Site/Non-site OR How many quarters does Birmingham have?
Grand Union Saturday 3rd December 14:00 - 17:00
Dallas Simpson
Matt Westbrook
For the third instalment of Open File we invite you to join us for a short weekend walk from the gallery on the bank of the River Rea, along the Grand Union canal to St Phillips Cathedral in the centre of town.
We'll start 2pm on Saturday 3 December at Grand Union with mince pies, mulled wine, and an informal introduction to the Open File archive with curators Jack Brindley and Tim Dixon.
At 2:30pm we'll set off on the walk from Grand Union and you'll be part of the production of a new sound work in and around 'Old Birmingham' with artists Dallas Simpson and Matt Westbrook.
This is a free event, no need to book. Please wear sensible footwear and wrap up warm. The walk will last for around 1 hour 30 minutes.
Old Birmingham is an examination of Birmingham as a city in a state of perpetual ‘progressive’ redesign, with reference to Robert Smithson’s notion of Site and Non-Site.
St.Philip's cathedral (completed in 1725) was built on one of the highest points in the area and would dominate the expanding industrial Birmingham skyline for years to come. Now no longer clearly visible, the walk will ascend the incline by following the gradual slope of the Grand Union and Digbeth Branch canals that encircle the eastern side of the city.
With the route travelling through the Gun, Jewellery and the recently mooted Museum Quarter, glimpses of the cathedral will be sought and used to frame discussions on the area’s recent and historical past.
An accompanying visual essay will help guide conversation about the future use of the area, whilst a binaural recording will capture a mixture of discussion and incidental ambient sound for inclusion in the Open File archive.
St.Philip's cathedral (completed in 1725) was built on one of the highest points in the area and would dominate the expanding industrial Birmingham skyline for years to come. Now no longer clearly visible, the walk will ascend the incline by following the gradual slope of the Grand Union and Digbeth Branch canals that encircle the eastern side of the city.
With the route travelling through the Gun, Jewellery and the recently mooted Museum Quarter, glimpses of the cathedral will be sought and used to frame discussions on the area’s recent and historical past.
An accompanying visual essay will help guide conversation about the future use of the area, whilst a binaural recording will capture a mixture of discussion and incidental ambient sound for inclusion in the Open File archive.