NEW ENTRY: JQ Open Studios Blog #13
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Download the JQ Open Studios Map by clicking here!
From now until the 22nd July, Tina Francis will be exploring the various businesses who will open their doors in this year’s Jewellery Quarter Open Studios Trail. You can also follow the official @JQOpenStudios Twitter and join in the conversation with #JQOpenStudios. For further information about the Jewellery Quarter Festival 2016 please visit the webpage by clicking here.
18th July – Art, makers and destroyers!
At the end of the last blog we had wended our way from Blue Orange Theatre up to the far end of Caroline Street to Kenyon Street. So let’s take a look at The Dual Works.
The Dual Works (venue 19) motto is “we make it so you don’t have to” and a visit to this artist studio will prove this to you. It is the home of Sellotape Cinema and Zoe Robertson, and there really is something for everyone in this fantastic space. Zoes’ Flockomania exhibition was welcomed at Parkside Gallery in Birmingham and also flew across the sea to settle at Berlins Music Tech Fest this year. Sellotape Cinema have worked with Flatpack Festival this year and even designed and made the awards! Go discuss your ideas, see what an exhibiting artist can do to your sense of size and space, learn about sound and vision and walk away with ideas and inspiration aplenty.
Living in the Jewellery Quarter means that we are surrounded by ideas every day and a visit to Jewellery Quarter Neighbourhood Plan (venue 30), who will be housed in BPN Architects (venue 12) on Mary Street B3 1UD, will give you an opportunity to discuss the Neighbourhood Plan. As ever, it’s about working together and respecting one another’s heritage and future, learn all about the Plan and sketch your design ideas. Our thanks to BPN, for hosting this additional event which will take place in their conference room whilst their own event takes place in their “goods yard”.
Last year BPN pulled out all the stops and presented a mini golf course, live music and refreshments alongside having its team available to field any architecture related questions. This year they return with a game which encourages you to “Knock Down Brum”, a bespoke game of skittles which has been designed and made by their own fair hands and promises to be another fantastic addition to Jewellery Quarter Open Studios. The team will again be there along with live music and more! Be sure to visit on Saturday 23rd. Please note that JQOpenStudios had a bit of a moment with their post code and it should read B3 1UD and not B1 3UD.
After knocking down Birmingham, walk outside and see that Caroline Street is still intact and cross the road to 59 Caroline Street to meet Kate Gilliland (venue 35). Kate creates tiny pieces of wearable natural history, she shares her studio with Bug Jewellery who also look at the tiny and the miniature to create fun charms and a lot of smiles. If you cannot make it to their studio be sure to sign up to their mailing lists as both makers are regulars exhibitors around the city as part of “we pop up”.
Walk down Caroline Street and then turn right onto Regents Place because as we have mentioned before this is a brand new street to Jewellery Quarter Open Studios with three first timers on the Open Studios trail! Rock and Roll Brewhouse (venue 43) will be bringing you vegan beer, brewery tours and a chance to meet Birminghams very own Brewster Lynn Crossland. (Over 18 only). A short walk down the road will bring you to Hasret Brown (venue 25) whose Islamic inspired geometric art is a feast for the artist and the mathematician alike. In the same building you will find Visuale (venue 56) the home of contemporary expressionist artist Dee M. Learn about Dee’s art and also how she uses it as an art and relaxation therapist in the community.
It’s getting really close now so on the next three blogs we will be looking at more studios and workshops and also taking a look at events in the two squares for Jewellery Quarter Festival.
Don’t forget that our Open Studios map is now available for you to download. You can grab a physical copy on the day as well along with a JQ Festival programme.
To view previous blog entries please visit the official Open Studios Trail 2016 page by clicking here. For more about JQ Festival 16 please click the banner below:
