PICK OF THE WEEK
A Winter Less Ordinary
119 Floodgate Street, Saturday December 12 and Sunday December 13
A family-friendly weekend of festive arts and celebration in Digbeth. Drawing inspiration from the night markets of Goa and the cultural scene of Berlin, there are live bands, DJs, theatrical performances and installations rubbing alongside a wide range of art, fashion, craft and food.
ALSO THIS WEEK
Dirty Grotto
Rep, from Thursday December 10
A programme of high-camp, X-rated late-night revelry for the festive season, opening on Thursday with a twist on the Ancient Roman festival of Brumalia.
BEAST: Pantry Sessions Hand-Made Music
Bramall Music Building, Thursday December 10
The Birmingham ElectroAcoustic Sound Theatre present John Richards’ so-called “dirty electronics” and Manfredi Clemente’s “no input” compositions.
Juneau Projects: I Am The Live Warrior
Bramall Music Building, Friday December 11
Live performances from three of Brum’s envelope-pushing musical combos – Treva, Swoomptheeng and Boy With Wings – with the audience encouraged to create art inspired by the bands.
Conjurer’s Kitchen presents The Nightmare Before Christmas In 4D
Electric Cinema, Tuesday December 15 and Wednesday December 16
Food-art hero Annabel de Vetten presents tasty morsels to accompany a 3D screening of Tim Burton’s stop-motion flick.
Trash Film Night presents Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2
Electric Cinema, Wednesday December 16
TFN’s Luke and David are on hand to talk you through the woeful 80s slasher film, with the promise of festive competitions to complement the screening.
STILL RUNNING
SALON
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, until Wednesday December 23
A selling show of top-drawer contemporary art from the West Midlands and beyond, with prices beginning at £20.
75 Years/Indelible Marks
Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, until Sunday February 7
A clutch of paintings by John Piper capturing the desolation of the morning after the Coventry Blitz, and a series of prints by Monica Petzal depicting the human impact of the bombings of Coventry and Dresden.
DATE FOR THE DIARY
Jan Vanriet
New Art Gallery Walsall, from Friday January 29
A first UK show for the influential Belgian artist, rounding up 30 of his paintings, including his four-part polyptych The Music Boy.
The Brum Notes weekly arts roundup is uploaded every Thursday at 9am. Listen to Dan Cooper-Gavin’s arts show Theatre Of The Absurd on Brum Radio, Tuesdays 7-8pm.