DIY Culture in Birmingham

A week that started with British soldiers exposed as torturers and the US president proclaiming his "calling from beyond the stars to stand for freedom" ended much more sanely at Birmingham's DIY Culture weekend. Hosted by The Nursery Social Centre collective [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ], the weekend featured three days of workshops. Participants got their hands dirty converting a Ford Escort van to run on used vegetable oil, set up solar power systems, erected wind turbines, learned to shoot and edit video, set up lowtech computing resources using GNU/Linux, and did a sometimes-vertical Situationist-style tour of the city. The explosive film Injustice, about the community response to deaths in police custody, was featured on Saturday night, and was followed by a talk with the film's director.

Sunday included workshops on permaculture,subvertising and practical experience in low impact dwellings over at the Nursery secret garden, plus real progress was made on setting up a Birmingham Indymedia website - contact Indy Brum to find out how to get involved.

Full schedule of events
Reports: [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ Photos ]
Videos: [ DIY Chip-fat Vehicle Conversion ] [ Urban Explorations ]
Links: [ The Nursery ] [ Stuffit.org ] [ InjusticeFilm.co.uk ] [ United Families & Friends Campaign ]

imc ppl

Comments

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More Photos & Quick Report

29.01.2005 17:27

Decoy - The Venue

Hands on Renewable Energy

More Renewables

Linux Media Lab using Recycled Computers

More Linux Media Labness

Zebra & Rotunda

Zebra Renewables Van

Intro to Linux Workshop

Linux Installations and Conversions

Herbal Remedies and Feral Food

Inbetween Workshops

Setting up a DIY Filmnight

Indymedia Video Activism

The Batteries on Sunday Night

Last weekend's DIY Culture Festival in Birmingham, organised by the Nursery
Collective, and held at Decoy & the Nursery Social Centre was
superb beyond expectations - real good mix of people, loads of new
connections made - excellent range of different and varied activities
(from under the bonnet veg oil conversions to fantastical urban
journeys, permaculture to linux, guerrilla gardening to hands on
renewable electronics) - got loads of new members on our mailing list,
had various people saying that they were leaving feeling inspired to
action & as one of those involved in organising the event also felt
inspired by various things (especially pushing forward on the linux
video editing front) - got a brummie development site set up in
template format (big thanks to Zak & Manos at Cambridge IMC for
that!!) & things seem to be moving forward at a pace for brummie
IMC'ness. Massive thanks to everyone who held workshops and to all all
the other people who got involved. Also big up to Yossarian for general
topness & Lucy from Cambridge IMC for all the video footage!!

All in all it were proper.

Check out the images below.

Vinnie
mail e-mail: scbrum@mail.com
Homepage: http://www.stuffit.org/nursery/

The Problem over squatters

02.02.2005 17:00

The difficulty with this situation in Birmingham is that those who've taken over the building in Selly Oak are not doing so in a a way that displays any positive action. Though the photographs show a busy and active site, the reality is that for the vast majority of the time the site looks dank and ill-kept. The 'Indymedia' banner is notable in its absence and the site looks squalid; worse that when it was left unoccupied. Were there some sort of local media information available onsite, were there any effort to clean up the site, it may be better received by residents. I live just down the road from the building and, because of its seizure by those with a cause to shout about, it appears to detract from the neighbourhood.

The cause is worthy; the result is not.

Dave
mail e-mail: dave_edgar@lampshademedia.org

Shorely Shum Mishtake???

02.02.2005 18:16

The photos are from Decoy in Digbeth, which IIRC is not a squatted building but owned by the family of somebody active in the DIY Kollective in B'ham, I found the building to be very well kept and tidy, not squallid at all, though it was bit cold.... I was most impressed that the place was being kept so tidy and well maintained, with people taking responsibiulity for clearing up after themselves- after the mayhem of the Saturday night partying we half expected to arrive to a chaos of beercans and unconscious rancid punks on Sunday morning, but we found that everything was neat and tidy apart from a conjuror sleeping in the corner... Amazing wot can happen when there's nobody there to tell you what to do ;-)

Cheers Graham

Graham
Homepage: http://www.spiralseed.co.uk

YO AM WRONG ABOOT US

06.02.2005 14:54

thats roight orr kid. yo am doin a beautiful thing oop there in birmin'ham yo brummie bastids. Lots of love to the stuffit crew.

our kid
Homepage: http://www.socialistwanker.com

UK Indymedia