10-26 May 2018
Festival Programme
Birmingham’s premier arts and culture festival exploring the subject of death and dying
Tickets and more information at brumyodo.org.uk
#LifeDeathBrum
10-26 May 2018 A Matter of Life and Death returns with a brand new programme featuring theatre, film, art and craft activities, workshops, food, discussions and tours for adults, young people and children. The festival is organised by BrumYODO, a diverse community collective including health professionals, undertakers, artists, hospice staff, academics and lawyers. We want to encourage and support the people of Birmingham to have more open and honest conversations about death and dying. Through creative and cultural events, festivals, debates, workshops and social media, BrumYODO is creating spaces for discussion and ending the taboos around death and dying. The more we talk about a subject the less it becomes fearful. Talking to those we love about death and dying also helps us prepare, plan and ensure our friends and families know our choices and preferences. BrumYODO has held events in Birmingham for four years and we launched our award-winning festival A Matter of Life and Death in 2017, using arts and cultural activities to encourage and support a range of conversations about death and dying. BrumYODO is growing, attracting more interest and more supporters each year. For more information or to get involved please go to our website at www.brumyodo.org.uk
@BrumYODO
BrumYODO
#LifeDeathBrum
Exhibitions
Et in Arcadia Ego By Charlotte Jarvis
Precious Presented by Birmingham Artivistas and BrumYODO
10 May – 21 June
1 – 30 June
Ort Gallery Free to attend, just drop-in Artist Charlotte Jarvis has collaborated with Professor Hans Clevers and Dr Jarno Drost at the Hubrecht Institute to grow her own tumour. The tumour is gut cancer that is genetically ‘Charlotte’ – grown from her own cells in the lab and exhibited in installation. The project aims to examine mortality and create a dialogue with and about cancer. The exhibition is made up of ‘sets’ in which the artist literally waits to meet and eventually confronts her tumour. It is also a symbolic space in which the project can be discussed, dissected, communicated and ultimately created. Artist website: www.artforeating.co.uk/restaurant
Ort Gallery Free to attend, just drop-in Artwork from our latest community art project Precious will be on display at Ort Gallery throughout June. The project led by artists Jane Thakoordin and Margaret Murray has seen people of all ages come together to create a series of surreal, extinct and fantastical creatures from upcycled materials. The artwork will be displayed as a collection of unique curiosities inspired by the themes of Charlotte Jarvis’s exhibition Et in Arcadia Ego. Please visit www.ortgallery.co.uk for opening times for both exhibitions.
Don’t miss our associated festival events at Ort Gallery Death, Faith & Cancer Discussion Group Saturday 12 May, 2pm Free to attend, just drop-in
Precious Family Craft Workshop Tuesday 29 May, 2pm Free to attend, just drop-in
Performances Don’t Go Into The Cellar present The Witching Hour Friday 11 May 6.30pm
The Many Doors of Frank Feelbad by Bootworks Theatre Company Saturday 12 May 12.30pm – 1.30pm & 3pm – 4pm
The Coffin Works Tickets: £10.00 Book via: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ the-witching-hour-tickets-43745185026 Don’t Go Into The Cellar Theatre Company are back at The Coffin Works, bringing tales of unease by M R James in The Witching Hour, where we learn that the dead are not always grateful… Montague Rhodes James returns with another selection of unsettling tales of antiquarian terror! Brave the horrors lying in wait within An Episode of Cathedral History and witness the spectral malevolent seeking revenge in A Warning to the Curious.
Children’s Library, Library of Birmingham Tickets from £5.00 Book tickets via our website. Please note there are limited spaces for both performances. Following the critically acclaimed The Incredible Book Eating Boy, Bootworks Theatre present this brand new performance for families. The Many Doors of Frank Feelbad is a show about bereavement for kids and their accompanying grown-ups. It follows Frank, an inquisitive chap with a big problem: he’s just lost his mum. Join Frank on his adventure to find her. There’ll be scavenger hunts, puzzles to solve and even some dub-step dancing from a medieval knight. The show is set within The Lose-O-Porium – an intimate space where all lost things live. Come and meet Frank and help him on his journey!!! Suitable for children 4+. Tickets are non-refundable.
Jonathan Goodwin plays M R James in a show scripted by himself, and directed by Gary Archer. Please be aware that this performance is not suitable for children under the age of 12, due to the subject matter. Tickets are non-refundable.
Photo: Alex Brenner
Photo: Andrew Ness Photography © deathoverdinner.org
Death over Dinner Saturday 12 May 7.30pm – 10.30pm
The Birth of Death by Joanne Tremarco
Stirchley Baths Tickets: £35.00 plus booking fee
Includes post-show discussion Saturday 19 May 7pm – 8.30pm
Book tickets via our website. Limited spaces available.
Friction Arts, Digbeth Tickets: £8.50
You are cordially invited to Death over Dinner, an evening of dinner and death talk with special performances and speakers.
Book tickets via Eventbrite
Death over Dinner is an event unlike anything you’ve experienced. It is a chance to have the conversations we need to be having but aren’t. The conversations that really matter. The conversations that can change our lives. So gather around the table and enjoy a delicious 3-course feast, intriguing conversations and a line-up of one-off performances and speakers taking on the subject of death and dying. Please note that all the food served will be vegetarian or/and vegan, and non-alcoholic drinks options will be available. All food and drink will be prepared by ChangeKitchen.
Ever thought about death…? Let Joanne Tremarco - a spiritual fool - laugh and cry you over to the other side. This solo piece (directed by Yael Karavan) addresses ‘death’, the elephant in the ‘living’ room. Drawing on end of life conversations with her mother, training as a death doula and adventures as a Lucid Dreamer, Joanne presents a comic-tragic odyssey of the soul. A show for the dead and dying** and those who care for them. **Relevant to anyone who at some point will die. “Tremarco took the audience down a path that was both deeply personal and utterly remarkable.” Liverpool Sound and Vision “A tremendous piece of heart-breaking, exhilarating theatre.” Garry Cooke
Producer of Lancashire Fringe
Workshops Precious Art and Craft workshops Friday 11 May 12noon – 2pm Community Hub, John Lewis Birmingham Free to attend, please book via our website
How to have a fabulous funeral Friday 11 May 10.30am – 11.30am Community Hub, John Lewis Birmingham Free to attend, please book via our website. Have you ever thought about your own funeral? If you died tomorrow, what would your family and friends arrange for you? As part of this (surprisingly) uplifting and practical workshop, we’ll explore ideas and possibilities with two local undertakers. Take time to think about what you want for your funeral and get some plans down on paper. Hosted by local undertakers A Natural Undertaking, this workshop will talk and help you through some of the ideas and scenarios that are possible when planning a funeral.
& Saturday 12 May 2pm – 4pm Book Rotunda, Library of Birmingham Free to attend, just drop-in Come and create a series of surreal, extinct and fantastical creatures, and add you artwork to our growing collection of unique curiosities. Using upcycled materials, bits of junk, old jewellery and anything else that takes your eye, we will fill a specimen frame with as many weird and wonderful creatures as we can make in an afternoon. Artwork created from these workshops will then be displayed at Ort Gallery in June 2018.
Don’t miss our final Precious workshop Tuesday 29 May, 2pm Free to attend, just drop-in
Putting your affairs in order Friday 11 May 2.30pm – 3.15pm Community Hub, John Lewis Birmingham Free to attend, please book via our website In our daily lives we often take care to ensure our affairs are in order, bills are paid and our loved ones are cared for. Carrying this on when you can’t do it yourself takes a bit of advance planning. We’ll cover general legal matters that you can consider and the ways in which you can plan for what may happen should you become incapable of managing your affairs; making things straightforward for your family after you die. Session facilitated by Elisabeth Whybrow from Silks Solicitors.
A Still Life with Musical Instruments by Evaristo Baschenis © The Barber Institute
Memento Mori: exploring death and dying through art Thursday 17 & Friday 18 May 10am – 1pm The Barber Institute of Fine Arts Free to attend, please book via http://barber.org.uk/memento-mori/
Climbing a Mountain creative workshop Saturday 12 May 12pm – 2pm Book Rotunda, Library of Birmingham Free to attend, just drop-in Families are important. Siblings are important. Inspiring lives is a project that aims to bring hope, love and restoration to families who are living with extra needs; celebrating what has been, acknowledging the pain of any loss and creating beauty in what lies ahead. Members of the Inspiring Lives team will be delivering free creative activities for children, young people and families and would love for you to stop by and chat. Suitable for all ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
Artists have always explored death and dying through their art, producing both literal and metaphorical depictions of this universal human theme. Through guided looking, response and group discussion, these workshops will use selected works from the Barber’s art collection to encourage reflection, questioning and conversation around death and dying. Includes tea, coffee and biscuits. Led by Jane Nicol, School of Nursing, University of Birmingham and Jen Ridding, Learning and Engagement Manager, The Barber Institute.
Films
Conjurer’s Kitchen present A Sleepy Hollow Movie Taste-Along Thursday 10 May 8pm The Electric Cinema Film rating: 15 Ticket prices vary from £20.70 - £25.90 Book tickets via www.theelectric.co.uk
Precious Art and Craft workshop Tuesday 29 May 2pm – 3pm Ort Gallery Free to attend, just drop-in Don’t miss the final workshop for our art project Precious led by Birmingham Artivistas Jane Thakoordin and Margaret Murray. Come and create a series of surreal, extinct and fantastical creatures, contributing to our growing collection of curiosities. Artwork created in these workshops will then be displayed at Ort Gallery in June 2018. This workshop is suitable for adults and children. Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
The adventurous Conjurer’s Kitchen returns for a special taste-along screening of Tim Burton’s gothic horror cult classic Sleepy Hollow. In this version of Washington Irving’s infamous tale, Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp) is a New York detective sent to the remote town of Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of bizarre murders, in which a number of people have been found with their heads cut off. As usual for a Conjurer’s Kitchen event, expect a collection of surprise edible treats to enjoy, with the film paused at specific points so you can enjoy some deliciously devilish food that’s weird, wonderful and a little bit macabre. Heads will roll...
Life:Moving
A Love That Never Dies
Saturday 12th May 4pm - 4.45pm
The Good Grief Project in association with Beyond Goodbye Media
Ort Gallery Free to attend, just drop in These three short films, by participants from John Taylor Hospice in Erdington, were created as part of a research project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. The films and the participants don’t shy away from the truths of dying or of the body but instead speak with honesty and care about the individual’s experience of terminal illness.
Monday 21 May 8.50pm The Electric Cinema Film rating: 12A Tickets: £7.80 Book tickets via https://www.ourscreen. com/screening/46332 A Love That Never Dies is a personal journey by two bereaved parents Jane Harris and Jimmy Edmonds and a love letter to their son Josh. Their son died in a road accident in South East Asia seven years ago and they now honour him with their own journeys: to Vietnam and the place where he died, to Varanasi, India and a road trip across the USA, where they meet with other families who have also lost a child, all of whom have found grief variously isolating, transformative yet ultimately life enhancing. Film is followed by post-show discussion.
Tours City of the Dead by Ben Waddington Sunday 13 May 2pm – 3.45pm Meet: opposite Five Ways Station, Islington Row Middleway B15 1QA Tickets: £6.00 Please book via our website
X-ray of Ancient Egyptian Mummy © Birmingham Museums
The Shadow of Death Sunday 13 May 11am – 12noon Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery Free to attend, please book by emailing rosie.barker@birminghammuseums.org.uk Spaces are limited. Birmingham Museums hold objects from across time and across the world that tell the story of death. Join us for a free tour taking in everything from Roman cremation chests to paintings of poisonings. You are welcome to join us after the tour for a Death Café to discuss death and dying over tea and cake!
The City of the Dead guided walk takes its name from the former Jewish cemetery at Five Ways; a now overgrown sliver of land between the railway and the canal. Over the course of two miles, Ben Waddington (director of the Still Walking festival) will guide you to the partially or completely invisible sites of the city’s former churchyards with tales of disinterments, wandering bones, unofficial garden burials and lost crypts. Advance booking only. Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult. Please dress according to the weather and wear shoes suitable for urban walking.
CremaTOURium & Natural Burial Ground Tour Saturday 26 May 10am – 2pm Bus pick up from A Natural Undertaking, B14 7NH Tickets: £6.00 Please book via our website. Spaces are limited. Our Crema-tour-ium trip is back! Join us as we go behind the scenes at Redditch Crematorium and then on to the beautiful Westall Park Natural Burial Ground. This unique tour will challenge preconceptions of what is possible at a funeral and dispel common myths about cremation and burial. Light refreshments will be provided. Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult.
Join the conversation Finding the right words Saturday 12th May 1.30pm - 3pm Children’s Library, Library of Birmingham Free to attend, just drop-in Do you find it daunting to know where to start with young people when talking about death? There are some wonderful picture books that explore death which can be helpful to encourage discussions that feel safe. Author Juliet Clare Bell will be bringing along her long list of twenty-one recommendations. Come and look, discuss and find the book(s) that suit you. Juliet is the author of Benny’s Hat, a story about siblings, love, loss and hope with illustration by Dave Gray.
Let’s talk about... Death, Faith & Cancer Saturday 12 May 2pm – 3.30pm Ort Gallery Free to attend, just drop-in An inter-faith discussion on death, faith & cancer. Ort Gallery and BrumYODO invite you to attend this thought-provoking and stimulating conversation inspired by Charlotte Jarvis’ exhibition Et in Arcadia Ego.
Call the * Soul * Midwife Thursday 17 May 12noon – 5pm mac Birmingham Free to attend, just drop-in This is your chance to meet a Soul Midwife and find out what they do, and what they can do for you and your loved ones approaching the end of life. Midlands Soul Midwives will be ‘on call’ at mac (Midlands Arts Centre) in the Saintbury Room and the Arena Bar and Café. There will be complimentary light refreshments available through the day and welcoming Soul Midwives to chat to.
As part of this discussion, you will hear from local faith leaders and medical professionals about how faith, culture, cancer and death are connected and learn from the individuals’ expertise and experience. Speakers include: • Sharon Hudson Hospice Clinician at St Mary’s Hospice and member of BrumYODO • Dr Sabeena Jamil GP in Aston • Shaykh Arif Abdulhussain Thinker, Researcher, Writer, Translator and Founder of the Al Mahdi Institute in Selly Oak
Death Cafés Death Café Friday 11 May 3.30pm – 4.30pm Community Hub John Lewis Birmingham
& Saturday 12 May 2pm – 2.45pm Beat Box Library of Birmingham Both Death Cafés are free to attend, please book via our website At a Death Café, people (often strangers) gather together to eat cake, drink tea and discuss death. BrumYODO invites you to join us in this open discussion group about death with no agenda, objectives or themes. Refreshments will be provided. Please note that this is a discussion group rather than a grief support or counselling session.
Death Café Sunday 13 May 12.15pm – 1.15pm Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery Free to attend, please book by emailing rosie.barker@birminghammuseums.org.uk Since 2011, almost 6000 Death Cafes have taken place in 55 countries across the world. BrumYODO and Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery invite you to join this Death Cafe and take part in a discussion group about death, with no agenda, objectives or themes. Places are free but limited. Refreshments will be provided. Before the Death Café, you are welcome to join the free tour at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery - The Shadow of Death and see how death has been depicted, and lived with, over thousands of years.
Marketplace
Photo: Lee Allen
A Matter of Life & Death Marketplace
St Mary’s Hospice OPEN DAY
Sunday 13 May 11am – 3pm
Friday 18 May 12noon – 5pm
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery Free to attend, just drop-in
St Mary’s Hospice, B29 7DA
An opportunity to ask all the questions you have about death, dying and hospices but were afraid to ask.
Free to attend, just drop-in
Our marketplace focus this year is Talking - Thinking – Making
Ever wondered what happens behind the doors of a hospice? Come along to our Open Day and ask all those questions you always wanted to ask about death and dying, but were afraid to ask.
Meet hospice clinicians, undertakers, soul midwives, death doulas and members of the BrumYODO committee, and find out more about end of life planning, take part in a death cafe and other creative activities for all ages.
Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice will be opening its doors on Friday 18th May.
Join us for tea, cake, art, exercise, myth busting and more.
General Information Booking Information
Contact Information
Advance tickets can be purchased online at www.brumyodo.org.uk or as stated on each individual event listing. Customers with access requirements, please email info@brumyodo.org.uk
For any booking or general enquiries please email info@brumyodo.org.uk If you are interested in volunteering with the festival or for any more information please visit our website at www.brumyodo.org.uk
Venues Community Hub 4th floor John Lewis Birmingham Grand Central Birmingham, B2 4AU Library of Birmingham Centenary Square Broad Street Birmingham, B1 2ND The Coffin Works 13-15 Fleet Street Jewellery Quarter Birmingham, B3 1JP Stirchley Baths Bournville Lane Birmingham, B30 2JT
Friction Arts The Edge 79-81 Cheapside Birmingham, B12 0QH
St Mary’s Hospice 176 Raddlebarn Road Selly Park Birmingham, B29 7DA
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery Chamberlain Square Birmingham, B3 3DH
Ort Gallery 500-504 Moseley Road Birmingham, B12 9AH
mac Birmingham Cannon Hill Park Queen’s Ride Birmingham, B12 9QH A Natural Undertaking 290 Vicarage Road, Kings Heath Birmingham, B14 7NH
The Barber Institute of Fine Arts University of Birmingham Birmingham, B15 2TS The Electric Cinema 47-49 Station Street Birmingham, B5 4DY
With thanks to the BrumYODO committee, BrumYODO network, freelance staff and our funders, partners, supporters and volunteers for making the 2018 festival possible. Information in this brochure is correct at the time of printing. Changes may occasionally be necessary, and for up-to-date or additional information please visit our website www.brumyodo.org.uk
@BrumYODO
BrumYODO
#LifeDeathBrum
Acknowledgements Thanks to our funders, partners and supporters
Thank you to John Lewis Birmingham for use of the Community Hub.
A Matter of Life & Death 10-26 May Festival Diary Date
Event Name
10 May-21 Jun Et in Arcadia Ego Thu 10 May
Time
Venue
Tue to Sat, 12pm-5pm Ort Gallery
A Sleepy Hollow Movie 8pm The Electric Cinema Taste-Along
Ticket £ Event Free
Exhibition
£20.70 - £25.90
Film
Fri 11 May
How to have a fabulous funeral 10.30am-11.30am
Community Hub, John Lewis Free
Workshop
Fri 11 May
Precious Art & Craft workshop
12pm-2pm
Community Hub, John Lewis Free
Workshop
Fri 11 May
Putting your affairs in order
2.30pm-3.15pm
Community Hub, John Lewis Free
Workshop
Fri 11 May
Death Café
3.30pm-4.30pm
Community Hub, John Lewis Free
Death Café
Fri 11 May
The Witching Hour
6.30pm
The Coffin Works
£10
Performance
Sat 12 May
Climbing a mountain 12pm-2pm art activities
Book Rotunda, Library of Birmingham
Free
Workshop
Sat 12 May
The Many Doors of 12.30pm-1.30pm Frank Feelbad
Children’s Library, Library of Birmingham
From £5
Performance
Sat 12 May
Finding the right words 1.30pm-3pm with Juliet Clare Bell
Children’s Library, Library of Birmingham
Free
Discussion
Sat 12 May Death Café 2pm-2.45pm
Beat Box, Library of Birmingham
Free
Death Café
Sat 12 May
Ort Gallery
Free
Discussion
Sat 12 May Precious Art & Craft workshop 2pm-4pm
Death, Faith & Cancer discussion 2pm-3.30pm
Book Rotunda, Library of Birmingham
Free
Workshop
Sat 12 May
The Many Doors of 3pm-4pm Frank Feelbad
Children’s Library, Library of Birmingham
From £5
Performance
Sat 12 May
Life:Moving
Ort Gallery
Free
Film
4pm-4.45pm
Sat 12 May Death over Dinner 7.30pm-10.30pm Stirchley Baths £35.00
Performance & Dining
Sun 13 May Festival Marketplace 11am-3pm
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
Free
Marketplace
Sun 13 May The Shadow of Death 11am-12pm
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
Free
Tour
Sun 13 May Death Café 12.15pm-1.15pm
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
Free
Death Café
Sun 13 May
Meet opp. Five Ways Station £6
Tour
Thu 17 May Memento Mori 10am-1pm
City of the Dead guided walk
The Barber Institue of Fine Art
Free
Workshop
Thu 17 May
Call the * Soul * Midwife
2pm-3.45pm
mac, Birmingham
Free
Discussion
Fri 18 May Memento Mori 10am-1pm
12noon-5pm
The Barber Institute of Fine Art
Free
Workshop
Fri 18 May
St Mary’s Hospice Open Day
12noon-5pm
St Mary’s Hospice
Free
Open Day
Sat 19 May
The Birth of Death
7pm-8.30pm
Friction Arts
£8.50
Performance
Mon 21 May
A Love That Never Dies
8.50pm
The Electric Cinema
£7.80
Film
Sat 26 May CremaTOURium 10am-2pm
Meet at A Natural Undertaking, B14 7NH
£6
Tour
Tue 29 May
Precious Art & Craft workshop
2pm-3pm
Ort Gallery
Free
Workshop
1-30 Jun
Precious exhibition
Tue to Sat, 12pm-5pm Ort Gallery
Free
Exhibition