Beer, beer, beer mats. Yes please.

I don’t think these ace doodles need any explanation.  More in the beer mat gallery…

Open Culture – brilliant!

Have a look at Open Culture’s site and get involved.

Phil Redmond explains what it’s all about…

Open Culture – a resource that is designed to allow anyone to engage in and create culture – whatever that is – rather than just consume it.

It’s your online space to use as you want. Share your culture be it an event, photo’s, artworks, poems, rants – you name it.
It is not perfect nor, I suspect, will it ever be, as one of the key roles, perhaps characteristics, of the term culture is to question. To challenge. To be disruptive in the way technological innovation is disruptive by changing the way things have always been done.

It should, at the same time be reassuring. Reinforcing both traditional cultural values while at the same time reaffirming the right to think differently. To depict the world in both recognisable ways but also taking new and different angles. Or should it?
The debate should be endless as it should be timeless, having been around as long as the first guttural sounds became language and cave paintings were open source. Use it how you wish. Comment and post as you wish. Suggest improvements. It’s only a start.

There are no real rules, just principles. At the moment it is funded. In the future it needs to be
self-sustaining. When is not clear. But in the cultural world, what else is new? For now, it is here and will be around through 2008 and designed as a legacy project. But what is that? Discuss?
The over-arching principle though is Open Culture. You can be as controversial, cutting or as critical as you wish while remembering two things. The law of the land and no pseudonyms. Who cares what Scottydog or Mysticman or whoever thinks? Be open. Be honest. Be prepared to be challenged. If you can’t, don’t. You’re missing the point. Start a blog.
So tell us what you think. What you want. What you don’t want. How it can help, or even how it can hinder. Open Culture should be a central resource that will point and redirect to other endeavours. It is not designed to displace but to facilitate. It is there for everyone to use as they wish, moderated only by its user community.
You can access as individuals or you can rent space as an organisation. It will show you how to set up your own site, or direct traffic to your existing site. You can come looking for information or you can post information. Look for something cultural to do, or promote your own event. You choose.

It’s not perfect, but it’s a start. And it will grow and get better through 2008. It can be as big or as unused as its cultural community chooses. Working together.

Free Screening of Under The Mud

UP FOR ARTS & BBC Radio Merseyside

Under the Mud Screening

2006, 12A, 85 mins, Dir. Sol Papadopoulos

Wednesday 24 February 2010

6:30pm Performance Space, BBC Radio Merseyside

FREE

UP FOR ARTS is proud to present a free screening and Q&A with director, producer, screenwriter and cast of critically acclaimed Merseyside film, Under the Mud, at BBC Radio Merseyside’s Performance Space on Wednesday 24 February at 6:30pm.

The locally based film was written by Liverpool teenagers in collaboration with award winning Production Company, Hurricane Films (Of Time and the City) will screen in the heart of the city as part of the Up For Arts project. The project is a ground breaking initiative funded through the Learning Revolution Transformation Fund and delivered by Voluntary Arts England and BBC Radio Merseyside.

Under the Mud, set in Speke and Garston, Liverpool, both areas of high unemployment and one of the worst teenage pregnancy rates in Europe, the feature film is the result of a screenwriting project with Interchill, a youth led community centre in between the two towns.

After two years of workshops, the young writers produced a funny, bright and compelling script, which acclaimed actress and director, Kathy Burke described as ‘a beautiful read’ – advising them not to ‘change a word’. The film stars Drew Schofield (Scully) and Kate Fitzgerald (Brookside), and features stand up comic Keith Carter along with a host of talented new comers to the silver screen.

Under the Mud is set over twenty four hours, depicting a hectic day in the life of a family from hell.  The feature centres on the Potts household, home to teenage slacker, Magic, who is such a part of the furniture that his longing for the eccentric beauty Paula Potts goes completely unnoticed. To Paula, the love of his life, he’s just her twin brother’s best mate.

With the family set on a course of self-destruction, aided by an old enemy of dad’s, and Paula arguing with her imaginary friend about running off to Ibiza with the local slime-ball, Magic realises that he only has a few hours to save the family, get the girl and change all of their lives.

A wonderful, magical, uplifting tale…may be the best British film

you’ll never see The Guardian

Little Miss Sunshine meets Shameless. Daily Mirror

Tickets will be allocated on a first come first served basis, to add a name to the guest list call BBC Radio Merseyside’s A-Team on 0151 794 0984

Free Workshops from our lovely Partners, The Media Trust – Get it whilst it’s hot!

Quick, quick, quick!

If you’re involved in organising or running a voluntary arts group in the Merseyside area, then listen up!  We have free, yes FREE communications training available from our lovely partners at the Media Trust.

If you want to learn more about digital media, everything from photography, writing for websites to help promoting your group, then scroll down the list of courses that you can attend… quick though, places are limited.

Media Trust are specialists in helping the voluntary and charitable sector develop its communication skills, is running a series of introductory workshops covering a variety of skills and areas. All the workshops are FREE but places are limited so book quickly by calling The A Team at BBC Radio Merseyside: 0151 794 0984.

Welcome to the revolution; it’s warmer inside.
February 17th: Meet The Media Trust (drop in surgery/pre-booked appointments)
Find out how you can improve your communication, reach new members and share news about your organisation using free services provided by Media Trust.
Venue: Performance Space, Hanover Street, BBC Radio Merseyside, Liverpool
Time: 10.30am until 1pm and 2pm to 4pm: appointments will be available at 30-minute intervals with Adam Perry, Community Channel’s Outreach Manager who will be able to advise you on the options available to you and your organisation.

February 20th: Introduction to photography workshop
This first in a series of workshops aimed at helping voluntary arts organisations find out how they can use digital media to promote their work. If you want to find out how photography could help you this is an ideal introduction to the subject. The aim of this half-day session is to allow the participants to develop a clear understanding of the photographic camera through practice.
Venue: The Bluecoat, School Lane, Liverpool L1 3BX
Time: 10am – 1pm.
Please note places are limited to 10 people.

February 27th: Producing Podcasts to tell your story
This workshop is aimed at helping voluntary arts organisations find out how they can use digital media to promote themselves and their work. A practical workshop providing hands-on experience that will teach you how to create a podcast, offering a simple and effective method of getting your message across to thousands of people that visit your website. You will learn about the software you need for recording and uploading your podcasts.
Venue: The Bluecoat, School Lane, Liverpool L1 3BX
Time: 10am – 1pm.
Please note places are limited to 8 people.

March 10th: Community Newswire (60-min opening session + bookable appointments.)
Are you looking to turn your community’s news into news headlines? Do you want to find out how to write a press release? Community Newswire is a service provided by Media Trust in conjunction with Press Association, find out how you can use it to help your organisation communicate with the press nationally, regionally and locally. Joanna Inskip, Community Newswire Manager will open with a session on What Makes News? And then be available to help you on a one to one basis with your press releases. If you have written a press release and would like advice please bring it to your appointment.
Venue: Performance Space, Hanover Street, BBC Radio Merseyside, Liverpool
Time: 10.30am-11.30am – Opening Session “What Makes News?” Appointments: 11.45 until 3.15.

Live streaming – The School of everything

There’s an exciting presentation happening now…here http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-learning-revolution-school-of-everything

Join the revolution; it’s happening on your doorstep

So we are here, at last.  Flying towards you leaving a trail of paint, brushes, crayons, wool, thread, instruments and paper in our wake.

Up For Arts is starting a revolution, an arts and crafts revolution and we want you to join us.  We are gathering together all the information we can about arts and crafts in Merseyside, and we want you to have a look and see what you fancy and participate…

What, it’s not for you?  From animation to acting, brass bands to ballroom, film making to folk dancing, photography to pottery, wood turning to writing, and every nook and cranny in between – there are hundreds of opportunities to have a go at.   There’s nothing stopping you…

To find something right up your street, call the A-Team on 0151 794 0984.

Power to participation