COLLIDE 2005: THE BEST OF WEST MIDLANDS ARTISTS
(7 March - 30 April 2005)

Birmingham City Council will be launching the fourth year of Collide WM 05 - a festival to showcase the work of artists from culturally diverse backgrounds. The festival will run from 7 March till 30 April and will feature multi art form installations, visual art and craft exhibitions, videos, live art and dance performances and multimedia films.

Asian artistes involved include Sakab Bashir, Anand Chhabra, Rita Patel, Rajesh Gogna, Bengali British artists Syra Miah, visual artist Amarjeet Mahey, performance artist Jiva Partipan, musician Manveer Singh and a film written by Ashok Patel and directed by Ekta Walia about an Asian pensioner suffering from dementia.

Councillor John Alden, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport and Culture said: "Birmingham City Council recognises the wealth of talent and creativity that exists within the city's increasingly diverse population. With new partnerships forged with regional local authorities we hope that the ripple effect of Collide WM 05 will impact on the mainstream arts sector by raising the profile of the Collide commissioned artists. We hope the festival will lead the way in making local venues share in our vision to expand culturally diverse arts within the City."

LIVE PERFORMANCE
My First Universe will document the results of interviews held with 100 people from the city of Coventry, where artists Trevor Woolery and Sarah Goldingay talk to locals about their first 'ever' experiences from flying, to their first day at school to their first kiss.

Garry Tomlinson explores men and women's desires in a dance performance called Quench and Manveer Singh traces the steps from Birmingham New Street Station to the conservatoire with the use of multimedia film in My Journey. Audiences will have to be wary of Jiva Partipan as he explores Pouring various organic and non-organic materials substances in a performance ritual.

MULTI ART FORM
Sakab Bashir provides an interactive portrait of his Pakistani father in Dark Matters through part painting, animation, movie and sound environment. British Bangladeshi artist Syra Miah will use text, sound and powerful imagery to highlight the oral tradition of Bangladeshi storytelling in The Kitcha Project and sisters Nicky and Jacqueline Smith celebrate big, curvaceous black women in a multimedia video installation of Big Talk. Musician and songwriter Sarah Wilson looks at the regeneration of Handsworth Park in an audiovisual piece called Light Up The Trees.

VISUAL ARTS
Multiple Cultures and the City by Anand Chhabra will document significant life events of different ethnic groups and design maker Rajesh Gogna will explore religious Hindu silverware in Silver Places of Worship. Amarjeet Mahey uses wall hangings and stretched canvasses to depict the Colour, Space and Dimension of the Universe.

CRAFTS
Rita Patel will focus on Asian Jewellery in Thread as she explores the theme of threads with materials such as silk, 9 and 22ct gold, silver and rice.

FILM
Script introduces three new short films. Tessa, written by Tabasam Haseen and directed by Joseph Potts explores the lines between reality and fantasy. A Better Place, written by Ashok Patel and directed by Ekta Walia looks at the impact of an elderly pensioner on an Asian family and Parallel Lines written by James Pogson and directed by Harmage Singh Kalirai looks at letting go of the past.

In association with Collide WM 05, experts in the field will be offering advice in a free one day seminar on Thursday 3rd March entitled Collide- Connect - Create. This seminar is open to anyone who wants to build their commissioning knowledge and skills and learn more about Collide WM 05.

For more information visit the website: www.collide-arts.co.uk