PROJECT ARCHIVE
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PROJECT ARCHIVE
Some highlights from our archive:

Endurance
Launching VIVID's Pioneers series, Endurance focused on mental and physical notions of endurance through presenting pioneering works from the 1960s to present alongside new... The Act of Drawing
The Act of Drawing explored the physical act of drawing and it's representation on screen in various forms. Cum Clubbing
For one night only VIVID hosted an art party inspired by the colourful club nights of Birmingham's underground scenes in the 1980s.
Sleeve Notes session with Brian Duffy (2009). Cover art by Shelli Graham.
Sleeve Notes session with Brian Duffy (2009). Cover art by Shelli Graham.

Sleeve Notes session with Jim Simpson (2009). Cover art by Shelli Graham.
Sleeve Notes session with Jim Simpson (2009). Cover art by Shelli Graham.

Sleeve notes session with John Lupton (2009). Cover art by Shelli Graham.
Sleeve notes session with John Lupton (2009). Cover art by Shelli Graham.

Sleeve Notes session with Roy Davis (2009). Cover art by Shelli Graham.
Sleeve Notes session with Roy Davis (2009). Cover art by Shelli Graham.

SLEEVE NOTES

 

During the summer of 2009, Trevor Pitt took a subjective journey through his formative years in Birmingham (1971- 1999), examining the spaces where popular culture fraternizes with the canonical world of art. Using the pod at VIVID as a project space, Pitt embarked upon a cartographic venture in which he traced his flirtations with pop, punk, film, art and cultural theory, and charted his personal trajectory from council estate suedehead to disco speed freak, via Hawkwind and Althusser.

 

Joining Trevor on this journey have been individuals who played a significant, often underground role in shaping the music, fashion, and club scenes during this period. Pitt met with the founder of Big Bear Records, a label that grew out of Simpson's production company which steered Black Sabbath through the first three albums of their career; Brian Duffy, award winning sound artist and creator of The Modified Toy Orchestra; Roy Davis, member of 80s metal band Shy and owner of Madhouse Rehearsals and adjoining venue The Asylum; and John Lupton (aka "Gay Jon") who ran the notorious Kipper Club in the 1980s which saw performances by his band Gay Jon and The Dogettes. Through intimate 1-1 chats, they mapped the scenes and wrote the Sleeve Notes to their own lives.

 

Sleeve notes, the writings found inserted into the packaging of many vinyl records, gave those curious enough to investigate the influences of their favourite bands a pathway to a parallel universe - a world inhabited by visual artists, poets, philosophers, and writers whom they might not have otherwise encountered. On 18 September 2009, Pitt invited members of the public to VIVID to write their own sleeve notes.

 

In spring 2010 Pitt returned to VIVID to launch the second phase of Sleeve Notes, supported by Hello Digital. Starting with a tweet, Pitt looked at how social media can proliferate information and widen participation in events which would otherwise stay ‘underground'. Using Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, SMS, and email, Pitt created a platform for collective memory and discussion, unearthing remnants from Birmingham's cultural underground. Working with artist Shelli Graham, Pitt launched the new phase of this project by uncovering artefacts made in response to the Sleeve Notes Sessions, 2009.

 

More recently, Trevor Pitt in association with VIVID hosted Cum Clubbing, an art party inspired by Gay Jon and the colourful club nights of Birmingham's underground scenes in the 1980s. On Friday 10 September 2010, VIVID's project space was be taken over by performance, DJs and visual artists who conspired to create an excitingly strange evening of disco! Artists included 80s original ‘Gay Jon', the brains behind Bradford Street's outrageously lewd and notorious Cum Club; and Brian Duffy, award winning sound artist and creator of The Modified Toy Orchestra. Also at VIVID, John Napier (Jugend Klub), Greg Haines (Tropical Hotdog) and Richard A. Spears (Ducks Bath) each crafted a special playlist in response to The Cum Club