Masaki Batoh at Bring To Light

Each end of year round up we’ve done in recent times seems to involve a few ‘wow, huge year’ mutters, but 2013 might have just surpassed them all. We produced a four-month opening season for Europe’s largest public library as well as our year round Capsule programme; to feature all the stuff we’re proud to have presented would be damn near impossible, but here are just some of our highlights of an epic year. Images by Katja Ogrin.

Discovery season at Library of Birmingham

 Together We Breathe – opening day

The season began with a magnificent performance by over 100 brass players. Encircling the crowds on opening day in the Book Rotunda, Together We Breathe brought together horns, trumpets, trombones, cornets and tubas to create a mass of sound. The performance was created by Australian sound artists Super Critical Mass and the project was documented by the BBC for the Culture Show.

Pavilion Photography is by Gareth Gardner

The Pavilion and creative residencies

Studio Myerscough created a structure to act as a billboard for the entire Discovery Programme. Situated in the Library foyer, The Pavilion housed a rolling programme of creative residencies. A neon crown of signs uses words that originated from discussions and workshops with the Birmingham 2022 group. Residencies included Craftspace inviting stories of migration, the stunning Library of Lost Books, Stan’s Café’s Commentators and The Outcrowd Collective’s delving in the House of Beorma Archive.

Lucy McLauchlan’s piece spans the Book Rotunda

Discovery Trail

Capsule curated a trail of art works to lead visitors around the library. Laura Kate Chapman’s illustrations were inspired by the Parker Collection of Children’s Books and Games, Matt Watkins created an animation piece inspired by the world’s most expensive book and Lucy Lucy McLauchlan’s site specific work in the Book Rotunda gave some remembrance to John Madin’s library.

Discover New Music

A series of live music performances showcased some of the most exciting music around. Rhys Chatham and Charlemagne Palestine performed a UK exclusive collaboration, with added cuddly toys and audience debate and Portishead’s Adrian Utley headed a large-scale guitar orchestra.  Rise of Birmingham saw some of Capsule favourite bands from the region perform in the library, including Victories at Sea and Free School.

Tucking into dessert at Down the Rabbit Hole

Other highlights included the literary inspired dining experience Down the Rabbit Hole, presented by Companis, and Volume: Birmingham’s Art, Book & Print fair with a keynote from Bill Drummond. We’re really proud of the Birmingham 2022 project, where a group of young people worked with us on Discovery season brochure, and were given a platform to ponder the shape of culture in ten years.

University of Birmingham artist residency

We embarked upon a new partnership with the University of Birmingham, supporting an artist to make new work in response to the university’s varied collections. Sound artist Sarah Farmer spent a number of months researching at the Lapworth Museum of Geology and the Winterbourne botanical collection and created a number of sound based works, as well as screenprints, in response to her time there. It was very exciting to introduce an artist to this collection, there’s a wealth of stuff to draw inspiration from and we look forward to doing more work with the university in the future.

Richard Dawson performed a Kids Gig

Bring To Light

Our mini Supersonic saw us invading the library with new music, from Masaki Batoh’s brain pulse noise, Robedoor’s bass heavy drone and the filthy noise rock of Evil Blizzard, we didn’t hold back. We kicked it all off at the Rainbow from a messy Friday night with Sleaford Mods (video), Dinos Chapman and the fabulous Shangaan Electro who also performed a free show in the library amphitheatre. Other highlights included Sarah Angliss and her theramin laden story telling, an info show around pioneer Delia Derbyshire and a Kids Gig performance from Capsule favourite Richard Dawson.

Shellac at the Rainbow Warehouse

Live shows

Our first live show of the year was such a standout, Barn Owl, Grumbling Fur and Ex Easter Island at the stunning St Paul’s church. Other highlights of the year  have included Nazoranai (Stephen O’Malley, Keiji Haino, Oren Ambarchi) and Nicholas Bullen at the CBSO Centre and a night with Mississippi records exploring the phenomenal Alan Lomax archive with Vivid Projects. And let’s not forget that the mighty Shellac were back in Birmingham last month, thanks to all who came and made it such a fun show, the band said you were a particularly lovely crowd!

Thanks to all who have come along, watch this space for news of next year’s programme.

The South African collective Shangaan Electro came to Birmingham last month as part of Bring To Light, for two performances and a free dance workshop. They illuminated the amphitheatre of the library and were the perfect close to Friday night’s programme at the Rainbow.  Photos by Katja Ogrin.

Go here for more Bring To Light photos.

Today is your last chance to sign up for the Shangaan dance workshop at 3pm on Friday 25th. It’s a unique opportunity to learn the wildest Shangaan moves, colourful costumes and hyper accelerated beats all included. Workshop participants can also take part in a free outdoor performance on Saturday 26th at the library’s amphitheatre.

No experience necessary, all ages and abilities welcome.Please email [email protected] to register.

Last year’s Kids Gig featured Islaja and Flower/Corsano Duo

As part of Bring To Light, there’ll be a very special Kids Gig, a fantastic introduction to
experimental music, for children and their families on Saturday 26th October at 2pm at the Symphony Hall. This free event is aimed at the under 7s and features the inimitable Richard Dawson. There’s more family friendly activity on Saturday with a free performance by Shangaan Electro -the dance phenomenon from South Africa, this takes place in the Library of Birminghams’ amphitheatre at 3pm.

No need to book, just drop in.

Characters from the Festival of the Rea – part of the House of Beorma archive of the city’s lost origins

Six weeks into the Discovery season and we’re getting great feedback on our celebration of the new library. The Discovery Trail is open for you to explore throughout the season. And each week there are one off events and workshops to get involved in.

This week the Outcrowd Collective are in residency. They present the House of Beorma archive, a selection of artefacts from lost local history. Come visit them til Sunday 13th October in the Pavilion, and make your own offerings in honour of Birmingham’s lost customs and festivals.

Reference Works is an exhibition featuring new works by photographers Brian Griffin, Andrew Lacon, Michael Collins and Stuart Whipps. Each artist diplays their creative responses to the new Library of Birmingham, the ‘old’ Central Library building and the build, transition and relocation. Stuart Whipps will be giving a free exhibition tour this Saturday 12th October at 11am.

There’s still time to sign up for the Shangaan Electro dance workshops. Your chance to be part of the South African dance craze that became a youtube sensation – workshops are 1pm or 3pm on Friday 25th October at Dancexchange, Thorp Street. Workshops are totally free, you just need to sign up via [email protected]

Shangaan Electro will also perform as part of the Bring To Light weekend of adventurous music, 25-27 October. The next in the Discover New Music series, this event features the artist Dinos Chapman, roboticist Sarah Angliss, the Brain Pulse Music of Masaki Batoh and many more. Day and weekend tickets are available viawww.theticketsellers.co.uk

Image by Cat Stevens

You are invited to join in on the biggest dance craze from South Africa – Shangaan Electro. The collective will be in Birmingham on 25th October delivering a couple of FREE workshops. These are aimed at all ages and abilities. The Quietus visited Shangaan founder Nozinja and attended a dance session…

“It’s hot and sweaty but I find the music provokes an inclination to mess around like a child, and I don’t even feel too put off by the fact that Cat, the photographer, keeps laughing at me. (I try to repeat some of the moves I learned a week later at a barbecue at the Nike 1948 shop, and for my troubles get laughed at there, too.) It’s funny, because normally if people laugh at your dancing you’d be embarrassed, but the very nature of Shangaan electro dancing is that it puts you in a jubilant mood.” Read the full article

You can join these free sessions by emailing [email protected].

Shangaan Electro will perform at Bring To Light and at Library of Birmingham on 25th and 26th October. Tickets for Bring To Light are available now.

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The high speed dance phenomenon comes to Birmingham this October. As well as catching performances by the musicians and dancer, you can join a hyper accelerated dance workshop, complete with costumes!

“…there are rapid-fire, limb-rattling individual turns and hip-shaking group routines,

all set to face-meltingly fast electro rhythms…This is Shangaan electro” The Guardian. you can read an interview with the creator Nozinja here

There’ll be a Shangaan performance at Bring to Light, and on Saturday 26th October you can join a dance workshop at the Library of Birmingham, for all ages and abilities. Tickets for Bring to Light are available via www.theticketsellers.co.uk