I found out this morning via The Stirrer’s Twitter feed that Birmingham is considering a bid for the City of Culture award – and Birmingham Bloggers are urged to show their support.
As an enthusiast for the cultural output of the city I have some mixed feelings – if it can be shown that such a bid – and a potential win – will lead to some real support for some of those that I would think of as cultural leaders in the area then I’m all for it, but I want to be clear that what we need to do is support and nurture what we already have in a sensible and organised way – not throw money at it blindly or spend millions on advertising campaigns that dont advertise anything in particular except some new brand or other nonsense jargon.
My recommendations for the organisations that deserve any additional recognition or support coming their way are:
Gigbeth Conference and Festival
Birmingham International Jazz Festival
and of course, The Rainbow!!!!
plus, a great up and comer: Mr Elephant
and Id recommend more support for the Moseley Festival – its already strong and undergoing a renaissance – with more assistance it could be a real jewel in the cultural crown.
Xx
Going point Rich, though I would suggest more ‘support and nurture’ for Birmingham Jazz, rather than our tin pot jazz festival!
Also, if we look at how the Manchester International Festival, in terms of programme profile, interest and artistic variation, is streets ahead of any similar flagship festival Birmingham can offer in that field, it would be nice to look at pulling elements of most of the list above into an independent festival that could blow the pants off anything else in the country.
Alas I don’t think the Culture bid has a direct financial incentive anyway.
An interesting article in The independent about Birmingham photographer Pogus Caesar.
A book of photographs by Pogus Caesar celebrating Britain’s iconic black musicians is to be published next month.
The book features evocative, nostalgic and largely unpublished images of musical legends like Stevie Wonder, Grace Jones and Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry.
Most of Caesar’s photography is based around his home city of Birmingham, documenting a spectrum of well-known personalities and recording significant events including the Handsworth riots, Birmingham tornado and the regeneration of the Bullring.
“These images record a unique period in what would come to be called black British life,” remarks author and historian Paul Gilroy.
“Pogus Caesar’s emphatically analog art is rough and full of insight. He conveys the transition between generations, mentalities and economies.”
Legendary reggae artists figures prominently, and appropriately, in the Caesar image canon – Burning Spear, The Wailers, Augustus Pablo, Rita Marley, Mighty Diamonds, Black Uhuru, Sly Dunbar, Steel Pulse etc. The photographer cites reggae itself is a significant influence, reflecting his own St Kitts background in the Eastern Caribbean.
The launch of Muzika Kinda Sweet follows an exhibition of the work at the Oom Gallery in Birmingham earlier this year.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/pogus-caesars-muzika-kinda-sweet-2080071.html
Attended the launch of Pogus Caesar’s new book Muzik Kinda Sweet at MAC last night. the place was packed to the rafters with Birmingham’s finest! Live and recorded music created a great atmosphere. As for the book, it is a weighty volume filled with fantastic black and white photos of artists Caesar has photographed-many of them in Birmingham.
So glad to see this book, it proves that the city has produced some great sons, so well done Caesar.
Ceasers book is a great read with some awesome images. Just love the grainy texture of his prints.
attended the opening at mac, bought a book + continuing surprises every time i pick up muzik kinda sweet!