August Issue

Check out the August edition of Area culture Guide here.

Includes

ART: Vivid, Karin Kihlberg & Reuben Henry, British Glass Biennale, Six Summer Saturdays, Walking as One, Behind the Marks

MUSIC: Pick of gigs for Aug / Sept, Tunng, Shambala Festival, Hurts

FEATURES: F1 Karting, Urbexing, Independent Markets, Graduate Birmingham, Summer Top 3’s

FASHION: Uber Brum, Sourz competition with Bullring

and…. your listings for August and September

Sourz competition

‘Give It Some…Style’ with Sourz and win £100 voucher to spend at Bullring

Sourz are on tour this summer to help you ‘Give it Some…Style’.  Heading to Bullring, Birmingham, on Friday 13 and Saturday 14 August, they’ll be giving people a taste of summer, with the hottest fashion and beauty looks.

Top stylists and professional make up artists will be on hand to give girls and boys the low-down on the freshest colours and looks this season.  It’s all for free but you have to be 18 to take part as visitors can look forward to sipping on the latest Sourz cocktails in the stylish summer lounge.  

Tuesday Tunes at mac

Mac, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham
Every Tuesday throughout – August
7.30pm, Admission free

Every Tuesday, as part of their free summer events, MAC hosts Tuesday Tunes – a chilled out weekly barbeque with free entertainment provided by local artists. Perfect for everyone yearning for a bit of barbequed sausage, and seeking to make the most of the last ebbs of summer sun on a balmy Birmingham evening.

This month visitors, BBQ fans, and followers of anything fun, local and free, will be treated to the mellow tones of Kristy Gallacher (17 Aug), the delicate songs of Sam Holmes (10 Aug), and suave sounds of guitar-playing, ragtime blues band the Mellow Peaches (24 Aug). There will also be a chance to see live theatre performance from Women and Theatre (3 & 31 August) and their Wasted Summer School.

What an ideal way to spend a lazy summer evening.

Formula 1 Karting

Unit 6, Avery Dell Industrial estate, Lifford Lane, Kings Norton
Opens 2 August

The summer months are upon us so it’s time to kick yourself into gear and see what delights Birmingham has to offer.  If you’ve ever fancied yourself as a bit of a demon behind the wheel then now is your chance to prove it by getting your friends together and putting the pedal to the metal at the newly opened Formula 1 Karting in Kings Norton.

Inbindable Volume

VIVID, 140 Heath Mill Lane, Birmingham, B9 4AR
0121 766 7876
29 July – 21 August

Karin Kihlberg and Reuben Henry’s latest work, Inbindable Volume, is an ambitious, multi-screen journey through Birmingham’s iconic Central Library that explores the journey between conception and materialization.

The concrete physicality of the Brutalist architecture is rendered against the unseen imagined spaces alluded to within the books held in the space.  An omnipresent narrator, who describes the lifespan of a building from conception to abandonment, drives the rhythm and texture of the film as the interior of the library unfolds in an assemblage of tracking shots.

Six Summer Saturdays

Various locations across Birmingham City Centre
sixsummersaturdays.com
Saturday’s in August

Every Saturday in August Birmingham Hippodrome will take over the city as the streets are animated with the best in outdoor entertainment, with physical theatre and circus bringing stories directly to you.  Scheduled shows will take place on the piazza in front of the theatre and at other locations, including Arcadian Centre, High Street and Cathedral Gardens.

Six Summer Saturdays kicked off on 24 July, as part of the celebrations for the Cultural Olympiad Open Weekend 2010, with Come On, Vogue – a day of showing off as the audience was challenged to find their inner diva and perform on the catwalk.

Café Ikon / Sergio Vega

ikon-gallery.co.uk
1 Oozells Square, Birmingham B1 2HS
0121 248 0708

When you have satisfied your mind’s hunger for contemporary artistic musings from the Ikon Gallery’s exhibitions, then don’t forget get to fill your stomachs too and make a stop off at the adjoined Café Ikon.

Don’t worry if you’re not a beret wearing art fanatic, the Café welcomes everyone to sit and enjoy a cappuccino; but those who choose to have a meal will be treated to a Spanish tapas menu and the paellas come highly recommended.

If you didn’t get enough art in the galleries, then on August 5th, to support his Ikon Eastside exhibition, Brazilian artist Sergio Vega will be taking over the Café. On that evening the menu may even get a little mix up, and if you are wondering what that unusual meat is in the paella, then you may want to look up what ‘jacaré’ means in English.

Want a bit of entertainment while you dine? Well with your Wednesday night meals you will have a supporting act of guitarist Jamie Fekete playing his compositions of flamenco and gypsy jazz.

Craig Bush

West Midlands Film Boost

Hollywood has arrived in the West Midlands with not one but two films currently being shot in the area, bringing with them some famous faces.

Ever thought you’d spot Helena Bonham Carter or Freddie Highmore (the little lad from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) in Wolverhampton?  Well, you probably still won’t, but they are there…  Their new film TOAST, based on food writer Nigel Slater’s childhood in 1960’s Wolverhampton, is a bittersweet trip down memory lane retrieving the tastes and smells that a young boy associates with his journey into adulthood.

The Secrets of Lady Luck Rules OK

Creative Open Workshops, Unit 11 Scott House, Custard Factory, Birmingham
www.ladyluckrulesok.com
Sunday 1 August, 2pm – 5pm
£25 plus £1 booking fee

Leona Baker, the creator of cult jewellery brand Lady Luck Rules OK, may have closed down her store but her seven year success, three sold out Trade Secrets Talks and five sold out Jewellery Workshops show she knows what she’s talking about.  Combining the two events Baker is coming to Birmingham as part of her UK tour with a packed three hour event.

Great British Eatery

13 Broadway Plaza, Francis Road, Birmingham, B16 8LP
0121 456 5955
greatbritisheatery.co.uk

For the past two years old school pals Conrad Brunton and Andrew Insley have officially been dishing up the best fish and chips in the region. As well as serving the nation’s Friday night favourite GBE specialises in a host of British classics. And if that’s not enough they are also licensed, selling local beers from Holden’s in Dudley and Freedom lagers from Staffordshire, as well as Purity Ales and pear and apple ciders – the perfect accompaniment to a great dish.