A photographic journey of cooking and companionship in Birmingham immigrant communities.
An exhibition by Francesco Falciani
Evening reception Thursday 30th June 7-9pm
Exhibition runs until 20th July.
Open Tues-Thurs 10-3, Saturday 9th 11-4 and by appointment.
Postcards From Lebanon, Featuring photographic works by Paul Gorra, Tarek Mourad and Dan Burwood.
9-23 October 2021 in The Upper Gallery. Open Monday to Saturday.
Prints of exhibited works will be for sale, all proceeds going to Swiss Medicines for Lebanon.
‘Working with the fruit, flowers and vegetables that my grandfather tended, I am making lumen prints. Placing plants directly on to photographic paper, the process records the interaction between the plant, surface and light. These traces are fragile and fade with time, like my memories and those of my father who lived with Alzheimer’s. His memories are no more.’
The Lost Garden by Caitriona Dunnett, presented by The Darkroom Birmingham in The Upper Gallery, May 12th – 29th.
Make It Sustainable needs your help in securing £20k from the Severn Trent Community Fund to set up a community composting project, preventing food waste going to landfill, and supplying compost to grow more food locally, using zero carbon bike transport.
If we’re successful, we’ll:
Establish a compost area at The Old Print Works, to compost locally produced food waste safely and effectively;
Work with local organisations, such as our friends at Change Kitchen CIC, to divert food waste from landfill;
‘Earth' the compost locally - to grow food and support ecosystems, via bike-distributed flat-pack raised bed growing kits for Green Square Accord housing association tenants, and other local growing projects such as Fruit and Nut Village;
Expand the growing space of The Old Print Works in order to grow more food for consumption on the premises;
Document and share the learning, collaboration and change that take place through the project, using photography and video.
And in doing so support our charitable aims and create 2 part-time roles for the duration of the project.
Voting will be live for 3 weeks, from 10am on 1st April to midnight on 24th April 2022.
https://www.stwater.co.uk/publicvote/ Thank you!
Unassuming, and tucked away behind Myrtle Cottage, thought to be the oldest building in Balsall Heath, if you haven’t visited The Old Print Works, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s a small building, consisting mainly of a café and a yoga studio. But over the past ten years, the charity and small community behind and within The Old Print Works have been slowly building its 33,000 sq ft into a thriving centre for making, creativity and cooperation. Aiming for maximum resilience, its running costs rely entirely on a trading income from studio rentals, co-working, venue hire and the like.
Beside its rustic industrial charm, however, a few underlying issues in the building have been holding it back from achieving its potential and full financial sustainability. We have therefore relied heavily, both historically and currently, on the goodwill of trustees and unitholders alike. But thanks to the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP), a grant of around £150,000 is marking a change. Building works are underway to install a modern fire alarm system and emergency lighting throughout the building, which, along with an accessible toilet, will broaden the usefulness and useability, as well as the appeal, of the building, as well as safeguarding existing uses and users. It is 31 jobs in all that these works will be safeguarding for the local economy.
In addition, refurbished studios will replace a cordoned-off area of buckets and bins that used to catch rainwater pouring through a particularly leaky section of roof. Five more studios will be made available with the grant, in a range of shapes, sizes and styles, in keeping with the rest of this quirky industrial building.
A beautifully sunlit, but cold, room behind a gorgeous, but decaying, art deco window overlooking the courtyard lends itself perfectly to extend the co-working space which, prior to covid-19, was reaching capacity. The refurbishment of this space, including insulation, secondary glazing and a more efficient boiler will help create an inspirational shared workspace, further promoting the cross-fertilisation of ideas and approaches that leads people to co-work at The Transfer. Below this room, sharing the façade, the view and the heating, a large meeting room for seminars, workshops and small performances is being prepared. Post-covid demand for co-working is likely to increase given current trends, and with a futureproof wi-fi system being put in place throughout the building, all our co-workers, makers, creatives and visitors will be well connected. The Old Print Works forecasts capacity to harbour 37 new jobs over the coming 5 years.
B12 has had its ups and downs. The traffic on the Moseley Road has cut right through it dividing east from west. But the community appreciates the fascinating history of its buildings and knows their value. Years of local effort and resources have been put into keeping them alive – places where the community could give expression to its energy, culture and uniqueness. But these important places, having been on local life support for a decade or two, are now being recognised by outsiders for their worth. This investment by the LEP is testament to their ambition to invest in the creative sector to enable inclusive economic growth across the region. Much-needed injections of cash here, as well as in the Moseley School of Art building and Moseley Road Baths by other funders, are starting to make a difference to the creative, economic and social local landscape. Some stubborn individuals, the community, better funding and a partnership approach together are bringing back the beating heart of Balsall Heath.
This is a brilliant insight into one of our Unit Partners, Elliott Packham and his exciting work by Ruth Millington. Ruth is an art critic and writer, specialising in modern and contemporary art. She has written for various publications, including the i newspaper, Telegraph, Daily Mail, Sorbet Magazine and BBC Online. She has been featured as an art expert on TV and radio, including BBC Breakfast and ITV News. She also writes a blog about art and culture in Birmingham where this post originates. It is reproduced in full but with fewer images.
After studying architecture, Elliott Packham turned to painting. Today, he depicts the ‘concrete jungle’ that is Brutalism, celebrating and capturing the simple block-like geometry of this bold architectural style. I caught up with him to find out where this love of all things Brutalist comes from and how he makes his mesmerising modern architectural paintings.
‘Silodam’ by Elliot Packham
‘Renamed’ by Elliott Packham
You started out by studying architecture, can you tell me a bit about that?
Yes, I initially studied architecture at university. However, I wasn’t ready for the rigours of architecture school at the time and I decided to move on after the first year. My work today still draws on the fundamentals that I learnt during that year, particularly when it comes to technical drawing and architectural history, and I’m very thankful that I had the opportunity to study something I’m so passionate about. I have the upmost respect for those in the profession and classify myself simply as an architecture fan these days.
And then you came to Birmingham – what brought you here?
I moved to Birmingham in 2012 in order to have a second attempt at university! This time my chosen subject was a joint honours degree in Business Management and Spatial Planning at the University of Birmingham.
“To me, Birmingham felt welcoming, diverse, unpretentious and on the rise”.
At the time I distinctly remember feeling a strong affinity to the city when I went to explore after the Open Day. To me, Birmingham felt welcoming, diverse, unpretentious and on the rise. After my 3 years at the University, I was very much attached to the city and have lived here ever since.
How do you choose buildings to paint?
I try not to visit a place with the intention of photographing a particular building in order to paint it. Instead I tend to just explore an urban area with my camera and see what I come across (it’s more exciting that way!). It’s partly for this reason that most of my paintings are based on buildings that aren’t widely known other than locally, with the possible exception of my most recent work based on the Silodam Building in Amsterdam.
I’m attracted to a broad range of modernist architecture, although I do have a particular passion for the bold structural forms of brutalism, with its clean lines and geometric design. Although my work is primarily a depiction of a buildings’ form, I also like to imply the presence of human occupants by including the irregularities they create in the building’s façade. For example these could be curtains or objects visible through the windows.
What’s your favourite building in Birmingham?
I’m going to cheat here and say two buildings, but I think that this is allowed because one of them has been demolished!
The first is Birmingham Central Library (the old one), which was demolished a few years ago. I generally like functional and utilitarian buildings, words which I think perfectly describe the old library. Regretfully I never got to go inside as it closed shortly after I arrived in Birmingham, so I had to contend myself with admiring it from behind the construction hoardings!
The second is the Muirhead Tower on the University of Birmingham campus. Much like the old Central Library, this building is either loved or loathed, but I’m most definitely in the former category. As a student I spent plenty of time there and always enjoyed the industrial, interior with its exposed concrete, metal pillars and double height glazing.
A lot of people don’t like Brutalism. What is it about this style that attracts you?
I love the honesty of Brutalist buildings. They are unfussy, clean and minimal with no ‘decoration’ to speak of; everything you see serves a purpose. You can therefore gain a good understanding of how the building was constructed just by looking at the exterior. Aesthetically I’ve always been attracted towards functional design, preferring simple shapes, straight lines and exposed materials, so Brutalism definitely taps into this.
What do you think about new buildings being built in Birmingham? Are you interested in capturing change?
Change is exciting and even in my eight years of living in Birmingham, there has already been a lot of it! Birmingham is being really ambitious with its Big City Plan and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed seeing how transformative developments such as New Street Station are revolutionising the city. Of course, it’s important that the city’s heritage isn’t lost (hopefully no more iconic buildings like Birmingham Central Library will be demolished!), but in general I’m looking forward to seeing how the city’s new buildings will add to the urban environment.
Change has played a role in my work before and I’m sure it will do so again in the future. For example my painting, ‘Western,’ is based on a tower block in Reading that was about to be demolished. The work consists of 4 separate panels focusing on the same corner of the building but at different times of day, going from early morning, midday, evening and dusk. I chose to do this in order to represent the fact that the building was coming to the end of its lifecycle and change was inevitable. The building was demolished a few years later.
What’s your process? Do you take photographs and work from these?
Yes, I start by exploring an urban area with my camera and when I come across a building I find interesting, I photograph it from different viewpoints. These then form the basis from which I paint. I like to then do a bit of research about the building and look at its architectural drawings if they are available.
I’ll sketch out details of the building and decide which elements to include, before settling on a final composition. Each piece is painted on an MDF board which provides me with a smooth, texture free surface to work on. Acrylic paint is introduced once the overall structure of the building has been drawn in, using masking tape to achieve the straight lines.
Producing art in a very controlled way using rulers, calculators, protractors, set squares and masking tape might not be everyone’s idea of fun, but I get a lot of satisfaction from the precise and clean nature of the result!
Who would you cite as your creative influences?
David Hepher’s remarkable paintings of London tower blocks first introduced me to brutalist architecture and legitimised the painting of, what many perceive to be, ‘ugly’ buildings, as an acceptable subject matter. He often works at a big scale (sometimes 3-4 metres), and this enhances the imposing forms of the buildings he paints, which definitely influenced my choice to paint large paintings.
There are also a number of architects who influence my work, notably Le Corbusier. Much of his work successfully combines simple functionality whilst also being dramatic and interesting to look at, something I hope to achieve in my work.
Is your studio a creative mess or as ordered as your paintings?
This question made me laugh! The studio is pretty ordered and minimal, although probably not quite to the same extent as the paintings. I find that this helps me concentrate, too much clutter stresses me out!
And you’re selling prints of the paintings. Where can people buy these?
Yes I’m currently selling limited edition fine art prints of my two most recent paintings in a variety of sizes. I take great pride in my prints and each one is checked, signed, titled and numbered by myself.
They are available as either a paper print or a paper print mounted on aluminium dibond and can be viewed/purchased on my website: www.elliottpackham.com
Have you continued to paint during lockdown?
I paint from my studio at The Old Print Works in Balsall Heath and they very sensibly encouraged all unit holders to work from home unless it was impossible to do so. I’ve therefore limited my time there over the past few months.
Whilst I’ve managed to keep some momentum going on my latest piece, lockdown has given me the opportunity to focus on some other areas, such as creating my website and developing the prints. I am very much looking forward to getting back into the studio more regularly though!
Do you think lockdown has helped us to notice and appreciate the architecture around us?
I’ve not ventured back into the city yet, but I’ve seen some spectacular images of deserted Birmingham recently. The buildings and urban spaces seem so vast without people or traffic occupying them and it’s amazing to think that we’re capable of creating such impressive structures.
However as someone who usually looks at architecture from an artistic perspective, I think lockdown has ultimately made me more appreciative of most basic things it offers us. Whilst I might not find my little shared house or local supermarket particularly inspiring from a design perspective, I’m very thankful that they’ve allowed me to continue living in relative comfort and safety throughout this difficult time.
That being said, I’m sure that many people, myself included, feel like they know the architecture of their own home a bit too well by now!
With huge thanks to Elliott Packham for taking part in this interview. Photography by Ross Jukes.
Ruth x
The full blog post with a range images including shots of Elliot’s work in his studio can be found here. Ruth has a great variety of other posts on all things Bright and Brum.
When I started helping out at the OPW on a voluntary part time basis, one of the first things I was asked if I would be interested in was The Old Print Works’ contribution to the March Meet the Maker hashtag. The idea behind March Meet the Maker is to effectively allow makers a greater level of exposure as well as a chance to explain their work and process beyond the physical product of their endeavours. One of the problems that makers face in the internet age is anonymity. Often the makers’ work can be entirely functional and therefore the base idea and brain behind the product can be overlooked. This is a shame as, while work can often speak for itself, the nature of the process is lost on the consumer.
Woodwork by Jeremy Sykes
March Meet the Maker is simple but also manifold in purpose. Rather than simply advertising their wares to pre-existing followers it instead allows small artisanal businesses to enter a wider community on social media. One entirely maintained by fellow creatives. The idea was for me to gather together information and photos from makers in the building and release twice-weekly posts over Instagram focusing on individual makers.
As The Old Print Works plays host to numerous creatives all with varied skill sets, there was a treasure trove of fascinating arts and crafts to display over the month. One of the things that immediately stood out was the passion that all the makers shared for their work. As I wandered from room to room in order to get a broad overview of what each maker did, I was amazed by the level of enthusiasm with which people would take me through their process. In an age of mass manufacturing, it was a delight to see craftspeople take a great pride not just in their own work but the history and traditions of their craft.
Slip work pottery by Johh Chamberlain
After I had met a plethora of upholsterers, potters, seamstresses, carpenters and many more. When it came to assembling the actual Instagram posts I found that the amount of accompanying detail I now knew about each of the makers products could perhaps have filled pages. I was slightly reluctant condensing some of it down into more bite sized chunks of information. One of the things notable about the hashtag was the interest that the broader community of makers held towards each other’s work. Aside from the promotional aspect of the hashtag there exists a sense of bridge building between creatives who might otherwise be working entirely in isolation and oblivious to each other. This is one of the marvellous things about the OPW. The interconnected nature of the building means that while makers and other creatives can work with autonomy in their own space they can also be part of a wider gang of local creatives. This has proved to be invaluable in these unprecedented times where many of us are learning the value of community in isolation.
Since the lockdown began, activity in the OPW has understandably slowed. However some individual makers are still working away. Deb Day for instance who runs a Sewing Room has been working tirelessly from home throughout the crisis and has even produced scrubs and masks for those who need them. The Gap Arts Project have recently started supplying lone young refugees with free Iftar meals delivered to their doors. In these extraordinary times where many are feeling let down and abandoned, it is truly heart-warming to see people applying their individual skills to aid the wider community. It’s also apparent that we have a responsibility as residents who benefit from the vibrant atmosphere of South Birmingham to support the many local makers and creatives still working.
It was a real privilege for me to properly explore the OPW and meet so many of the craftspeople who work within it. As someone who spent his youth around Kings Heath, Moseley and Balsall Heath, I have a tendency to take the area for granted. Yet gathering info and photos for March Meet the Maker felt as though I’d peeled back the curtain and been allowed to see some of the cultural and creative work that makes this pocket of Birmingham so interesting.
I was joined by three other interns, all of us focusing on different approaches to learning about the building and Butchers Printed Products Ltd., the company who previously owned it. These approaches varied, including interviewing ex-workers to build up an oral history, as well as creating an accurate timeline for the history of the building.
As someone who is aiming to work in heritage, this was an extremely exciting opportunity for me to gain experience with an archival role and to take a lead when it came to managing a collection. Over the course of about a month, I was able to organise and categorise the collection, with my main focus being on creating a database of every object in the collection. This was in order to make it easier for others to see what we had in our collection, allowing others to explore these objects and the connection they have to the history of the building without having to sift through the piles. Although by museum standards it may be a fairly small collection, I still enjoyed working with the items, a great range of objects from each stage of transfer production, from a hefty lithostone, to the tiniest stickers.
Putting together the database really pushed me out of my comfort zone and I learned a lot more about the problems facing anyone trying to manage a collection, and how best to overcome these obstacles.
I was able to choose which objects to put on display, and then spent the day talking to the general public about how those items help us understand the history of the building. The open day was also lovely because many ex-workers attended the tea party thrown by the Old Print Works team, which gave me a wonderful opportunity to speak to these people and gain further insight into the collection and the history of the building. Talking to the workers really drove home the personal connections many of these people had with items in the collection, and with the building itself, and showed me that the building and the company it once housed were a key part of the local community. I’m very thankful to the Old Print Works team for giving me this opportunity to further develop myself as a museum professional and to get involved in expanding out knowledge of our local heritage.
Welcome to The Old Print Works. If you have lived around Balsall Heath for a long time, you may have known it as JH Butcher Ltd, manufacturing since the 1890s. “Tell the world who made it with Butcher’s Transfers” the globe over the gatepost used to suggest to passers-by. Butchers Printed Products (as it later became) moved out of the building to Redditch in 2009, leaving a huge vacant building in need of some love. The Old Prints Works is an increasingly important cultural, economic and social centre in Balsall Heath. But how did we get to this position?
The founder of The Old Print Works, Ian Greenwood, had for a long time harboured thoughts of creating a place for hand skills, community, making, skillshare, live-work, super-insulation, business start-ups and intergenerational learning, and saw an opportunity. After a quick scan of funding available and the receptivity of the high-street banks to financing such a project, he took the plunge and signed a lease on the building with a view to buying the building shortly after. Make It Sustainable Ltd, now approaching its 8th anniversary, was set up as a company and later a charity and took over the running of the building.
People started to catch Ian’s vision and to move into The Old Print Works – people who understood the need for making, art and community. Ort Café and the pottery were more visible examples, but there was a solid group of less visible makers working in studios hidden away, and fabulous characters such as the late, great Stan Newton. The historical significance of the building is recognised with its Grade II listing, alongside beautiful civic buildings on the Moseley Road, and one person coined what was starting to happen at The Old Print Works as ‘the missing Heart of Balsall Heath.’
As austerity became the order of the day with the new Conservative coalition government, funding became scarcer and a more cautious outlook on investment prevailed. More people moved in and sometimes out of The Old Print Works, but funding or finance to purchase the building remained out of reach. This made it harder also to secure funding for improvements to the building, which in turn drastically slowed the journey towards a sustainable economic model.
Despite the very slow upward curve, in 2016, when Ian said he could not financially support The Old Print Works beyond the next break clause in the lease, a difficult decision had to be made. We almost had to close, but the enthusiasm of the tenants, a small but significant reduction in the rent from the owners, some personal short-term loans and the downright doggedness of the trustee volunteers kept it going, and have continued to strengthen the finances since.
Now, there are over 50 people regularly working in the building and many more using the facilities every week. We are grateful that these people have seen beyond the shabby toilets, the occasional leak and the not-always-optimal temperatures. We see the synergies that happen when people work alongside like-minded others.
If you haven’t yet been to The Old Print Works, alongside the studios to let there are growing reasons to come, amongst them an excellent bike mechanic, the pottery, children’s wood- and metal-work,community textiles, traditional darkroom and photography, super-affordable co-working, yoga, a youth arts space and The Mix community cafe opening shortly.
Many people harbour thoughts about Balsall Heath that are out-of-date. Balsall Heath, like any person or place should be, is still learning and growing. Embracing its mottled history, its diverse ethnic mix and high indices of deprivation, it is shaking things up and telling a new story of solidarity, creativity and perseverance against the odds. Often overlooked by wider Birmingham, as ever, Balsall Heath is turning heads nationally. It’s a few years since the Prime Minister popped in, but the likes of The National Trust and Historic England are seriously interested in how Balsall Heath rolls, and how we do heritage.
A Business Angel told us a few years ago that our business didn’t stack up, and we should cut our losses. But there exist people (in Make It Sustainable and in the enterprises contained within The Old Print Works) who are willing to give themselves to community benefit at considerable personal cost – people like Gabriel Wer, Becky Belcherand Richard Newton come to mind, along with MIS volunteers and trustees. They don’t take the bank’s eye view of the balance sheet. They just stick their necks out and do what they believe in. Maybe the Heart of Balsall Heath is not a place, but a state of mind. Long may it live on. We, in The Old Print Works, intend to be an integral part of it.
Some people may not know but one of the driving aims behind The Old Print Works is to encourage hand skills: designing and making quality things for everyday use. We host a number of makers in the building and are always looking to attract more.
An oak box made by Jerry, one of our carpenters in the building
You may ask why this is necessary. We are going through a fourth industrial revolution where the power of digital, artificial intelligence and robots will lead to the replacing of many existing jobs. Many of the skilled jobs have already gone but more are sure to follow. Do we still need these skills?
Recently, an eminent surgeon, Professor Kneebone, complained that current students brought up on a diet of screen-based entertainment do not have the dexterity needed to sew up wounds, or the understanding of materials to know how much they can pull on an intestine or vein before it breaks. The professor, who teaches surgery to medical students, says young people need a more rounded education, including creative and artistic subjects, where they learn to use their hands.
The lack of practical hands-on skills as kids grow up is limiting and even though technology will increasingly take over the mundane and the repetitive tasks, there will still be need and scope for the bespoke and the beautiful hand crafted pieces of work. The box shown, made by one of our carpenters, is a case in point. He has power tools to help him but the corners/tenons on this still needed the precise hand-eye coordination of a skilled carpenter.
Speaking of starting young, one of our unit partners, Richard Newton, a Montessori trained teacher of over 30 years, takes children of primary school age and younger in his CDT-X sessions and gets them making a myriad of wooden objects. It is amazing what they can make at such tender ages.
The focus on hand skills also supports one of our other aims - the aim to promote a less wasteful, more sustainable life. As we move to a society that recycles more and values secondhand items the need for hand skills and an understanding of the practical and the physical in bringing items back into use will become more important. No longer should we throw away items that have stopped working. One of our volunteers lovingly restored this classic 1960’s hand-cranked sewing machine which is now back in full working order.
‘New’ Alfa sewing machine in our textiles workshop
We are also keen to help tackle social exclusion. We are based in one of the poorest areas of the country – Balsall Heath in South Birmingham. Research has shown that that learning such skills from each other in informal settings is a great way to overcome social isolation and feelings of worthlessness. The Mens Shed movement is an example of this where men and women get together to create practical, useful and beautiful things. We want to set one of these up and if anyone out there is itching to take a lead we will happily talk to them. Daily Thread is our textiles group, running regular sessions with a range of local people sharing their skills in a empowering and supportive community. This quote from one of our regulars sums up the social and emotional benefits of these sessions:
“I am usually tired and worn out from work when I arrive, but textiles night never fails to be life-giving. I always leave refreshed and thankful I came.”
We are also lucky enough to host the rapidly-growing Sundragon Pottery who cater for both beginners and expert potters in a friendly supportive environment. There are very affordable options.
So whilst digital is great and opens up a host of opportunities for young and old alike there are many reasons to not give up on hand skills. Digital can play its part in spreading hand skills knowledge as youtube videos on how to repair items are a real boon.
If you are a designer-maker (jeweller, ceramicist, carpenter or whatever) and you want a space to work, please bear us in mind. If you are interested in sharing or learning skills and want to put time into developing something, do get in touch. We want to hear from you.
Birmingham Open Studios run by ArtsBrum begins this weekend for a second year. Held over the two weekends of the 8th-9th and 15th-16th, the event enables artists of all abilities to display their work and engage with the public. I spent an afternoon with one of the artists, Melanie Berman who is based in The Old Print Works, discussing both her own work and the Open Studios.
Melanie, who works under the name Metallix, draws and embosses designs onto sheets of pewter and more recently copper to create unique and original art work, including wall pieces and mirror frames. She has been based at The Old Print Works for three years, initially creating figures such as fairies using plastic bottles. She first began experimenting with pewter in her home country of South Africa last year, learning her craft from a local teacher in Cape Town, who gives classes twice a week. Melanie enjoyed working with pewter because of the ability to shape a form from the raw metal as well as the smoothness of the metal itself. She returned to the UK and discovered she was one of only two artists who works with pewter in the UK, so initially had to travel periodically back to South Africa just to collect the material! Melanie also sells at crafts fairs across the region and runs workshops from her studio in The Old Print Works. During workshops, people can learn the basic skills of working with the metal with different tools in the making a notebook and pen, with guidance from Melanie.
Melanie will be exhibiting her work at The Old Print Works during the Open Studios weekend. Birmingham Open Studios began only last year, with 25 artists spread over 12 locations. However, it has gone from strength to strength over the past year, more than doubling the number of artists taking part! This year, 57 artists from across Birmingham will be taking part, with 10 artists based in the Upper Gallery and surrounding workshops of The Old Print Works. Open Studios allows the artists the space in which to exhibit and promote their craft to the public and within the local community. This year, Open Studios also coincides with Birmingham Heritage Week which runs from the 7th to the 17th of September which highlights local history and includes Moseley Baths across the road. A program listing the artists and their studios can be found on the ArtsBrum website. We hope that all you local art lovers will feel enthused to come along and visit artists exhibiting across South Birmingham including The Old Print Works!
We are proud to announce that our first Open Submission Exhibition “Home” is open 21st July - 12pm, in the Old Print Works, Upper Gallery! This exhibition features 15 contemporary artists exhibiting their art work exploring their interpretation of the theme “Home”. It is free entry – so come along and look at the amazing work which has been created by some exceptional artists! It runs up until Friday August 3rd - opening Tuesday - Saturday 12-5pm.
Si was born in Cornwall but raised in Birmingham. He has graduated from Bournville School of Arts in 2001 and BIAD in 2004. After this he went on to a successful career a Commercial Illustrator where he collected various accolades and featured in a plethora of publications.
10 years later, he decided to focus more on the creative practice as a Graphic Artist. In his time being a Graphic Artist, Si has shown work in the V&A Museum, had shows at Giant Robot New York, Weiden & Kennedy Portland, Projekts Gallery Manchester Barber Co., Mankind Barbers & Medicine Gallery, Birmingham. He has also been invited to exhibit the Tour de France in Paris by Le Coq Sportif and exhibited at two exhibitions in Germany. Si has also painted one of the fibreglass bears (Sonny the Sun Bear) at the Custard Factory for the charity – ‘Wild in Art’ in collaboration with Birmingham Children Hospital. Since 2004, Si has co-curated the artists co-op Outcrowd Collective, staging various exhibitions around the UK and been in collaboration with ‘Capsule’.
Si would say his biggest accomplishment is exhibiting at the MMK Frankfurt and having a piece of work from an exhibition specifically orchestrated and curated for kids acquired and held in the Private Collection of the MIK Ludwigsburg, Germany.
Si believes that the theme “Home” for this exhibition brings forward many connotations. He believes that the physical body of ‘Home’ for himself is his mother’s magical birth canal. Therefore, he decided to discover avenues to explore this notion by taking a series of quick sketches in duration of 30 minutes. These sketches played on the concept of body being home to not just himself but the consciousness. Two artworks by Si was accepted for the exhibition. The first one shows the human (himself) housing / carrying round another human (his past self). The second shows the foundation of human civilisation / evolution by hands and feet. It’s fundamentally a piece of mobile human architecture, that comes and goes as it pleases.
His motivation behind the work was just to play out an idea and explore what is possible within the theme and hopefully producing something unique yet universally identifiable. Si’s process for this work was starting with his usual method of using his pencil first. However, due to time and other commitments he opted to sketch digitally for the original concepts. After feedback and selection, he took the two selected sketches back to the analogue, this was to create one image in pencil for the exhibition flyer and poster, and then referencing the sketches, he scaled them up to AO format – using pencil, oil stick, acrylic and charcoal on 240 gsm fine art paper as the medium/s to complete the final art works.
Jessica is originally from California but currently living in Edinburgh. She currently has private collections of art work around the USA, Europe and Austria, but also enjoys sharing her love for art through teaching. Jessica has a two-year-old son and is therefore inspired by the connection between art making and motherhood. Due to this she has most recently participated in: Artist-In-Residency in Motherhood and Spilt Milk – a collective of artist-mums. In 2012, Jessica won an Abbey Award Fellowship in Painting at the British School at Rome where she spent 3 months in Italy researching the history of the female nude. She then went on to winning a year long housing a studio grant front the Roswell Artist in Residence Program, where she produced a large body of work concluding in a solo exhibit at the Roswell Museum and Art Centre.
The work which Jessica Kirkpatrick has produced for the exhibition ‘HOME’ is out of her most recent series of work in which she depicts American suburban homes immersed in Scottish landscape, mythical drama or as a memory. As Jessica paints she attempts to integrate her identity, her houses she portrays in her Edinburgh studio reveal her nostalgic longing for her childhood in California.
Jessica states that when it comes to painting, no matter the theme, her artistic purpose is to experience the deep flow of creation and to impart that state of presence in the world. She desires to make art that creates more community and connection. She starts with a digital collage process and creates watercolour studies from the collage. From his she then makes several paintings slowly over a few months, where they may be sanded down and reworked or in other cases the piece matures fluidly.
Tamara Tolley works as a full-time artist in their family flat in the Barbican Estate in London. Tamara is inspired by the forms and shapes of her brutalist landscape but also by what she refers to as “the colour of concrete”. She claims that the Barbican and the City is her home - It is what she eats, breathes and paints. She is interested in how an individual can find comfort and make a home in the City. She states that we each carve out a small space to live but the wider City can become part of our lives as well. (To read more about the Barbican from Tamara’s artistic view, go to www.greyscape.com) Along with this, Tamara has also been exploring the relationship between the natural and urban environment and has noticed the way nature can take over in her Estate.
Tamara’s says that one of her big accomplishments was her first exhibition. A year ago, she first entered her work in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition where it was accepted and was sold within the first five minutes of the show to a Swedish collector. This suddenly made her a Professional Artist. However, Tamara believes her main accomplishment is being able to start and continue an art career at home whilst also being a mother to three children.
Tamara is interested in what “Home” is meant in a large city. She came to London when she was 16 and since then London has become her home. Tamara also believes that anonymity in a city can be liberating and that you can reinvent yourself in a City and find what it is that makes you feel at home. The urban environment is like an extended family to Tamara. She feels that she has a connection with what everyone does. The motivation behind the work Tamara is exhibiting is “The City is my Home” and she chooses to show this in many ways – exploring it, critiquing it, satirising it, but always attached to the idea of how the individual carves the space and a feeling of attachment to her landscape.
As a busy wife and mother, Tamara is used to recycling and making use of what lies in the home. The work for this exhibition have been painted on recycled, reversed palette papers. They are double framed, so the back – and her process – can be observed if you turn the paintings around. Holding them up against the light, they can show varying images. By recycling and reversing fragile and heavily encrusted papers and recycling the paint, her work captures the light and colours from previous work – memories of past work becomes a part of new work which then again, become part of new work, in a continuous cycle. Tamara also uses charcoal in her work. Tamara believes these processes add to what she sees as a rustic, raw and homely feel to her work.
Sylvia Chan was born and bred in Hong Kong, where she loved the vibrant and business of the city. However, she chose to come to the UK (currently living in Birmingham) where she can fulfil her education and career in Arts & Design, as she could see how creative mindsets can be destroyed in a heavily commercialised culture.
Community Arts are one of her new identified passion, as it justifies the function of what arts should be. Her first involvement in Community Arts Project was in an Oral History Project which took place in 2014 – “Chinese Lives in Birmingham” – using recording, videography and photography, capturing the migration story of the Chinese community in Birmingham. At the beginning of this year, Sylvia took on the tole of Co-ordinator for “Arts In The Yard”- the local Arts Forum for Yardley District, where she was able to experience further on how we can use arts to empower our community. Sylvia Chan would say her biggest accomplishment is raising her two beautiful children. She loves her work, but it would always come second to her personal life.
Sylvia is using street photography in her work for the exhibition, her style and approach is heavily influenced by Henri Cartier-Bresson’s work. Using 35mm film and natural daylight to capture the pivotal moment. She simply just wants to capture the way people are. Her motivation behind the work is to capture the people and the people that she loves. She believes photography is a great tool to capture moments and turn them into a unique ‘visual eternity’. Sylvia is fascinated by people and their experience, especially people from the older generation and says their hardship and endurance is amazing.
Sylvia says that she started her work for the exhibition with an open mindset, as you never know what to expect on the street. She chose to be bold, load the camera properly and just simply go for it. She also states that it can get quite technical in the film development and dark room processing – therefore shares a special thanks to Dan and Martin from Some Cities for the help and technical advice!
The Old Print Works is proud to announce the first Open Submission Exhibition “Home”. Opening Saturday 21st July 2018 – Friday 3rd August 2018.
Bethany Nugent will manage the curation of the exhibition. She began working on curatorial projects whilst studying her undergraduate degree at Nottingham Trent University in Photography, where she graduated last year. Bethany then went on to complete an internship with Ort Gallery working on the exhibition “Ghost Streets of Balsall Heath” in collaboration with Flat Pack Film Festival and the University of Birmingham. After this she was then offered the opportunity to become curatorial manager of submission-based exhibitions at the Old Print Works.
For this exhibition, Bethany has said “Home” is the perfect place to start with as it it reflects what the Old Print Works is all about, community and creativity here in Birmingham.
She expressed that where we live influences the work we create, “…it always has, from Van Gogh painting ‘Starry Night’ from a mental hospital, to Piet Mondrian who fled Paris for New York during WWII and painted ‘Broadway Boogie Woogie’, our home can strongly influence our creative output.” We invite artists to submit work which explores the meaning of home. What makes a place feel like a home? What is significant about that place? It might be the people they live with or the area they come from.
There is not one specific thing which Bethany is looking for in this open exhibition, she is more interested in the motive behind the work being submitted. Therefore, everyone is invited to take part.
A selection panel will choose one winner in this exhibition who will be awarded the opportunity to hold a solo exhibition at the Old Print Works during the week of September 8th-15th.
To apply you must fill out an application form which is available to download at: http://www.oldprintworks.org/exhibition, once filled out please email to bethany@oldprintworks.org
The submission fee is £15 for external applicants and £12.50 for internal applicants. All successful artists will be notified by Sunday 8th July 2018.
The Transfer co-working space is a wonderful place to work away from home without distractions. With a retro-style work space, you have a choice of seating from comfy chairs or sofas through to work desks of all different sizes and styles. You receive a friendly, laid-back welcome, free Wi-Fi and refreshments. It’s a great space both to socialise around the regular shared lunches but also to concentrate to get those deadlines met! Better yet – membership fees are affordable!
What do the co-workers think?
We have a great handful of dedicated co-workers who love it here at The Transfer. So, what does The Transfer mean to them?
Shannon, Graphic Designer.
Shannon has been co-working at The Transfer for a couple of years now. She said that she loves to be here as it has a lot of character, a funky atmosphere with lots of plants and books. It really has that community feel. Shannon loves that new people constantly come in as well as having the regular faces every day. The option of a shared lunch helps take your mind off work for a bit and socialise. It has also been very convenient for her as it is only a 20-minute walk away from home. She spends a couple of days working at home as well as at The Transfer to mix it up a bit but prefers to co-work as it keeps her from being distracted but is also a bit more of a livelier environment.
Alison, writer.
Alison gave herself the mission to write a book. To do this she needed a co-working space which was flexible for her needs, kept her from distractions but also had a great friendly atmosphere. The Transfer was the place for this. Alison has co-worked at a few other places but found that The Transfer had that balance of a nice community atmosphere but also a friendly one for people to communicate with, share ideas and have lunch with. The friendly and sociable hosts also make it a very nice and comfortable place to be. Alison has been here for 18 months on and off as for her job she may not always need a co-working space. Fortunately, The Transfer has been the perfect space to supply these needs.
Ed, Translator.
Ed has been here since September 2017. Before joining The Transfer, he used to work at home or in a cafe or library. He felt other co-working spaces were more corporate and did not offer the laid back, friendly atmosphere which The Transfer did. He said he doesn't like the typical office environment and here, he is a lot more active and gets so much more work done! He also expressed that it is a different atmosphere to the average co-working spaces and believes it is more informal and casual which is what he has been looking for. It is also only a 30-minute bike ride away from where he lives and he typically spends about 3 days a week co-working here.
Are you still unsure whether The Transfer is for you? Try our one-day free trial to see if it is your cup of tea! Book a trial run here: http://www.oldprintworks.org/book/co-working or simply drop us an email or pop in for a chat to find out more!
Seed Furniture is a bespoke design company, based at The Old Print Works, that utilises the skills of trained professionals to create unique products. They design and manufacture innovative and creative furniture and joinery for domestic and commercial uses. They rebuild and fit in shops, restaurants and bars. Jamie Begg, the owner, first started this business 7 years ago in his basement at home. All work was coming from family, friends and word of mouth and he did not find the need to market his work. In his second year, he came to The Old Print Works for a bigger, more practical space to work from. He first moved here 6 years ago, where he shared his space with his friend Rob who he studied with at Birmingham City University. Jamie is now the second longest serving tenant at The Old Print Works.
Unfortunately, Jamie has now out-grown his space here. He will be moving to Digbeth where he will have more space for his business to grow and more space to accommodate his two apprentices. However, Jamie has expressed that leaving The Old Print Works has been a very difficult decision. He would stay if his business was not expanding but unfortunately the space is no longer big enough. The unit at The Old Print Works has been a great space for Jamie’s business to expand in, where he can just get his head down and work and be the perfect factory for his messy work. Jamie also expressed how much the community at The Old Print Works is what he loved about being there. There have been loads of small businesses who have come and gone in his time at The Old Print Works, and a great selection of skilled people. He has managed to find work from people in the building and made friends with others where he can go to chat with and take his mind off his work when needed and even make friends with neighbours on the street.
Jamie is very thankful for being given the opportunity to stay at The Old Print Works and help let his business grow here.
Website: www.thebirchboys.com
Email: info@thebirchboys.com
If you are interested in renting a unit here at the Old Print Works, take a look at some of our vacant workshops: http://www.oldprintworks.org/work-at-opw/. They are ideal for those who are makers or artists and like to get messy in their work! Don’t hesitate to contact us for more information.
I don’t think there is a better feeling than being able to bring the community together by experiencing different cultures, talents and creativity. This Sunday (22nd April) opens the “We are Balsall Heath” Street Market! The market will run 11am-4pm and Moseley Road will be closed to motor traffic all day for this occasion, for the community and all cultures to come together. There will be market stalls, poetry, music, craft, art, heritage trails, international food hub and artistic experiences (including opera!) – to name just a few!
The social enterprise MELA has a mission to bridge cultures through the creative design and use of public meeting places. They seek to transform Moseley Road as a meeting place for the neighbourhood. MELA started an intercultural project last year called “Balsall Heath in Conversation”. In this project Ana de Matos and Dan Burwood from Some Cities (which is based in The Old Print Works) engaged with people on how Moseley Road can become a meeting place and capture personal stories about living together in a community. Ana de Matos is a visual ethnographer which meant she used her camera to capture these stories. One way they managed to get people talking in the area was through the use of a pop-up juice bar. This project was to help develop new relationships and networks in the area and create a meeting place on the Moseley Road. The juice bar had three types of juice which were about the past, present and future. This therefore was able to help strike conversation in the neighbourhood, create relationships and connections. Below are some of the portraits created by Dan Burwood and Ana de Matos as a result of their conversations on Moseley Road.
The “We are Balsall Heath” market is a follow up of Balsall Heath in Conversation. It will be a fun packed day with a lot happening! The street market will be supporting the Balsall Heath Cook Book launch, where local chefs will be cooking their special recipes. Gymmy’s Grill will also be participating with their healthy BBQ! The street market will include emerging artists and installations on the day, communities and organisations will open their doors selling products and consulting with local people and The Old Print Works will have our own stall.
It will definitely be something you will not want to miss out on, with an expectation of around 6,000 people! Balsall Heath coming together as one – sharing all different creative talents, independent businesses, art and culture.
It is also not too late to set your own stall up if you want to promote your business or sell your products! It’s an amazing opportunity to get your name out there and make some connections! To find out more, follow the link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/intercultural-street-market-tickets-43785398305
Balsall Heath in Conversation
From a young age, in fact for as long as I can remember, the natural world and the ‘state’ of the environment has been a major part of me and the way I lived and thought about things, ultimately shaping my direction in life to make me who I am today. It all started with David Attenborough documentaries on BBC2 on a Sunday night, followed by a wonderful teacher at primary school who taught the class ‘Nature’. She had red hair in a long thick plait, she wore sandals, she smiled a lot, and she loved leaves and trees, insects and sticklebacks, with as much enthusiasm as a child did. And I knew then that that was what I wanted to do - I went home and told my mum I wanted to be a naturist. She was quick to check what I meant, wondering what on earth they were teaching me at school, and with some relief she told me that the word I was looking for was a naturalist. She still reminds me of that now.
So, I carried on watching David Attenborough, I carried on worrying about all the alarming global warming reports that no one seemed interested in, I filled my bedroom with house plants and seedlings and fish and anything else I could get away with. I studied all sciences at school then I went to university and did a degree and PhD in environmental science. I focussed on using natural processes to clean up the contamination that we have caused in so many industrial areas across the UK, a job that I still do now and get great satisfaction from. I got an allotment. I foraged and upcycled, recycled and cycled and generally tried to minimise my environmental impact as much as possible. But at no point did I think that I was anything more than an environmental scientist who cared about the natural world. Until I heard about permaculture.
‘Every person needs to have a piece of garden, however small, to keep them in touch with the earth and therefore something deeper in themselves...’ Carl Jung, 1875-1961.
This is a quote taken from the introduction to a super book that I was bought for my birthday recently, The Permaculture Garden, by Graham Bell. I had been wondering for a few months, ‘what’s all this permaculture malarkey about’; it’s a word that seemed to be popping up in conversations and on the news and I was intrigued. If you ‘google it’, you get the origin of the word: Permanent Agriculture. If you delve deeper, you are bombarded with a myriad of definitions, relating to the ethics, the principles and the design of permaculture, when all I really wanted was a basic definition. So I started to read my book to find out what is permaculture? It’s a framework for creating sustainable ways of living, a practical method of developing ‘ecologically harmonious, efficient and productive systems’ that anyone can use.
I realised that I was actually a closet permaculturist, not a naturist, and was keen to learn more. I heard about the permaculture design workshop that The Old Print Works is hosting this weekend and I knew I had to go. It’s a 2-day course, designed to explain the principles of permaculture on the first day, then how we can apply it on the second day. It all sounds relatively informal, with shared lunches (sounds like a lucky dip!) all set in The Transfer coworking space. If you are anything like me (or nothing like me) and the thought of minimising your environmental footprint, being that bit more sustainable, working with nature rather than being ambivalent or even against, interests you, then maybe you should also come along?
If you would like to come on the permaculture course this weekend, you can book here.
Photos above are:
Beetroot risotto with nasturtium salad. Homegrown beetroot. Foraged nasturtium
Quiche made with homegrown rainbow chard
My friend Hannah proudly showing the 47 new Jerusalem artichoke tubers resulting from one tuber planted last February
Courgette and nut breakfast loaf - wholesome and delicious
Theatre is fast becoming a staple theme at The Old Print Works. With our quirky and intimate Drawing Room venue, there have been some fabulous performances that take on a particularly Old Print Works flavour and we are really pleased to announce that more is afoot very soon, with Elephant by The Rep this Saturday and a theatre residency. Read below about how it all started and what's coming up.
It's been really exciting over the past couple of years to build up a relationship with the Birmingham Rep. The first time they performed in our cosy Drawing Room in 2016 as part of their Barry Jackson tour, it was Folk, by Tom Wells. The unlikely relationship between three people, one being a nun, strengthens as the play unfolds in this hilarious and not-so-holy story of empathy, generosity, hope and coming together when the world is turned upside down.
The Rep performed at The Old Print Works twice in 2017. First, it was Stories To Tell In the Middle of the Night, an exciting play written and performed by the critically acclaimed Francesca Millican-Slater. This amusing and gripping collection of short, quirky tales is reminiscent of Roald Dahl's stories for adults. Dreamlike and darkly humorous, this live, late night radio show is inspired by the legendary radio shows of Ronnie Wood and Iggy Pop and includes tales of everything from love and obsession to technology and disconnection. Not to mention pork pies. Having played to rave reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, this unforgettable production from one of the country's most exciting performers came to The Old Print Works in the Spring.
We welcomed back the Birmingham Rep in the autumn with I Knew You by Steven Camden (aka spoken word artist Polarbear). The highly anticipated second play from the Birmingham-born writer is a powerful look at family dynamics which asks if we can ever really escape our past. Angela is edging closer to retirement. Then it will just be her, her cat and ready meals for one. Her son Nathan is struggling with being a stay-at-home dad. It's not as if he's had a role model. The closest he's got to his dad in twenty years was a Google search. When Angela has a chance encounter with 'her Patrick', she is torn about whether or not to introduce him to the son he walked out on and the grandson he's never met. But Patrick has some news that may force her to decide. I Knew You featured Lorna Laidlaw (BBC Doctors) and was directed by Daniel Bailey.
Hot on the heels of the Rep performing were Cucumber Writers with Old Print, New Voices, a series of short plays inspired by the history of The Old Print Works and its surroundings. 4 new plays from emerging playwrights performed as rehearsed readings in the beautiful Drawing Room.
But more about our latest news. We are really pleased to announce a residency here at The Old Print Works of Happenchance Theatre, a young theatre company dedicated to finding truth in comedy, comedy in tragedy, and improvisation in everything. During their residency they plan to host a whole load of brilliant events and opportunities, including artist and community workshops, Shakespeare gig theatre, variety scratch nights, and premieres of exciting original theatre. Happenchance love making genre-bending and audience-engaging shows in unusual rooms and atmospheric spaces, so they’ll fit right in at The Old Print Works. You can find them through social media (t:@happenchancers) and we’ll be posting about events coming up you can get involved in.
And finally, we have the Birmingham Rep back, this coming Saturday for their fourth touring performance with us. This time it’s Elephant by award-winning playwright Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti. Vira hasn't seen her sister Deesh for years. Deesh's kids, Amy and Bill, want to know why but nobody's telling them anything. When Deesh invites her sister to Amy's flashy party, Vira reckons it's time to come home and move on. Time to stop watching the telly, get out of her council flat, stick on a glitzy sari and embrace her nearest and dearest. But is it possible to forgive and forget? And when a family is built on lies, will it be destroyed by the truth? Directed by the Royal Court's Associate Director, Lucy Morrison, the tour of Elephant is supported by the Sir Barry Jackson Trust. Book here for this very affordable theatre event.
So keep watching our website and social media for further theatrical events at The Old Print Works, or get in touch if you would like to talk to us about using our Drawing Room for yours.
It is a while since I blogged on Urban Pivot about the Rise Of Collaborative Working in Birmingham and I thought, given some significant new players, I would revisit the post and update it.
It is interesting to note, as described in a recent FT article, that a co-working provider in London is the single largest taker of space recently in central London. Birmingham’s co-working scene is nowhere near as developed or as commercialised as in London but it is growing.
First on my list and at the heart of The Old Print Works is The Transfer co-working space. This started in 2016 and has formed its own niche and focuses on attracting local co-workers active in community, sustainability and social enterprise fields. Based in the heart of the old factory, surrounded by artists and makers, it is a calm, soothing, unpretentious space with a great bunch of co-workers. It is local to me and many of my fellow workers, in one of the most interesting areas of the city, Balsall Heath, and it perhaps is the most affordable space in the city. If you tire of your work, there is a comfy area, a lunch room and a terrace. If your legs need further stretching, then you have Moseley Yoga, Ort Gallery, Sundragon Pottery and The GAP within the building. Across the road is the beautiful Moseley Road Baths, still open for swimming. Why not drop by The Transfer for a free trial day? Check it out here.
The Transfer co-working space
Much as I love The Transfer and everything that is happening in Balsall Heath in general, I do recognise that there are other kids on the block – and some new major players are emerging. First lets pay tribute to two of the founder members of this club:
The Moseley Exchange was the first co-working space in Birmingham and remains popular. It sprang out of the Moseley Community Development Trust. It benefits from having a real bounty of local cafes and eateries within a stone's throw and it hosts exhibitions of art work in the space. It hosts a range of freelancers - take a look at some of their members here.
Impact Hub Birmingham is now well established as the market leader in Birmingham, having made its presence felt in the city since its launch in Digbeth in 2015. It is probably the space with the highest membership and a panoply of events and challenges. Its ethos is not just about co-working and collaboration but is seeking to use the power of people coming together to start to tackle some societal problems. It is part of a worldwide network of hubs with thousands of members which brings wider benefits for globe-trotting co-workers.
There are other spaces that we don’t hear much about including Boxxed, based in Digbeth, and the The Loft Workspace, a space with a strong community and charity focus located in the Jericho Foundation in Balsall Heath. Birmingham Open Media, currently closed for refurbishment, is a not-for-profit facility also opened in 2015 and is focussed on collaborative working in the fields of art, technology and science.
New entrants
Innovation Birmingham has opened up Serendip, a co-working space and incubator based in the brand new iCentrum building in Aston Science Park. This state-of-the-art facility does not want for facilities and bandwidth and is open 24/7. The Engine based in Digbeth is the other new entrant open 24 hours, based in an old factory refurbished to a very high spec. Whereas Serendip appears slick and hi-tech, The Engine is more modern chic and Shoreditch.
The University of Birmingham also have BizzInn based in their Research Park; this facility includes hot-desking and a range of other facilities to encourage business start-ups.
Forthcoming spaces
Two big players are getting on board.
Birmingham City University’s new facility called STEAMhouse is due to open very soon. A co-working space will be part of the first phase of this major facility in Digbeth. STEAMhouse believes in putting the A (Art) in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). Like The Old Print Works, STEAMhouse will combine digital with making, and knows that one without the other makes little sense.
Breaking news is that the Custard Factory (perhaps the most logical place for a co-working space over the last decade) are aiming to get on trend by opening a co-working space later in 2018.
So Birmingham is buoyant with this new type of workspace. This can only be good news for the city. Please let me know if there are others I have missed.
STOP PRESS:
And another new one. AlphaWorks has recently opened at the top of Alpha Tower just off Broad Street. A high-end facility with great views of the city from the 21st and 22nd floors of this landmark building.
And if you wanted to find out the fascinating history behind the rise of co-working globally take a look at this interesting article.
Patrick Willcocks
patrick@oldprintworks.org
Co-workers often share lunches at The Transfer
It is that time of year when in the aftermath of Christmas it is appropriate to take a moment to reflect on the year just past and the year ahead. 2017 has been a very positive year for The Old Print Works. We have seen many of the organisations based in The Old Print Works thrive.
The GAP Arts Project moved in early in the year and, together with a really active Ort Gallery, they have excelled in arts provision and community engagement. Moseley Yoga, again new to OPW in 2017 has gone from strength to strength with a wide range of yoga courses on regularly throughout the week, with some fabulous deals to make yoga affordable for all. Hidden away at the back of the building, and standing firm in the face of waning provision in Birmingham, is Sundragon Pottery. A membership-based makerspace since 2014, they started putting on regular pottery courses in 2017 which have proved a real success.
There are many individual businesses and artists who have used OPW as a base and who continue to grow and others who have recently relocated to us. To name a few, Jamie makes fabulous bespoke pieces at Seed Furniture, Hermon from Erokaworld is a maker of unusual clocks and tables, Jon is a restorer of heritage buildings, which you can see here, and Jonnie is using OPW as a base for his PhD work.
Many of you will have seen the new sign that was a long time in coming as we toyed with different designs that tied in with our old logo. In the end, we decided to go for a full rebrand, and were much happier with an all new design based around a new logo. Manufacturing and implementation constraints delayed us further, but we partnered with one of OPW's skilled makers to finish it just before Christmas and we love it! Let us know what you think. We are sad to see that Clifton Steel, who cut the aluminium for us, are closing down.
We have invested, with the support of a grant from Birmingham City Council, in super cycle parking facilities in front of Ort Cafe and The GAP and also in the courtyard, which includes lighting and a repair station. A grant from the Positive Futures Fund will help us to expand The GAP's arts space.
We had two performances from The Rep, as part of their Barry Jackson tours, and also Cucumber Writers put on an evening of short plays about The Old Print Works. We hope to develop more of this activity in 2018, already having The Rep booked in again.
Birmingham Rep's production of
'I Knew You.'
We have had many people use our spaces as backdrops for filming. This great film by Koala TV promoting dance was filmed largely at OPW.
We have had growth in attendances at Daily Thread, our community textiles sessions, and have opened up some new times with the help of a couple of great volunteers. We also have seen The Transfer co-working space become a favourite location for many local freelancers and people who previously worked from home.
So in 2018 we hope this growth continues. 18 months ago we were close to closure but we took a collective risk, which has slowly paid off. In revenue terms, Make It Sustainable, the charity that runs OPW, is now stable and getting better. We have made significant progress in trying to purchase the building. We were offered a loan from the Arts Impact Fund (AIF - a fund supported by NESTA and the Arts Council). This has lapsed as we ran out of time piecing together the other funds we needed but we are still very hopeful of financing the purchase in 2018 as we are still in contact with AIF, and also with the Local Enterprise Partnership and a number of other potential funders. So the prospects are good.
We are undertaking the development of a 5-year strategy as we know we still have a long way to travel. Our ambitious vision is outlined below, and we will be looking in the early months of 2018 in more detail with the board, our unit partners and associates at how we can work together to make it happen. If you have views that you want to put across do email them to us on info@oldprintworks.org.
What should be the characteristics of The Old Print Works in 5 years' time?
A versatile building that works & welcomes
An inspiring & confident image
Part of a thriving local cultural offer (adding economically to the area)
A happy & successful internal community (both community facing and business oriented partners)
A centre for making, having an social impact in the local area
A proud heritage building demonstrating a sustainable footprint
Wishing you a very happy New Year.
