Nafzine issue 3 december 2016 by NAFZINE

NAFZINE Northfield Arts Forum Presents

Issue 3 - December 2016

Art - Music - Poetry - Drama Loving the Community

www.northfieldartsforum.com

NOTE FROM EDITOR: Thank you for opening the third issue of Nafzine! We really hope you enjoy perusing the fantastic creative content done by our Nafzine artists, our features, and all the coverage from our latest community projects. I also implore you to check out the opportunities we’re offering in the new year... I’d also like to take this opportunity to say I’ve had an incredible nine months working with Northfield Arts Forum. It’s been a unique experience that’s provided me with experiences I never thought I’d have. As well as publishing three marvelous zines, I’ve collaborated with more poets, musicians and local creatives dedicated to improving the community than I can count. It’s been truly heartwarming and valuable work that I feel privileged to have received, and that I am excited to continue. Thank you to all the NAF staff, and to everyone who’s supported our events throughout the year. Have a wonderful Christmas, and most importantly, here’s to another successful year for Northfield Arts Forum! - Nafzine Editor, Guy Hirst

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

CONTENTS:

Nafzine contributors: Libby Durose, Celia Palmer, Natalia Ireland, Marie Bindley, Joy Sheffield, Georgie Shelton

NAFCAF(E) The Year Of Nafcaf(e) & What You Said!

Page 4-7

B31 VOICES INTERVIEW Our feature with Sas and Marty Taylor

Page 8-9

NORTHFIELD ON ICE A story, Christmas wish list and poems

Page 10-15

THE NAFZINE ARTISTS Work from our spectacular creatives

Page 16-23

THE FUN PALACE A look at our Superhero Fun Palace

Page 24-25

FOR-WARDS Sound-mapping Birmingham

Page 26

UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES And how to get involved

Page 27

The NAF Staff Oliver Armstrong, Lauren Jansen-Parkes, Joe Todd, Kayleigh Ditchburn, Leo The Explorer. All NAF volunteers and members. Key Collaborators: Paul Stringer, Northfield Baptist Church, Dave Tubby, Greaves Hall, Northfield Eco Centre, Chris Passey, Percy Pursglove, Midlands Art Theatre, B31 Voices, Northfield BID, Northfield Community Partnership, Cosy Coffee

Naf logo, Nafcaf(e) photos, NAF character design done by Leo The Explorer, header image drawn by Libby Durose (Purrl Pankras), Nafzine graphic design and edited by Guy Hirst, Nafzine is a non-commercial publication, all images Â©NAF2016

THE YEAR OF In January we launched our monthly pop-up cafe with the aim to build a community around good food and the creative arts. Eleven Nafcaf(e)s later and we’re proud to say that it’s been an extremely busy year, and that there’s more to come in 2017! We’ve served hundreds of pay-as-you-feel meals, had over 50 live music and poetry performances, provided everything from dance workshops to Pok’e’mon hunts, photography exhibitions to fancy dress evenings, we’ve hosted comedy improv group Box Of Frogs, pop up galleries, drama classes and more craft stalls than you can shake a stick at! With each month comes a new special activity and a new sumptuous menu to indulge in... So if you’re just hearing about Nafcaf(e) for the first time, first of all, hi! No matter what your age you’re welcome to attend - we frequently have families with young children, teenagers, seniors and everyone in between step through our doors. It’s been inspiring to

see our event become a central and friendly space for people of all backgrounds to socialise, network and eat together people whom may not get the chance to meet otherwise. Be sure to take a look at pages 6-7 where we’ve made a colourful collage out of some of the wonderful things people have said about Nafcaf(e) over the last few months. The entire event is run by a dedicated group of volunteers, nicknamed “The NAF Staff”, who plan and coordinate all the activities, cook and serve the food, set up the venue ready for our guests, and ensure that everyone receives a warm reception. We’re always on the lookout for people to help us, so if you’re interested in being a part of our friendly team

contact us via the email below. We are set to continue Nafcaf(e) in the new year with our first featuring on the 26th of January. But with 2017 on the horizon, our plans for Nafcaf(e) are also set to expand. We’re currently seeking to launch Nafcaf(e)s in Longbridge, Weoley and Kings Norton, so if you’re local to these areas and think hosting a Nafcaf(e) would be beneficial to your community we’re here to help. So get in touch! Lastly, we’d just like to thank everyone who’s gone above and beyond to make this events a success - from all the performers, facilitators, volunteers and of course, to everyone who’s attended. Have a merry Christmas. We’ll see you in 2017!

Our next Nafcaf(e) is January 26th 2017, Northfield Baptist Church, Bristol Road South, Northfield,

Birmingham. 18:00 - 21:30 - all ages welcome! - Contact: artsforumnorthfield@gmail.com

F NAFCAF(E)

Nafzine Editor Guy Hirst speaks with Sas and Marty Taylor about the birth, the transformation and the upkeep of running South West Birmingham’s most popular Blog... Hi guys! Could you tell us how b31 Voices began, and how it’s gained so much momentum since 2010? We moved to the Hollymoor area of Northfield in 2003 and found it difficult to really get to know the area. We felt a little like outsiders as we had watched the community devastated by the closure of MG Rover. In 2010, aware of the negative attitudes many had to the areas of Northfield, Frankley and Longbridge, we wanted to know more about the area and the good things that were happening here. We were both members of Birmingham’s developing Twitter and blogging community and were inspired (and pushed and pestered by certain people! Mentioning no names – Nick Booth & Nicky Getgood!) to blog about where we lived. What started as ‘B31 Blog’ with sporadic posts about things happening around Longbridge, Northfield, Frankley and Rubery (and we were pretty much talking to ourselves most of the time!) has mushroomed into what B31 Voices is today – covering all of Northfield District and beyond. We’ve tried

to let it develop naturally, based on what people ask for and want to talk about. We often say: “We spawned a monster!”. It’s become so much more than we ever expected.

local councilors to get help. She was so grateful and said that we were the first people that had listened – it meant a lot to be able to be there to do that for her.

It does take up a lot of our time and although we’re still volunteers we feel a huge sense of responsibility now to keep doing what we do. Recently, it’s been more challenging to keep it up due to health and family pressures. But it is worth it! It’s rewarding to know that we are helping to make sure local people are better informed and local groups have a space to share their news and info.

What has been most unexpected about running B31 Voices?

It’s the small things that are often most rewarding, things that happen behind the scenes and often don’t even make it onto our pages – such as being able to listen to someone’s worries and send them in the right direction for help. We once had text from a lady who was a victim of domestic violence and had become homeless with a small child. She didn’t know where to go for help so turned to us. We were able to lend her an ear and to point her in the direction of The Project and

Unfortunately, Northfield is often perceived negatively. Whose responsibility is it to improve this perception?

Just the way it has grown, really and the amount of trust placed in us by the local community and partners. That’s quite humbling. Oh and being recognised in the street by excited teenagers yelling: “Oh wow, you do that B31 Voices!” That’s quite embarrassing!

This has been a big issue for us over the years and we have always tried to post positive stories and news as much as possible, among all the bad news and grimness. Three years ago we decided to be more proactive with this and developed the hashtag #PositiveB31, asking people to share anything good and positive about the area that

B31 Voices covers. We had loads: beautiful photos, good deeds people were doing/receiving, happy memories People are always sending in #PositiveB31 stories and tidbits and we try to share them all, although we’ve had to change the hashtag to #PositiveSWBrum now! This really came to the foreground in July last year. It had been a terrible start to the summer, with the tragic death of teenager Sheriff Mbye in a stabbing and a viral video of young girls being bullied in a Northfield street being the main news to come out of Northfield. In response, we had a big push on #PositiveB31 and the whole community got involved. Even the Birmingham Mail supported us and joined in. It’s down to all of us to promote the good we see around us and not let the focus be on the negative. Stand up for where you live as much as you can! Of course there are negative things that happen all around us but that shouldn’t be what makes an area. We have fantastic communities with some amazing people and organisations and that’s what we should all be shouting about. What motivates you both to continue this community work? As we said, we feel a sense of responsibility now. There’s always someone messaging us for help or information. It could be that they need a good mechanic or it could be that they are the victim of a serious crime or a violent loss. We want to continue to give something back and make a positive difference to people’s lives. And there’ll always be lost cats and dogs.

What, in your opinion, are the most positive things/ places/organisations that the Northfield has to offer that people may be unaware of? There are so many amazing things going on by such awesome people that we really couldn’t single out anything/one. One thing we can say is we’ve found that most are willing to help each other and collaborate. Northfield Stakeholders Group brings interested parties to the table to work out how we can all work together and support each other to achieve better outcomes for Northfield district. There will be much more positive and fabulous stuff to come from so many across the district in 2017 keep an eye on B31 Voices to keep up to date. I really enjoy your positive news stories. Do you have any favourites from 2016? Sas loves that Buster the Boston Terrier turned up after 5 months missing and I [Marty] love the story of a young woman with two small children who gave up a large chunk of her day to help an elderly lady get home and send a birthday card after she went shopping and forgot how to get home. South West Birmingham has more than its fair share of superheroes! Do you have plans to expand the B31 Voices platform? Ideally if you could, what would you expand on? We are currently looking at ways of supporting community groups and organisations to make better use of B31 Voices as a platform in ways which work for them. We hope to work more closely with groups in the new year on this – we have lots of ideas! Watch this

space. We also want to be more accessible in the ‘real world’, rather than just online - again, watch this space. How might people get involved in writing for B31 Voices? We’ll be launching campaigns in the New Year - to get both individuals and groups more involved. If you’re interested in getting involved, or if you have a one off article you want to share, drop us an email at hello@b31. org.uk Is there anything else you’d like to add, or are there people you’d like to thank? We want to thank everyone who uses B31 Voices - every contribution made has helped make it what it is today. Every article submitted, every job listing, every follow, every comment, every share, every like! YOU are all B31 Voices. Special thanks to everyone who has supported us financially with donations, adverts and funding over the years too. And finally, what would b31 Voices like for Christmas this year? More hours in a day & more volunteers! Marty wants a raccoon! (Please don’t get him one!) Merry Christmas to all at NAF! We hope you have a fabulous 2017 and continue to deliver amazing projects in Northfield and beyond!

Visit www.b31.org.uk

THE STORY OF NORTHFIELD ON ICE On a frosty November 24th a team of 10 NAF volunteers gathered in Prices Square at the heart of Northfield’s bustling high street, ready to deliver a full day of festive crafts, live music, caroling and interactive fairy tales... Families filtered into the square to the gleeful hollers of children as the fairground choo choo train started to spiral. Parents clutched their toddlers while cautiously navigating the ice rink, as a misfit cast of theatrically clad fairy tale characters miraculously emerged from behind the NAF stalls. Prince Charming, Captain Hook, The Snow Queen, Sleeping Beauty, Robin Hood, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack (of beanstalk fame), Cinderella, The Evil Queen and the Fairy Godmother had lost their most treasured possessions on Northfield High Street! Thankfully, the children (and adults) of Northfield were happy to help. Over the course of the day over 100 treasure hunters set off to find the hidden objects, armed with only a map, list of clues, and the knowledge that certain shopkeepers were in on the game. The adventurers traveled high and low, searching shops and cafes up and down the High St to find treasures like Sleeping Beauty’s spinning wheel, Robin Hood’s bow, Jack’s magic beans and more! When finished, they returned triumphant to the NAF craft stall to receive handsome rewards of sweets, stickers and other exciting prizes donated by local businesses - all courtesy of the magical and highly coordinated Fairy Godmother. NAFs’ arts stalls and craft volunteers quickly became plastered in excessive amounts of festive

glitter, as the children created their own razzledazzle Christmas stars, personalized Christmas cards and baubles to adorn on their trees at home. Among the sequins, glue and chaotic mess stood a red post box that read “Christmas Wishes to Santa Claus,” where children posted their Christmassy desires on the back of golden cards, straight to Santa via the NAF express, all in exchange for a lollipop, of course. But no Christmas event would be complete without the appropriate music, and Composer and Music Director Chris Passey embodied the festive spirit with wonderful renditions of traditional classics that rung out across the square - with the Disney anthem “Let It go” causing children to gather hastily around our Frozen doppleganger. Between Chris’s thematic sets NAF featured wonderful carolers and local acoustic acts who accentuated an already friendly and festive ambiance both in Princes Square and in the upstairs lounge of Cosy Coffee, where the aroma of steaming mugs of hot chocolate permeated throughout the room and out into the streets. But as the sun waned and the temperature dropped Northfield On Ice wound down to a peaceful end. And having worked so hard to bring a little seasonal joy to the people of Northfield, the wonderful NAF Staff wiped the glitter from their brows, sealed their artsy gizmos away, folded their fairy tale frocks, and made themselves homeward bound to conclude a day of festivities, love and happiness - The End.

Have a merry Christmas

Special thanks to the The Flower Centre, Women's Aid, Kids Essentials, Store 21, Branchies Bunches, Mobile SOS, Ladies Choice, CEX, Gemini Jewellers and especially Cosy Coffee for taking part in our fairy tale treasure hunt.

Dear Santa Louie, age 4, wishes for a giant caterpillar and Hulk toys Bethany, age 7, wishes for a Rapunzel dolly Ruby, age 8, wishes for Bunchems and lots of Shopkins Abi, age 11, wishes for lots of Shopkins Sofia, age 6, wishes for chocolates Haciam, age 5, wishes for a motorbike Lizzie, age 7, wishes for toys and cards Noah, age 9, wishes for Ninjago Lego Harisan, age 4, wishes for a Hot Wheels playset Katie, age 9, wishes a mobile phone Ollie, age 2, wishes for toy trains and cars Oliver, age 5, wishes for new shoes Daniel, age 7, wishes for an Xbox One Lia, age 11, wishes for lots of gel pens Olivia, age 6, wishes for a pet puppy Amelie, age 4, wishes for lots of Shopkins and Barbies Leah, age 8, wishes for her family and poor people to be happy Hassan, age 9, wishes for a Lamborghini Sophie, age 10, wishes for an iPhone Paige, age 4, wishes for makeup Finley, age 7, wishes for a big teddy bear Holly, age 6, wishes for a guitar Isabela, age 4, wishes for lip balm, makeup and Elsa toys Aiden, age 8, wishes for a Pokâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;eâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;mon plushy Oliver, age 9, wishes for a Jurassic World toy Sonra, age 7, wishes for a tablet

From the Children of Northfield 13

By The Power Of Two Georgina Shelton Wrapping paper everywhere Dark and cold forgotten Hours lost in present sorting No more feeling rotten Christmas warmth takes over and brings us needed peace A family time, a happy time For most of us at least. Time to remember those you love Those you've lost or hurt Time to mend the broken lives For forgetting all the dirt Remember now as Christmas rides Towards us ever faster It is a time for peace on earth And happiness ever after Heal those wounds long forgotten Take someone in a bit closer Think of those without a prayer And you'll never be a loser Spread your arms and welcome Those who come your way Wish them all a merry Christmas For itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s little for you to say Give a little to those in need And forget you are needy too For love and happiness will come back By the power of two

Christmas Time - Georgina Shelton Snow and frost freeze the ground Chill the body and muffle the sound Can’t hear the sleigh bells, myth they may be Can’t see the darkness for the scenery A Star once shone to guide the faithful Through the lands to bounty fruitful Not gold or riches nor bounty piled But the sweetest new born child Heaven on Earth is simply then, Not gold or silver nor any amount of them It is in essence the simple things Like the love and hope a new birth brings So hold in your heart a peace this year Time will pass and dispel your cheer But always and forever, love lives on Through hatred and evil the star shines on Look to the light and hold your head high And your friends and loved ones close by The love you give and the love you receive Is all you need, so always believe. I’ll end this poem with a Christmas wish I hope it brings you joy, faith and bliss Gather up the good times and the love you share And spread it around through the coming year

The NAFZINE ARTISTS Nafzine champions the art of local creatives of all ages! Since March 2016 we’ve engaged with and published the work of 29 illustrators, photographers, graphic designers, poets, writers and collagists, and you could be one of them... We love sharing your work with the world by featuring it here. But did you know our support extends well beyond Nafzine? Northfield Arts Forum also helps artists by offering a wide array of opportunities... We always need creative thinkers, writers, photographers and artistic practitioners to run arts & crafts workshops, host events, adorn local spaces, volunteer at our monthly cafe, and to provide support across all of our grassroots initiatives in the Northfield district. Getting involved with NAF via Nafzine is a great stepping stone for any aspiring creative to gain hands on experience and freelance work while building a published portfolio. Perhaps most importantly all of our artists are able to meet valuable contacts (and make some friends too!) within Birmingham’s creative community. We are constantly

collaborating with key arts organisations, local venues, colleges and individual facilitators to be a positive influence locally and we welcome your participation.

introduce yourself. We’ll invite you to our monthly Nafcaf(e) event to have casual chat, and so you can see what we get up to in the heart of Northfield. Read more about Nafcaf(e) on page 4.

Many of our NAF artists are seeking careers or already working in arts therapy, youth work, animation, facilitation and as a commissioned freelancer. We can provide you with some of the vital practical and personal skills you’ll need to succeed - from learning to invoice, networking, creating a website, to using social media and event planning.

We hope you enjoy the work of our wonderful artists. Make sure you check out their online portfolios and follow them on Instagram. We look forward to hearing from you so your work can be featured here too!

We’re keen to share any advice that may be useful to you, and we can always point you in the right direction to a professional who can help. We welcome people of all ages and abilities to contribute to Nafzine and helping Northfield Arts Forum. Getting involved couldn’t be easier. Simply email us and

Get involved! Email: Nafzine@gmail.com

Libby Durose - (Puurl Pankras) INUI.PURRL.DEVIANTART.COM

Celia Palmer, Neil Sheldon, Emma Wilkins

Celia Palmer Instagram - @celia.palmer

Marie Bindley - Instagram - @tasty__oranges

Natalia Ireland - Instagram - @natalia_ireland

Joy Sheffield - Instagram - @sheffield.joy

NORTHFIELD SUPERHEROES UNITE! Fun Palaces is both an ongoing campaign for culture at the heart of every community, and an annual weekend of action – arts, science, craft and tech events run by, for and with for local communities. Their manifesto reads “Everyone an artist, everyone a scientist”, so on the first weekend of October Northfield Arts Forum teamed up with Northfield Eco Centre to create a Fun Palace right here in Northfield - one of hundreds happening across the UK! For one day only Northfield Quaker Meeting House and the Eco Centre were transformed into a Super Hero themed Fun Palace, an imaginarium of interactive scientific and artistic activities for local people of all ages to dive into... We had 76 adults and 91 children under the age of 16 attend, all free of charge. Our participants explored our science lab - featuring five mini experiments with slime making and volcano eruptions being particularly popular (and messy!), people of all ages made their own marvelous superhero costumes out of craft materials, had their faces painted, drew their own comic books, built dens, asked our resident professional scientist all their scientific queries, as well as taking part in our treasure trail, our computer programming workshop and the Pok’e’mon hunt. We had an absolute blast making and running the Fun Palace and were overjoyed that so many people joined us to have a go, celebrate and share the activities and ideas we had to offer. We’re especially grateful for the many remarkable volunteers who made it happen - their enthusiasm, friendliness and helpfulness was highlighted in lots of the feedback we received, along with “keep doing them!” Fun Palaces is back nationwide in October 2017 and we’re already on the look out for people to help make Northfield’s even bigger and better. Want to get involved? Email nafvolunteer@gmail.com or get in touch on Facebook.com/northfieldartsforum

Do you want to know more about Fun Palaces, or perhaps host your own for your local community? Visit funpalaces.co.uk to find out more!

Kings Norton Canals

Percy Pursglove Nafcafe(e)

For-wards is celebrating the diverse city of Birmingham by commissioning 10 pieces of new music based on the sounds of 40 wards. With 10 composers and 30 musicians collaborating with 40 community groups across the city For-wards is engaging with local people to create a cultural sound map of Birmingham, aiming to represent each area by creating individual bespoke musical pieces. Northfield Arts Forum linked up with jazz composer Percy Pursglove to capture the sounds of Northfield and Kings Norton. With a small group of young people meeting at Greaves Hall in November, we went out exploring Kings Norton’s lush canals, busy roadways and autumnal parks - stopping, listening and tuning into our senses to reveal what sounds nature and mankind had to offer. You can listen to the Kings Norton field recording and audibly explore other areas of Birmingham here: soundcloud.com/for-wards/tracks Percy also hosted a music workshop for young children and graced our last Nafcaf(e) of the year at Northfield Baptist Church on November 24th, where participants went out field recording in Northfield using highlysensitive microphones, allowing them to pick up sounds beyond the average human perception. Whereas Nafcaf(e) attendees were treated to a lovely rendition of jazz standard “There Will Never Be Another You,” before gathering around in a circle to make silly noises, stop and listen, perform vocal imitations of nonverbal sounds, and generally laugh at the preposterousness of our own voices. We look forward to hearing that one! We’re also glad to announce that For-wards has reached 110 percent of their pledge campaign. But it’s not too late support this amazing project and pick yourself up lots of goodies - from beautiful prints to limited edition vinyl. Take a peek: www.pledgemusic.com/projects/for-wards

Be sure to t check out facebook.com/forwardsbrum and visit for-wards.co.uk

UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES NAFCAF(E) - THURSDAY 27th JANUARY Local Arts Cafe - Northfield Baptist Church - Art, Poetry, Music, Pay-as-you-feel Food. Come along and get involved! ARTS AWARD - 11 to 25 Year Olds Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be delivering arts awards as part of our upcoming projects. Visit www.northfieldartsforum.com for dates in the new year. SUMMER STYLE 2017 Visit www.northfieldartsforum.com for dates in the new year PERFORMING MUSICIANS Northfield Arts Forum is always in need of musicians to perform at our monthly Nafcaf(e) event and at our various events throughout the year! Email Nafmusicteam@gmail.com VOLUNTEERS Join our friendly group of dedicated volunteers and gain experience working with local grassroots arts initiatives, events managements and catering. Email Nafvolunteer@gmail.com ARTISTS/POETS/CREATIVE WRITERS - All Ages & Abilities Welcome As well as having your work featured in Nafzine and sharing your work at Nafcaf(e) we offer a range of opportunities including workshops, arts facilitation experience and training, mentoring, networking and practical support for community arts projects. Email Nafzine@gmail.com

@northfieldarts1

/northfieldartsforum

northfieldartsforum.com