Fl창neur
introduction
F
lanuer is a French word, which is used to describe strolling or wandering without a real destination; that’s essentially what we set out to do with this magazine. The goal wasn’t to report on the city or to identify interesting places these are things you can get from a web search, a leaflet or any other magazine on the city of Birmingham. Instead, from the start, we set out to take in the city’s vibe rather than just see it as another place, and more importantly, its people and how they interpret the city. We spoke to people who have lived in the city since they were young, and those who had only recently come here, and gained their unique views and ideals of Birmingham. What’s more is these people became almost our tour guides for the city, helping us to identify what’s really treasured about it. We hope that by the time you’ve reached the end of this magazine, you’ve experienced your own stroll and have your own ideals.
Contents 4&5
Daniel Stedman
6&7
Big city vs small town
8&9
Zoe Williams
10&11
Through a lens
12&13
Izzy Briggs
14&15
An illustrators take
16&17
Kristen Tarleton
18&19
Outro
Daniel
Stedman
A
self, what would you wanna
s designers, it’s always a pleasure when we’re creating our work to
anything about the city it-
change?
find somebody who lives with-
Less scrubby and knocked
in the same field as us. Whilst
about and less traffic would be
we were venturing for people
a great help! [laughs]
to talk to we came across lo-
Can we ask what sort of area
cal illustrator Daniel Stedman
you live in?
at Pret Manger, sketching var-
I live around the Sheldon area,
ious members of the public
by the airport.
into his books. We were lucky
Do you like it there? Is it
enough to sit down with Daniel
nice?
and ask the questions we had
Yeah yeah yeah.
prepared in advance.
And finally, what’s the most
What is your name and age?
pen while you’ve been living
Daniel Steadman, 50 now! Are you a local? Yeah, yeah.
Why’d you move to Birmingham? Do you remember?
I’ve always been in Birming-
interesting things that’s haphere?
Oooh… dunno! [laughs] Not sure really… not many things happen!
Is it a nice place to express
your talent, your illustra-
ham, apart from living in a few
tion?
other places. I’ve come back
No no not really, I could go to
to Birmingham but I’ve lived in
London. You can’t get anything
New Zealand, I lived in Iceland
sold here, London’s the place
and I’ve lived in Scotland, but
really, I keep going down there
I’ve come back here again be-
all the time.
cause I was born here.
Alright, thank you!
Do you have a favourite bar? Or club? Or…
There’s um, what is it… I can’t recall the name of the place but it’s a small café on New Street. I enjoy sitting there and drawing what I can see – people, buildings… stuff like that.
Ah, okay. If you could change
Daniel's Work
Big City Vs. Small Town
S
An Inside Look Into A Place You Probably Don't Care About carborough is a
mingham is so big people
wouldn’t expect my grand-
very small sea-
don’t find out, or really care.
parents to get up and cheer for the equal rights for gays.
side town. Nothing much
To be honest though, people
They don’t really get up for
exciting hap-
in Birmingham don’t really
much anyway since they’re
pens. Ever.
care much at all. Every-
retired. And old.
Compared to Birmingham,
one has their heads down
everything is ant sized where
and walks fast to get where
Despite it’s flaws, the town
I come from.
they’re going. But I can’t be
has a wonderful relaxed at-
Birmingham is absolute-
an hour outdoors in Scar-
mosphere. The worst you’ll
ly huge. Like, jumbo sized.
borough without recognising
get is started on by the local
And I haven’t even explored
somebody. Which often gets
neighbourhood chav… that
much. There’s always some-
annoying, I mean really. I just
you’ll know the name
body dying somewhere too.
wanted a loaf of bread, not a
of because you
On my first day, somebody
life story. It’s not very racially
probably
was stabbed round the back
diverse in its people either,
went to
of my place. That street is
neither all that liberal in it’s
also regularly dressed in the
political stances. Did I forget
wonderful shade of puke
to mention that most
though, so I don’t expect
of Scarborough is
much. If somebody was
white and/or
stabbed in Scarborough,
elderly?
you’d know who it was be-
I
fore the day was done thanks to Facebook. Gossip spreads like wildfire in a place that small. Bir-
school with him once.
land headlines the town cen-
got Leona Lewis once. That
He was that one guy with
tre (which, I guess, answers
was nice. But considering
no future ahead of him. Ac-
the previous question about
Paramore and Imagine Drag-
tually, you’ll see a lot of them
chavs). But aside from that,
ons played over the road
around. I’m still unsure quite
we have a main street of
from where I live now, it’s not
why. Maybe because it’s so
shops. There must be forty
really exemplary.
boring that people find ex-
to fifty, tops. That’s not even
citement in punching random
comparable to the Bullring,
I wouldn’t say I prefer Bir-
people? Actually, that sounds
with it’s multi-floor dual shop-
mingham so far. I have a lot
kinda fun. I see the appeal.
ping centres. And that’s only
to say about Scarborough,
a damn third of it.
but you find flaws in a lot of things that you’ve been
What I don’t see the appeal in is what’s actually
Aside from shopping, we
around so long. Since I lack
available in Scar-
have a run down theatre, a
the ability to own (or drive) a
borough. A
small cinema, and the big-
car, I’m pretty much stuck to
Pound-
gest Open Air Theatre in
a small area of Birmingham
Europe. Which never gets
right now. In fact, it’s just
any acts and is constant-
like living in Scarborough in
ly in threat of closing.
a way. Except everything is
It opened a few
extra large. Everything is also
years ago. I
a little crazier and exciting
mean,
too. I’ve still got three years
we
to find out and indulge in it, so here’s to that. Hopefully I won’t get stabbed first.
Zoe Williams
W
e’ve met all kinds
Would you want to change
of different people
anything?
of different ages
I dunno… just some of the
and careers while we wan-
scummier parts I guess so
dered around the city. One of
they were nicer.
them was Zoe, an 18 year old
Can I ask what area you live
drama student. We caught
in, and if you like it there?
her whilst she was waiting on
I live in the Edgbaston area,
some of her friends to meet
it’s pretty nice yeah.
her, so we asked her a few
Finally, what’s the most ex-
question to get her perspec-
citing thing you can think of
tive on the city.
that happened while living
What is your name and age? here?
My name’s Zoe Williams and Um… to be honest, I can’t reI’m 18. Are you a local? Yeah I am.
ally think of anything! I guess I just like the general improvements to the city, it’s making it
Do you like living here? Re- a really nice place to live. cently yeah actually, it’s been getting a lot better with the new projects and construction to the city. What’s your favourite place in the city? I really like the Hippodrome. I’m really into drama myself so I love to visit and see the shows they have on.
Thank you!
Izzy Briggs
W
e bumped into Izzy in urban outfits, she was browsing their questionable vinyl collection, dont know whty she was doing this, its always flavour of the month hipster crap, but never the less we said what the hell it and asked if we could have a chin wag, she ablayged . Name age ? Izzy Briggs 19 Are you local? Yes I am indeed a local Why have you stayed? I have lived within Birmingham throughout my life so far purely because my parents, they raised me here and the educational institutes i’ve attended have all been Birmingham based. I do however prefer to travel and would like to live elsewhere for a little while. Favourite place in Birmingham or favourite thing about it ? My favourite place in Birmingham is probably the new Birmingham Library, before so, it was always a two-way tie between, the Electric Cinema or the River Rea Heritage Trail. My favourite thing about
Birmingham Library other than the good reads would be the Shakespeare Memorial Room. Favourite bar club pub rest? Im not really a drinker but my favourite bar/pub rest is the Jekyll and Hyde Shops? My favourite shop of all time within Birmingham is Nostalgia and Comics. What would you change? If there was be one thing that I wish could be changed, generally, not just within Birmingham, it would be more beds/ homes/places for homeless people. What area do you live in? Do you like it? I currently live in Erdington, Birmingham. I only really like that I live right next to a massive lake/park. Other than that, no not really Most interesting thing that’s happened when living her? The most interesting thing that’s happened in Birmingham I’d say whilst living here was probably the tornado that happened in 2005
an illustrators take
Kristen Tarleton
W
e spotted
Favorite place in Birming-
What’s the most interesting
Over
I enjoy the canal’s most of all
in living in the city?
Kristen by
the mailbox while
she was taking pictures for a project. As its not often you
ham or thing about it?
probably, I get quite stress sometimes and I find them to be very relaxing.
spot a young photographer,
Favorite bar or club?
what she had to say.
its quite alterative and off the
we thought we may aswell see
Name age?
Kristen Tarleton
Rainbow probably, because
beaten track, you avoid the normal gatecrasher *****.
18
Shops?
Are you local?
unusual clothing and that they
Am I local now but I have moved around in the past.
When did you move here?
Urban village, because I like its only stock one of each item so everything you buy is unique and no one else will have it.
I moved here two years ago
What would you change?
Why did you move?
to walk around at night and not
The rents wanted me to be closer to family as there was a
lot of turmoil in the family, but I
The violence, id like to be able be intimidated into staying in the car or house.
wont get into that.
What area do you live in and
Why have you stayed?
I currently live in the Perry Bar
I ended up in universality here doing a course in media com-
munications so my family decided to stay.
do you like it?
area, it’s pretty bad. Seems to be a lot of gangs in the area. I
find it pretty threatening to be honest.
thing thats happened while Well this one time a friend
and me managed to break into the custard factory. When
I say break we didn’t pick any locks or anything like that, we
found away to keep one of the doors open, then when back
at night. Was an interesting night until we got caught and had to run.
The Local in our team's final thoughts
B
orn and raised in Birmingham, I’ve lived here for the whole 20 years of my life. It was interesting to hear the other local’s views of the city; hearing what people enjoy and don’t enjoy about their favourite clubs, pubs and entertainment spots, and their opinions on the new extensions to our local culture with developments such as the new library. Living in Birmingham all my life, I don’t really take much notice of how
busy the city is - especially the Bullring. I only go to the city centre when I need something specific I can’t find elsewhere, but whenever possible I prefer to go quieter parts of the city when shopping or going for a drink; I’m not a big drinker, so I rarely go to Birmingham’s busiest clubbing areas such as Broad Street. I do enjoy living in Birmingham but I am planning on travelling in the future. I would love to travel to Japan and stay in Tokyo for a
while, but I do feel settled in Birmingham. London is also an option for me, but I haven’t fully decided - I don’t know what’s ahead for me, but we’ll have to see what it holds. Listening to the views of people locally, but also the views coming from people of other cities -
and smaller town areas - has been really intriguing for me to hear. The contrasts between staying the fast paced city compared to a quieter, more relaxed way of life in quiet towns makes me wonder how life could be there. Maybe one
day I couldfind out. But for now, I’m quite happy with my life
and I hope for big things to come.
#1
Magazine by Designer and photographer
sean scully d e sig n e r bradley muff illustrator Liam o'sullivan