Last week, in an effort to contribute something constructive to the Big City Plan consultation that’s about to begin, I put forward the idea that Digbeth should have 20 buildings painted from top to bottom by artists to put it on the map, nationally and internationally, as a place where art and creativity happens. I cited the old DEP studios and neighbour on Fazeley St and the Custard Factory as great examples of this already in existence. I’d be interested in your opinions (and, if you have any ideas of your own for how Birmingham might develop them, start putting them on your blogs - they will, I’m told, be read and taken on board.)

In the comments on that post local historian and all round good bloke Richard Trengrouse sounded an alarm bell:

The draft conservation strategy for Digbeth is very much against murals or the painting of buildings. In fact it seems to imply that all murals including the one on the FOE gable end and the painted elevations of the Custard Factory should be scrubbed back to the brickwork. This not yet City Council policy but if it is not amended at this stage it could put paid to a lot of interesting developments in the area.

So I went a digging through the council’s websites and after a while came across the page for the Digbeth/Deritend Conservation Area which contains a PDF draft document for which the public consultation lasted from October 6th to November 14th. Oops. Must have missed the memo on that one. But it still makes for interesting reading. You can download it here (2.8mb) or read it in this handy embedded box:

Now I’m not expert at reading government documents but a quick search didn’t lead me to anything specific about the Custard Factory needing to be scrubbed down to the original brickwork other than this section under Loss, Attrition and Intrusion on page 34:

9. The bright painted brickwork of the Custard Factory on Heath Mill Lane and Gibb Street dominates views of the Old Crown public house as seen from beyond the conservation area boundary on Deritend High Street.

It’s worth remembering that this document has at its heart the conservation of historic Digbeth which “contains the most significant remnants of mediaeval settlement in Birmingham including the fifteenth century Guildhall of St John (now the Old Crown public house). These early townscape elements are of considerable significance in the history of Birmingham’s development and were of particular importance in the designation of the area.” So this is not so much about the future development of the area as making sure that development doesn’t destroy what is currently there. A similar conflict occurs in the City of London where the Museum of London Archaeology Service works to prevent the destruction of historically significant sites by commercial development. This is valuable and essential work but a balance does need to be struck between the preservation of the past and the move into the future. Devonshire House, a listed building, should rightly not be painted bright purple but does that mean the other buildings shouldn’t be resplendent in yellow, pink, blue and green?

This document is, don’t forget, a draft and not council policy. While the initial consultation has passed you can still contact the Planning Department with any ideas or opinions you may have. And if you decide to blog them leave a link in the comments after this post.

It’s worth pointing out that while I’ve tried to keep this post neutral any opinions you might pick up are my own and don’t represent the Custard Factory management who, for all I know, have been involved with the document from the outset. I provide this information as a service to residents and workers in the area.

Ammo at Punch Records sent through this 11 minute video report on the BASS Festival which I’ve uploaded for your viewing pleasure:

Also, congratulations to Ammo for being selected for the Couvoisier Future 500 network.

You may remember the utterly fantastic video flyer for Louis Den’s Beat Cypher in October. Well, they’re doing another one on Thursday 11th November at Rootys (MySpace, Facebook) and have done another video promoting it. Here tis:

And here’s the more traditional one:

Last week artist Ian Cook was building a Christmas tree at the Custard Factory commissioned by Poundland made of their own products. It’s finished and the tree is currently on show at The Studio on Cannon Street before Poundland launch it to the press next week. Here’s a photo!

Fancy taking to the stage and treading the boards in 2009? Then Class Act may be the ones for you…

Haven’t blogged any of Tom Horton’s club photographs for a while now, so here’s a nice wee set from Eardum on November 28th:

The Studio4 gallery at the Custard Factory gets a nice profile in The Guardian’s Urban Undiscovered microsite.

Future Systems’ dramatic, aluminium-clad Selfridges building in the new Bullring Centre may be the icon of Birmingham’s inner city regeneration, but the real seed of the city’s cultural rebirth has been sown 10 minutes down the road in Digbeth. The old Bird’s Custard Factory is now home to 20,000 sq metres of club, theatre, media and workshop space – among it, a small but vibrant gallery called Studio4, the nerve centre of Birmingham’s new art underground.

Studio4 is a joint venture between the Outcrowd Collective and Beat13, two local street/folk art cabals who have graduated over the last six years from hosting coffee-shop shows, via temporary displays at the Custard Factory, to owning their own permanent space within the complex.

read on…

Waltz your way through picnics, parties and posh frocks in this classic Regency rom-com.

Having developed an outstanding reputation for unique and atmospheric adaptations, Heartbreak Productions are delighted to announce their winter tour of Emma: a brand new adaptation of the heart-warming, engaging and charming Jane Austen classic.

Famed for incisive wit and social commentary, Emma is also about the complexities of imagination versus reality and the overriding power of love and affection.

A clever, rich, bored and “slightly” spoiled young woman, Emma throws herself in to the perils of mis-matchmaking in this world-renowned and well-loved Regency rom-com. Emma is Jane Austen’s most realistic heroine trying to do her very best and, in true Austen fashion, getting it very wrong!

Dip into the gossip and squabbles, grapple with the riddles, blunders and misunderstandings and finally, revel in the glorious romance of this delightful and charming adaptation.

Live music, dance and audience interaction will abound as - from the engaging yet exasperating Emma to the sympathetic yet quintessential bore, Miss Bates - the multi-talented cast recreate the rich and varied personalities of some of the most vibrant characters from English literature and bring them vividly to life.

Another power-packed and impressive adaptation from Heartbreak Productions: classic adaptations of the highest order.

For further information, contact Nicci Selby – 01926 430307 or email: nicci@heartbreakproductions.co.uk.

Here’s news of an interesting and thought-provoking exhibition heading to the Vaad later this month. It’s an interactive experience, as all the best ones are, and well worth a visit….

The cream of the Custard’s crop is set to grace the Vaad Gallery later this month, thanks to Bryn Tranter and his gang. And with Christmas looming into view now with alarming rapidity, why not pop inside for a natter and a chance to invest in some vibrant, original art? Highly recommended.