Studio Myerscough are in residency and they’re on a mission to create a new typeface, with live contributions from you. Visit the Pavilion all this week, it’s totally free.

In addition Morag Myerscough will be presenting an instinctive journey through colours, patterns and her design practice at Volume, accompanied by fellow designer and collaborator Luke Morgan and his band The Highliners, creating a punk rock design performance! This will be headlined by Bill Drummond. Tickets available HERE

Tonight from 8pm, come see four amazing local bands at Rise of Birmingham. Tickets are £5 from www.birmingham-box.co.uk. Read more about Free School, Victories at Sea, Youth Man and Victor here.

Saturday 5th October 2pm and Sunday 6th October 11am
Laura Kate Chapman workshop, Middle Earth, Free
Join artist Laura Kate Chapman whose work takes inspiration historic Parker Collection of Children’s Books and Games, celebrating the tradition of hand drawn artistic methods.

Throughout the season you ca explore the library via the Discovery Trail, the trail includes the Theatre Jukebox, by Stand + Stare, an arcade-style cabinet that plays stories instead of records and allows you to choose the chapters you want. You can listen to accounts of imagined journeys and travel stories inspired by the Wingate Bett Transport Ticket collection. Wingate Henry Bett was the first president of the Transport Ticket Society and founder of the Electric Railways Society. He co authored Great British Tramway Networks with John C Gillham which became the bible of British tramways. His collection of transport tickets is one of the Library of Birmingham’s collections.

And at the end of the month, Capsule will be invading the library with a programme of experimental music. Very much a Supersonic Festival inspired weekend, Bring To Light features Josephine Foster, Dinos Chapman and Deafheaven as well a celebration of the work of Delia Derbyshire and a special Kids Gig with Richard Dawson. Read more or purchase tickets via www.theticketsellers.co.uk

We’re in week two of the Discovery season, and here’s a round up of what you can see and do at the Library of Birmingham.

Studio Myerscough are in residency in the Pavilion they designed till the end of the week. Morag Myerscough is an award winning artist, founder of Studio Myerscough and member of the creative collective Supergroup. Often referred to as a ‘place- maker’ she has produced an eclectic — and sometimes eccentric — body of work that is frequently unclassifiable but always engaging. Entirely hand–crafted and hand-painted, the Pavilion is a bold and engaging structure reflecting the diverse, and often radical, offerings of the Discovery Season. During the residency, participants will have the opportunity to have a go at some of Morag’s design techniques and stencil some of the bespoke furniture for the space.

Following Stan’s Cafe’s residency as The Commentators during the opening week, Paul Long, Reader in Media and Cultural History from Birmingham City University, looks at the history and future of Broadcasting on Thursday 12th September at 6.30pm. Tickets are £3 from www.birmingham-box.co.uk

On Saturday 14th September you can join Discovery Trail artists Anna Francis and Andrew Branscombe for a Birder’s Tour of the library. Nestled around the library are 12 bird sculptures inspired by birds that feature in the content of the library’s collection. The tour is free, just meet at the Pavilion at 11am or reserve a place online at www.birmingham-box.co.uk

The Discovery Trail is open throughout the season, which runs til 15th December. And there’s lots of special events approaching including the Discover New Music programme, bespoke dining event Down the Rabbit Hole… and a talk from cult hero Bill Drummond that you can grab advance tickets for.

Have a listen to Stans Cafe – The Commentators who are in residence in the Discovery Pavilion for the opening week of the Library of Birmingham – there is an archive of their last few days commentary via Sound Cloud.
https://soundcloud.com/the-commentators/sets/the-library-of-birmingham-1

and you can listen to a live stream from 10am tomorrow via http://www.stanscafe.co.uk/?p=2891

With just under 2 weeks until the Library of Birmingham opens we are well underway with all of our installs for The Discovery Season. The Pavilion created by Morag Myserscough and Luke Morgan is now complete and looks amazing. Studio Myerscough have created a structure that will act as a billboard for the entire Discovery Programme. Situated in the Library foyer, The Pavilion will house an 18-week rolling programme of creative residencies focused around the theme of Discovery.
Entirely hand–crafted and hand-painted The Pavilion is a bold and engaging structure reflecting the diverse, and often radical, offerings of the Discovery Season. A neon crown of signs uses words that originated from discussions and workshops with the Birmingham 2022 group.

Highlights of the new Library of Birmingham’s four-month Discovery Season, which will run from the opening on Tuesday 3rd September until 31st December, are announced. Arts Council England support for the Discovery Season was confirmed earlier this year.

Taking its inspiration from the Library’s internationally-important archives and special collections, the Discovery Season will include:

Playground of Discovery – a specially-commissioned Cabinet of Curiosities created by multi-award- winning artist, Morag Myerscough, housing a rolling programme of creative residencies throughout the Season. Capsule are taking applications for the residency programme until Monday 29th April, learn more here. The Commentators from Stan’s Café, the Birmingham-based artists’ group, will be broadcasting from the Playground of Discovery, as the first of the creative residencies, in the opening week.

In a collaboration with Flatpack Festival, a weekend of cabaret and cinema to celebrate Birmingham’s long and colourful association with Early Cinema and the development of the Magic Lantern with a focus on the Library of Birmingham’s archive of 60,000 lantern slides dating from around 1890 to 1940

Theatre Jukebox by Stand + Stare

A trail of artworks will be situated across the building, each making reference to the Library’s rich collections and archives. To include Theatre Jukebox created by Stand + Stare using the Library’s Wingate Bett Transport Ticket collection, an arcade-style cabinet installation that plays stories instead of records housed on the Library’s fourth floor

The Library of Lost Books – an exhibition celebrating the history of the book, with related workshops, featuring contemporary artists and printmakers, inspired by and breathing new life into books that have reached the end of their natural lives

Carol Ann Duffy and Lionel Shriver will appear at October’s Birmingham Literature Festival (formerly the Birmingham Book Festival)

Reference Works, an exhibition of Birmingham’s largest ever photography commission which has seen four photographers – Michael Collins, Brian Griffin, Andrew Lacon and Stuart Whipps – create work in response to the building of the Library of Birmingham

Volume, the Birmingham Art, Book and Print Fair in December has been created as a unique event for the Discovery Season by bringing together existing organisations in collaboration (Writing West Midlands, Birmingham Zine Festival, An Endless Supply, BCU Typography Hub, Grand Union and Eastside Projects). Volume will open with a keynote speech from artist, musician and writer, Bill Drummond.

The Discovery Season is being produced on behalf of the Library of Birmingham by Capsule and is supported by Arts Council England.

The Season will throw a completely new light on the Library’s collections and bring to life the library’s stunning new spaces with installations, events, performances, workshops, and music and dance for every age and interest.

Sketched design by Studio Myerscough

We have announced two call outs for artists to produce exciting work for the Library of Birmingham opening season, curated by Capsule. We are looking for artists/organisations to take on week long residencies within an exciting space designed by Studio Myerscough (draft image above), and we will also commission an artist/illustrator to create new work to sit in the new Children’s Library.

See below for more information and details on how to apply. You can learn more about the opening season for this exciting new public space in Birmingham via www.capsule.org.uk/project/library-of-birmingham-opening-season

Children’s Library commission

Artwork: We require a series of illustrations – of characters and their environment – that will be produced as large-scale soft toys/furniture and as vinyl illustrations on specified walls and floor. It is expected that children will be able to develop their own narratives and play with the characters in both informal and workshop contexts.

Schools Workshops: Artists will be encouraged to research or test their ideas in consultation with local children through the Library of Birmingham’s established relationship with local schools (4 – 11 yrs). Where community engagement is not normally part of the artist’s practice, Capsule will work with them to realise appropriate workshops and activity, bringing in additional personnel as required.

Click through for further information, including how to apply, fee and criteria.

Creative Residencies

As part of the Discovery Season Capsule and Library of Birmingham are inviting artists, creative practitioners and arts organisations to propose ideas for week-long residencies in the ‘Playground of Discovery’: an exciting and dynamic structure designed by Studio Myerscough to be situated in the foyer.

Residencies will need to offer free drop-in activity for visitors to the Library of Birmingham around the central principle of Discovery. The structure will be able to accommodate between 10- 20 people. All residencies must engage with visitors to Library of Birmingham and offer opportunities for them to actively participate. Unless otherwise stated, you will be required to work with all ages.

Click through for further information, including how to apply, fee and criteria.

Deadline for both opportunities is 5pm on Monday 29^th April