I've been along to two wonderful art events over the last week, one you'll have to rush to catch -- the other is handily distilled into newspaper form.

Echoes from the Edge is an installation that uses film, sound, physical objects you can touch and even smells to evoke people's memories of Digbeth and Highgate. Friction Arts have been collaborating with US artist, Shannon Flattery, to create an interactive exhibition reflecting the voices, thoughts and histories of the residents and workers as the area undergoes it's most significant changes for forty years.

Photo by Nicky Getgood on Flickr

Local Digbeth blogger Nicky Getgood has been effusive with her praise, and I found much to make me agree. The interactive sets are immersive and the audio memories that you find along the trail will bring Birmingham to life. It's really spectacular and on until the 30th May, Thursday to Sundays.

My second art experience also took place in Digbeth, but in the rather more alcoholic atmosphere of the Anchor pub. It was the launch of the new issue of The Eccentric City bills itself as "the World's first dedicated eccentric newspaper" - and I'm sure it is, whatever oddness the Daily Mail et al get up to. It's the work of artist and "eccentric archaeologist" Harry Palmer who edits contributions from around the World, he says it "serves to review, preview, present and promote the nuances of personal and creative pursuits, interests and fascinations".

It may surprise you to know that I lead a double life. By day, I'm a consultant on marketing & fundraising issues to cultural organisations, but by night I'm a volunteer charity trustee. It's a privileged position as it gives me insights to situations as poacher and gamekeeper simultaneously, as many of my clients are registered charities. This is a very tough time to be working in the charity sector, particularly when involved in income generation, as the recession - or for some the fear of the impact of recession created by media reporting - bites.

Fundraising charities broadly receive their income from one of four sources: public sector support, trusts & foundations, companies, and individuals. Although Arts Council England has set up a specific fund to help arts companies through the recession, some other funders - local authorities, regional development agencies, etc. - have found themselves with dramatically-reduced resources and so have been forced to cut services and sector's support of charities has been cut back (or in many cases simply removed) and trusts and foundations have found their endowments somewhat shrunken in the face of Icelandic banking disasters and world economic turmoil. Fundraisers are now hoping that individuals will feel compelled to support projects close to their hearts - but wait, aren't these the very same individuals who are losing, or worried about losing, their jobs right now? That's right, it's the humble taxpayer who foots the bill. However, we are known as a supportive and generous nation when it comes to charity; as the phrase goes, charity begins at home and recent history seems to bear this out.

This show features a brand new Johnny Foreigner track in amongst Ska, Techno, Acoustic, Rock, Ambient, Indie Disco, Punk, and Extreme Metal, another top compilation of the UK Midlands underground. . Go to http://brumcast.podOmatic.com for download & audio stream links. Download it free and direct by clicking right here.
Here's this show's playlist :-
1. Tempting Rosie - Old Fashioned Mistakes (4:51)
2. Beatcompute - One Of Us (C-system Rmx) (5:24)
3. Mr Bones and the Dreamers - Are These Actual Miles (4:04)
4. Johnny Foreigner - Ohai, the sentinels (1:52)
5. The Garcia LX - Swimming (2:35)
6. Defamation - Bring me down (3:39)
7. King Singh - Sleepy Bones (5:32)
8. The Dead Fish - Cabin fever (4:37)
9. The Carpels - Abababa (3:29)
10. Fedd - Beat 1 (1:03)
11. Fedd - Beat 2 (1:26)
12. Fedd - Big Snow Falling (2:01)
13. Synopsis - Modus Operandi (2:58)
14. Yelps - Cavalier Frontier (3:40)
15. Thrones - Running From The Sea (5:55)
16. Plastic Glasses - Know Your Face (3:12)
17. Motion figures - Challenging Communication (4:22)
18. THE DEAD LIGHTS - Mirrors (4:03)
19. Herd - Tangent 38 (3:41)
20. Eastern Gun Club - Stockholm (3:08)
21. Darren Ramshaw - The World On A Stick (5:15)
Enjoy!
Little Chris
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I awoke with an excited start this morning, when twitter informed me that Google Street View was now live for the UK. If you've not heard of Street View, then you've not been reading the scared sections of the press that have called it a "burglar's charter". It isn't.

What it is is a record of what most streets in the UK looked like at some point last year when the Google Car came past. I had high hopes of being mapped myself, after all I took a photo of the car:

It was not to be (I live in a cul-de-sac so it came past twice) although the camera did catch next door's cat having a snooze:

Brumcast 118 'The UK's Burning' kicks off with a brand new unreleased tack from Johnny Foreigner and contains the usual deep mix of genres that you've come to expect from Brumcast. Indie, Electro, Hip Hop, Punk, Techno, Acoustic, Rock, Metal, and more besides.... . Download it free and direct from http://brumcast.podomatic.com/enclosure/2009-03-02T13_00_32-08_00.mp3

Here's this show's playlist :-
1. Johnny Foreigner - Ghost the Festivals (2:24)
2. SixtyfiveMiles - Don't wish for something (3:06)
3. The Garcia LX - That man J Barton (3:08)
4. Tonal Balance - Magic Nose Goblin (5:06)
5. Shoot, Panda!? - Sam's Song (4:49)
6. Moachin - Adjournee (3:20)
7. The Gravity Crisis - Medicine (3:29)
8. Young Fate - Non Fictitious (4:38)
9. Burt Bacharak Fight Club - Squid (3:08)
10. Amberphonik - Indestructible (5:18)
11. Old School Tie - Stop the Thoughts (4:39)
12. Girls that Scream - Club Killah (3:47)
13. Miss Halliwell - The Rash (4:46)
14. fantastik4 - Thanks But No Thanks (3:12)
15. Hitchcock - Homecoming (2:07)
16. Innovation of Sound - Polaroid (4:57)
17. Lizzy Piffany - I Hate Men (2:03)
18. Old Ions - It can't happen again (5:18)
19. D-Tox - The UK's Burning (4:27)
20. Matt Greenhill - Turning of the Key (1:36)
21. Reign of Fear - Judas (4:58)
22. The Lean Yellows - Outside of Love (4:13)
23. Repetative Strain Disorder - Apparition (13:42)
Enjoy!
Little Chris

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