Victorian, Grade II listed, Anchor Inn on Bradford Street (5 November). Essen offers the opportunity to debate, negotiate and swap records as well as trying the specially made 'Mark Essen Event Brew'.

The Forward Statue In Flames
Juneau Projects
Eastside Projects, 6 November at 9.30pm
Juneau Projects create a new performance work, 'The Forward Statue In Flames', that attempts to consider the live 'gig' as a form of sculpture. The work will feature handmade instruments and costumes alongside sound reactive visuals, audience interaction and new songs written by Juneau Projects for The Event.

This is an Invitation to dialogue
John Hammersley
Digbeth High Street, 6 November 9am-5pm
This is an invitation to dialogue. John invites you to participate in a conversation. John will be participating in conversation between 9.00am and 5.00pm in Digbeth High Street on November 6th, 2009.

Transit Station
Harminder Singh Judge, S Mark Gubb and Gian Paolo Cottino
Fazeley Street, daily from 12-5pm
Transit Station is a collaboration between Harminder Singh Judge, S Mark Gubb and Gian Paolo Cottino who consider the notion of 'a purpose built or constructed environment for the housing of art'. Together the artists will create a project visible to the public in and around the streets of Eastside. A daily diary of the construction and ongoing build will be posted on the-event.org blog.


THE LAUNCH - Friday 6 November from 6pm
Grand Union, Mona Casey Projects and Crowd6 will be opening for the official launch of The Event from 6-9pm.
Eastside Projects will be open from 8pm til late.
(The launch is sponsored by Barefoot Wine, Tiger Beer and Vitamin Water).

The Event Talks - Saturday 7 November, 2-5pm
Eastside Projects
A programme of talks to investigate the role of the artist led festival within contemporary arts practice. Speakers include Katy Woods (Sheffield Contemporary Art Forum), Milika Muritu (Cell Project Space), Chris Brown (g39 / a-n), chaired by Adam Sutherland (Grizedale Arts). Places are free but space is limited. To book email kaye@the-event.org

Information point
For maps, brochures and information visit the staffed Information Point at Eastside Cafe, 101 Coventry St, B5 5NY everyday from 12-5pm
Free guided tours of The Event venues leave at 3pm everyday - please arrive at 2.45pm to join the tour.

All projects are open each day from 12-5pm.