Movers and shakers across Birmingham came together to take part in a conversation between the first Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, and Patrick Burns, political correspondent for the Midlands, BBC.
‘In Conversation with Andy Street’, which took place over a two-course lunch at Hotel du Vin, Church Street, raised over £800 for Birmingham Big Art Project: an initiative aiming to commission a work of public art that places Birmingham firmly on the world’s cultural stage.
Funds were raised by Hotel du Vin and a raffle held on the day. The raffle consisted of prizes from the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO); London Midland and Hyatt Regency.
Speaking to Birmingham Big Art Project before the event, Andy Street said: “I’ve been following this [project] and indeed supporting it since its inception a few years ago and it’s brilliant that we’re now at a stage where the location is confirmed… And it is now becoming a reality. I hope that everyone will take huge pride in this for Birmingham; It’s absolutely right that alongside our economic renaissance, there should be some real legacies for the next generation, just to see the thinking of our time.”
The chosen artwork, Station Clock, by Turner Prize-winning Susan Philipsz, is a large-scale aural clock, comprising of 12 digits representing the 12 tones of the musical scales, using different vocal combinations for each digit. The sounds of ‘Station Clock’ will be made of up to 1,092 voices from Birmingham’s diverse population.
To find out more about Birmingham Big Art Project, visit www.birminghambigartproject.org.uk. Follow Birmingham Big Art Project on Facebook: @BhamBigArtProject and Twitter: @BigArtProject.
