no2self.net

Here’s Winy Maas in the latest Icon magazine reminding me why I’m such a big fan of his practice, MVRDV (my emphasis):

There are different approaches to a global market. You can brand your style, as, say, Zaha is doing in a very super manner, or you can brand your approach. And I think our approach is very practical and dialectical; there is a desire to build the outstanding out of a dialogue.

Kaboom! Kablooie! Kapow! It’s Architecture Week here in the UK.

There’s no escaping the fact that as an architect with a blog I have a duty to fulfill over the next few days. We’ll get started with a few choice picks from the itinerary in my area, the West Midlands. There are plenty more to choose from on the official web site: www.architectureweek.org.uk”.

I’ve saved the best one till last…

‘Capability’ Brown’s Pleasure Gardens at Compton Verney (June 24)

Sat 24 June, 2-5.30pm
Join John Phibbs and explore the immediate surroundings of the house, the design of the pleasure grounds and their role in 18th century life. £10/concs £8 (includes gallery admission). Event will include a two-hour walk. Please wear appropriate clothing and footwear.

www.comptonverney.org.uk

The Creative Prison Seminar (June 20)

The Creative Prison Seminar is a national one-day event which draws on results from Rideout’s multi-artform Creative Prison Project with life-sentence prisoners & staff at HMP Gartree, it will explore the role that environmental design, creativity, & education can play in preventing re-offending.

Venue: The Centennial Centre
Icknield Port Road, Edgbaston
Birmingham
B16 0AA

www.rideout.org.uk

Produce (June 19,22)

Simon Harris & Dan Burwood present ‘PRODUCE’ The launch of a site-specifically designed market stall, selling fresh local produce,as part of an arts program on the Civic Centre Estate, Ladywood where Residents & visitors will have the opportunity to collaborate with artists. See www.civic-centre.org

Venue: Civic Centre Estate (behind REP Theatre)
Ladywood
Birmingham
B1 2NN

www.simonsaysproductions.com

Habitat - T House (June 19)

To coincide with the launch of two specially commissioned studio ‘pods’ architect Ranbir Lal and artist Colin Pearce will take up temporary residence in one of the studios. You are invited to bring in an object and a memory you associate with tea/tea drinking and join them for tea and discussion.

Venue: Vivid
140 Heath Mill Lane
Birmingham
B9 4AR

www.vivid.org.uk/habitat

Troll - a map of the heart (June 17,18)

A couple of old trolls lead a fascinating unconventional walking tour around some of the less salubrious, hidden parts of Birmingham’s underbelly exposing the architecture of the city in a new light by telling the hidden, salacious and exotic histories of many of the city’s buildings and landmarks

Venue: Birmingham City Centre

www.fiercetv.co.uk

Remembering the future: steps towards a Museum of Lost Heritage (June 24,25)

Last public opportunity to explore the site of the former Museum of Science and Industry, Birmingham. Artists Alistair Grant and Stuart Mugridge create a series of themed trails prior to demolition and redevelopment.

Venue: Former Museum of Science and Industry
144 Newhall Street
Birmingham
B3

Architecture Week Film Festival (June 21)

A series of films over the course of Architecture Week chosen by some of the worlds leading architects, inluding Rem Koolhaus, Adam Caruso and Birmingham’s Glenn Howells; Exploring the relationship between film & architecture.

Venues:Custard Factory Theatre and Fort Dunlop.

www.fiercetv.co.uk

Open Practice (June 23)

To mark the 10th anniversary of Architecture Week 10 architects across the region are opening their doors to the public. This is your chance to see plans, models & visuals of their recent projects & talk about their practice & proposals. If you can take at look at their websites before your visit.

Venue: Axis Design Collective
Crosby Court, 28 George Street
Birmingham
B3 1QG

Contact: Me!
Axis Design Collective - 0121 2361726
http://axisdesigncollective.com

A local post for local people.

This is the height of laziness, but I’m going to let Matthew announce a new project I’m involved in since he’s already done such a good job on his own blog…

Wolverhampton Freeycle has quietly been building up over the past few months.

With virtually no promotion, there are now 601 of us giving away useful items and benefitting from the things that other members no longer need. It’s great to get rid of something and know that someone else can make use of it, when it would otherwise go in the dump.

Rob and I have been thinking, for a while, that we’d like to build something more out of the community that has developed around Wolves Freecycle. The Freecycle group itself works best when dedicated to messages offering or requesting items. Also, the original American Freecycle group is very specific about how its trademark should be used.

Freecycle groups are run using the Yahoo Groups system, which is a mailing-list/forum hybrid. Several other Freecycle groups have created what they call their cafe group, also using the Yahoo system. We felt that was too limiting: not only are you bound to accept Yahoo’s advertising but you have no room for future growth, when people have good ideas for new features.

A couple of weeks ago, we set up panoplee.com and began looking for suitable forum software. It’s frustrating that almost all forum software is virtually identical, in terms of clunky user experience, despite their authors’ protestations to the contrary. Vanilla, however, is clean, fast and user-friendly.

We’re now telling people about panoplee.com. I’m surprised that a city the size of Wolverhampton doesn’t already have something similar.

Wolverhampton community website.

Local or not, we’d welcome your thoughts/links.

Carbon Copies by Nadine Jarvis:

Pencils made from the carbon produced during cremation, A lifetime supply of pencils can be made from one body of ash.

The sharpenings create a secondary ash, and displace the pencils as they are used transforming the pencil case over time, into an urn.

(via Matt Ward)

(link) [no, 2 self photos]

• Guardian Unlimited Arts | Arts critics | It’s not as easy as it looks
  

  ‘…After years spent dissecting the works of the great artists, critic Jonathan Jones decided to put his money where his mouth was - and learn to draw…’ (via rodcorp)

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