AGENDA

Ikon is holding an exhibition by Birmingham-born artist John Newling until the 31st May. Newling, a pioneer of public art with a social purpose, is renowned for pushing the boundaries of what defines art alongside a strong environmental message. At the heart of Ikon’s exhibition is Dear Nature, a book published in 2018, comprising letters Newling wrote to nature every day for 81 days. Alongside the letters are photographs of a growing flax seedling, cultivated in Newling’s studio. Other works making up the exhibition include The Soil Books; sculptures, derived from Newling’s everyday experience of walking from his house into his back garden, picking up leaves on the way: the result is book-like GET AMONGST NATURE AT IKON

6 dluxe-magazine.co.uk stacks of panels of processed soil with the leaves, pressed and gilded, on the surfaces which are then stained with watercolour. The order of the books is crucial, indicating seasonal change, and once again conveying the artist’s preoccupation with physical transformation.

A further work, Waste Land Soil (2018), involves the artist shredding several hundred copies of T.S. Eliot’s poem The Waste Land, combined with coffee grounds and other kitchen scraps to make a soil that can sustain vegetative

GET SET FOR SUMMER AT THE GRAND

growth - thus the opposite of waste. In a reverse process, Newling used the soil to make paper for his Eliot’s Note Books (2017), 434 paper sheets reflecting the 434 lines in Eliot’s poem that, if placed in the earth, would grow and sustain life.

The exhibition extends beyond the gallery space, with readings of Dear Nature resounding throughout Ikon’s staircase and further works sited nearby in the cherry trees in Oozells Square, Brindleyplace.

Find out more @ikongallery One of the city’s most iconic buildings is to reopen its doors this summer following a dramatic and dedicated restoration project that has seen this landmark brought back to its former glory.

The Grand Hotel, overlooking the prestigious Colmore Row, will once again open its doors to the public as a luxury hotel. The Grade II* listed building, will be home to 185 spacious rooms and suites, retaining the building’s mix of French Renaissance, Victorian and Art Deco features and paying homage to its illustrious history. Original character features throughout the property have been painstakingly restored, including the stone façade, historic ceilings, mosaic tiled floors and grand staircase.

The centrepiece Grosvenor ballroom, one of the most remarkable historic ballrooms in the United Kingdom, will be the jewel in the hotel’s crown and is sure to become Birmingham’s premier event space for all occasions. The restoration also includes new penthouse suites with spectacular views across St Phillip’s Cathedral and the city beyond; a sunken rooftop garden terrace - set to become one of the city’s best kept secret destinations; two new bars and a destination restaurant, a gymnasium, state-of-theart meeting rooms, collaboration areas, and event spaces.

The hotel has enjoyed an illustrious past, having played host to a long list of royalty and famous names including King George VI, Malcolm X, Charlie Chaplin, Winston Churchill and James Cagney.

Cody Bradshaw, Managing Director, Head of International Hotels at Starwood Capital Group, who are behind the scheme commented: “We’re proud to be working with Hortons’ Estate, whose founder, Isaac Horton, originally built the hotel in the 1870s, on a shared vision to create one of the most prestigious hotels in the UK. The restoration of this stunning grande dame building is another milestone in what is an exciting period of transformation for this vibrant city.”

SOLIHULL SUMMER FEST GETS KOOL… AND THE GANG! [ agenda ] <<<

Grammy Award winners, Kool and The Gang, have been announced as this year’s headline act for the two-day Solihull Summer Fest – the festival’s 5th year!

Held at Tudor Grange Park in Solihull on the 25-26 July, this year’s event looks set to be the biggest yet with performances by R & B legends Kool and the Gang; 80s soul superstars Shalamar; UK acid jazz and funk royalty, The Brand New Heavies; electronic dance duo, Snap!; one of pop’s greatest vocalists, Tony Hadley; internationally acclaimed Belinda Carlisle and the one and only Leo Sayer all joining the bill!

With more acts due to be announced now’s the time to grab your tickets – visit www.solihullsummerfest.co.uk

CLEAN AND CONSCIOUS CONCEPT COMES TO CITY

Holland & Barrett, are meeting the growing demand for more ‘clean & conscious’ beauty with the launch of their first ever beauty concept store.

The retailer has sourced a staggering 900 new beauty lines from the most clean and conscious brands around the world, including an array of new natural and vegan skincare products from pioneering brands such as Ren, INIKA Organic, Ilapothercary, Evolve, Hanna Sillitoe and This Works: all to be housed at the Birmingham Bullring store and available online. The concept store also boasts an experiential sink area for live product demos and a Faith in Nature refillable station, where customers can bring in their empty Faith in Nature bottle and refill with a product of their choice.

M O O M I N MARVELLOUS

Perfect for a nursery or a nostalgic walk down memory lane, Desenio’s Moomin Collection consists of 14 art prints featuring our favourite characters from Moominvalley. Celebrating their 75th birthday later this year, Tove Jansson’s mythical creatures have become a global phenomenon and are more adored than ever!

With these sketch drawings you can bring the popular characters of Moominvalley to your walls.

RECRUITINGYEAR7NOWRECRUITINGYEAR7NOW

FORSEPTEMBER2020FORSEPTEMBER2020

Scholarships available for Academic, Art, Languages, Music and Sport AssistedPlaces(Bursaries)availableonapplication Scholarships available for Academic, Art, Languages, Music and Sport AssistedPlaces(Bursaries)availableonapplication

Toregisteryourplaceandfindoutmore,contactthe AdmissionsManageron:admissions@hallfieldschool.co.uk Toregisteryourplaceandfindoutmore,contactthe AdmissionsManageron:admissions@hallfieldschool.co.uk

Tattu [ agenda ] <<<

Birmingham

Tattu is an independent, family-owned, business founded in 2015 by brothers Adam and Drew Jones. The Tattu brand set out with a clear vision – to bring something unique and exciting to the UK’s culinary scene, delivering a dining experience that stimulates all senses, fusing beautiful and meaningful design with exciting and innovative cooking.

Diners are encouraged to embrace the customary approach of sharing dishes with their guests, from colourful dim sum and luxurious small plates to contemporary main course dishes and stunning desserts. Each seasonal menu is created by Tattu’s talented chefs utilising only premium ingredients sourced from carefully selected suppliers, delivered by highly-trained front of house teams with a strong focus on meticulous and engaging customer service.

Signature dim sum and small plates include chicken truffle shumai served with freshly shaved truffle and soy and chilli and sesame roasted scallops with Chinese sausage, crushed edamame and mint. Larger sharing plates include caramel soy beef fillet with shiitake and asparagus, as well the delicate ginger miso black cod served with hoba leaf, pickled lime and daikon salad.

Desserts are never a course to be missed at Tattu, guests can experience the smoking cherry blossom with chocolate mousse, cherry and candyfloss as well as the Asian pear sticky toffee pudding with cinnamon, vanilla and almond. Guests can also raise a glass with a selection of bespoke cocktails designed especially for Birmingham. Sweet Huāyuán is described as a ‘meteor garden in a glass’, with vanilla vodka, white chocolate syrup, matcha green tea and coconut. Light and Stormy is Tattu’s take on a classic serve with rum and plum topped with fiery ginger beer. Finally, Yin Yang is inspired by the venue’s contrasting interiors, where light and dark collide, with gin, hibiscus and apple.

Tattu Birmingham is the largest restaurant in the group, which also has sites in Manchester, Leeds and Edinburgh. It’s also the first restaurant in the group that’s located within a heritage space, which played a key role in creating a unique concept for the site.

Occupying a charming space within the city’s historic Grand development on Barwick Street, Tattu Birmingham’s interior design explores of the ancient Chinese philosophy of Yin Yang, the blending of contrary forces to create harmony. Yin is the dark element linked with femininity, shadows and water. Tattu’s main dining space represents ‘Yin’ and is detailed in feminine finishes, including its signature cherry blossom trees that create a canopy of delicate blossom throughout the space. The traditional wooden fretwork and carefully styled lighting cast shadows to create the effect of waterfalls against the granite walls.

Yang is the light element linked with masculinity, growth and fire. This

new design is featured in the restaurant’s

ground floor bar, dining area and semi-private dining room that overlooks the blossom canopy below. Utilising natural materials and imported stone, the space represents the growth of the business into new realms offering a new take on the traditional Tattu design. Polished brass reflects light to create a warm glow throughout – the perfect environment to relax with one of Birmingham’s signature cocktails.

Managing director, Adam Jones, explained: “Each Tattu restaurant has its own identity and style that takes customers on a sensory journey as they dine. We recognise the historic importance of The Grand to the city and wanted to reflect that in our concept.” For exclusive hire, the venue can seat up to 150 guests over two floors or up to 200 guests for a canapé event.

Tattu’s opulent aesthetic and creative cuisine look set to make the restaurant a must visit in the city centre of Birmingham.

STEP INTO SPRING WITH MAILBOX [ agenda ] <<<

Fresh spring dishes to tantalize your tastebuds, new season styling to revive your home and the latest fashion collections to get your wardrobe holiday ready – discover luxury like no other, only at Mailbox.

NEW DISCOVERIES Spring is all about new beginnings, and the Mailbox’s latest culinary addition packs a real punch when it comes to discovering new flavours. Indico Street Kitchen is the city’s newest boutique Indian restaurant, paying tribute to the glitz and glamour of vibrant Punjabi culture. Offering an all-round experience to ignite your senses, Indico is the perfect place for date nights, drinks with friends or catch-ups with the family. Elsewhere, enjoy the freshest spring dishes at a selection of waterside restaurants, from BAHA Vegan, Aluna, Gas Street Social and more.

Give your home a spring-clean and a new season refresh with the help of inspiring interiors. Sitting alongside the latest SS20 collections from prestigious brands, such as Heal’s, BoConcept and MADE.COM, is the Mailbox’s newest Level 1 retailer: Lovett & Judge. Boasting a curated collection of striking furniture and one-off treasures, learn how to add bold interiors to your home without breaking the bank.

12 dluxe-magazine GET READY FOR HOLIDAY SEASON Spring is the perfect time to update your wardrobe, ready for the longer and brighter days ahead. Straight from the runway to the Mailbox, discover the newest apparel with a selection of the biggest brands in fashion. From designer labels at Harvey Nichols and signature styles at Paul Smith, to elegant womenswear at Level 2’s latest addition, James Lakeland, make sure you stand out from the crowd whilst staying

and more. Boasting sumptuous sofas, drinks-delivery and exceptional customer service, visit Everyman for a luxurious experience that the whole family will enjoy.

NEW SEASON, NEW YOU Say goodbye to the cold, wintery weather and restore your skin’s natural glow with a trip to the Mailbox. Escape from the hustle and bustle of the city and take time out to sit back and unwind in the decadent surroundings of the Harvey Nichols and Malmaison spas.

firmly on-trend this holiday season.

Planning on staying local this Easter? Everyman Cinema is set to show some of the biggest family films of the year, screening the much-anticipated releases of Mulan, Peter Rabbit 2, The Secret Garden Feeling like a new season ‘do? Experts from James Bushell, Nicky Clarke and Toni & Guy Essensuals are ready to treat you to an on-trend makeover – whether you’re embracing the bob, bangs or a blowout. Meanwhile, gents can experience grooming like no other at Pall Mall Barbers on Level 1, with an award-winning team delivering razor sharp styling and luxurious wet shaves to get you looking your best.

Ideally situated within the heart of Birmingham, the Mailbox lies just minutes from New Street Station and offers 24 hours secure on-site parking with the award-winning Q Park, providing free tyre checking with every visit.

ONLY ATONLY AT

The destination for flagship and concept stores that send fashionistas and foodies, home-lovers and style-seekers wild. It’s all here waiting for you. The destination for flagship and concept stores that send fashionistas and foodies, home-lovers and style-seekers wild. It’s all here waiting for you.

YEAR SEVEN at HallfieLD Launching in September 2020, Hallfield School is creating HallfieldSeniors to educate pupils 11-13 years of age in preparation for entry into regional independent schools and national boarding schools. Hallfield School has a distinguished history of educating pupils for entry at 13+ and they believe, as they have just celebrated their 140th year as one of Birmingham’s most distinguished Prep Schools, the time is right to expand their offering to both their current parents and the wider Birmingham community to become the only Birmingham Prep School offering co-educational education to 13 years. [ agenda ] <<<

With excellent facilities, extensive 20-acre grounds and specialist teachers with experience of teaching senior school pupils, Hallfield is well-placed to deliver a unique Prep School education within Birmingham.

Why 13+? Their reasons for extending their schooling to age 13 are essentially two-fold: Choice and Ambition. Traditionally, pupils entered Public Schools as boarders or day pupils in Year 9, at the age of 13 years. Whilst Hallfield will continue to excel in its preparation of pupils to gain entry to highly selective schools at 11+, they know that starting a new senior school at the end of Year 6 is not the right pathway for everyone; they are providing parents with a greater choice and a chance to realise their aspirations.

Some parents wish their child to receive a broader and more traditional education and either commute or board at regional or national Public Schools. Many parents feel that at the age of 11 years, their child is not ready to either commute a longer distance or board. Hallfield used to feed into this traditional model and pupils from Hallfield have attended schools at 13+ such as Harrow, Eton and Uppingham, to name a few. These schools have international reputations for the quality of the education they provide and world-class facilities. They are currently working closely with partner schools at Adcote School For Girls, Bromsgrove, Malvern College, Malvern St James, Old Swinford Hospital, Repton, RGS Worcester, Rugby, Shrewsbury School, Shrewsbury High, St George’s, Warwick School and Wrekin College.

Equally, some pupils need more time to mature and develop in the familiar/more secure environment a Prep School can offer. Pupils can also take entrance exams to local selective independent schools for entry into Year 9, where fewer children compete for places compared with entry at Year 7.

GO OFFROAD TO BEDFORDSHIRE

Oh how we would have loved one of these! Embark upon a night-time drive adventure with the new Cabin Bed with off roader Tent and Tunnel from online family furniture brand Nöa & Nani. The super-fun, elevated sleep station will be sure to encourage the most explorative play, whilst also providing a cosy place for sleep.

The off roader canopy provides the most imaginative hideaway den, perfect for stowing those precious pieces of safari equipment such as binoculars, cameras and torches, or for simply hiding toys and furniture out of sight, ensuring that the surrounding room space is maximised. The super-fun fabric tent features a bright green 4x4 vehicle, complete with front, side and rear views. Accessible via a sturdy ladder, the luggage rack atop provides the ideal place to sleep peacefully under the nighttime stars, or a spot to sit and ponder whilst looking out onto the Serengeti savannah.

Beautifully crafted from solid pine and finished in a contemporary shade of white, matching accessories including shelves and coat hooks can be added to accommodate all those little bits and bobs. All fabric add-ons from Nöa & Nani fully comply with UK fire regulations, ensuring they are safe for use. Designed to grow with the child, the tented canopy can be easily removed, leaving a stylish, classic sleeper, which can accommodate a slide and a desk or chest of drawers below.

ROALD WINDOWS GET ROYAL UNVEILING [ agenda ] <<<

Birmingham Children’s Hospital welcomed Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall to its hospital recently to unveil a unique stainedglass window installation, featuring some of Roald Dahl’s most iconic characters, specially designed by the world-famous children’s illustrator Sir Quentin Blake.

The charitably-funded project is the brainchild of Felicity Dahl, wife of the late author, who often used to visit the hospital as a child with her father Professor Alphonsus d’Abreu, then Dean of the Medical Faculty. She approached Sir Quentin Blake who was delighted to be involved and generously donated his original designs, which have now been transformed into a stunning series of stained-glass windows – the first-time Sir Quentin’s work or Roald Dahl characters have ever been produced in stained-glass.

Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity launched a campaign to raise the £234,000 needed to make the windows a reality. Once the money was raised, work was able to start and the final installation is now housed inside Waterfall House, a state-of-the-art building, which is home to Birmingham Children’s Hospital’s world-class Children’s Cancer Centre and the UK’s first Rare Diseases Centre for children. The main window sits in the entrance to Waterfall House, while a series of nine smaller interior windows are situated along the building’s ground floor corridor.

HRH The Duchess of Cornwall was invited to the hospital to unveil the new installation and was able to get a closer look at all of the windows, which feature favourite Roald Dahl characters that every child and parent will instantly recognise, including The BFG, The Enormous Crocodile and The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me, plus Matilda and Charlie and The Chocolate Factory.

HRH The Duchess of Cornwall was also able to meet patients, project donors, as well as staff members, including Birmingham Children’s Hospital’s four Roald Dahl Nurses who specialise in rare diseases. These nurses are funded by Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity of which The Duchess is Patron. HRH The Duchess of Cornwall was then invited to unveil a commemorative plaque.

COASTING ALONG

Dismiss drink rings and say goodbye to worktop worries with these colourful coasters from Red Candy.

These animalicious coasters are part of a full animal inspired range of home accessories that are sure to leave you feline fine! All of these bright and beautiful pieces are lovingly handmade in Sri Lanka from ceramic with decal decoration. A set of four coasters cost just £22.50 from www.redcandy.co.uk There may well be a new winner for the title of most comfortable sneakers ever: the Hi Cloud by Swiss sportswear specialists On. ON CLOUD HI

Hi by name, high in tech and high in nature, these urban adventurers are like the SUV of the sneaker world; part trainer, part hiking boot.

The CloudTec® cushioned sole means you stand a little taller and always in extreme comfort making a full day on your feet a real treat! Perfect for a city break, these are the ultra light trainers (just 354g!) you need to take on holiday.

Made from vegan leather and suede with durable canvas, they look smart in the city and casual enough for a long weekend in the country.

We love the looplock speed lacing system too – just clip and go! So simple, so smart… so why aren’t all trainers laced this way?

Priced at £150 from www.on-running.com

DISHOOM TO OPEN Celebrated Bombay café Dishoom is opening this Spring at One Chamberlain Square, part of Paradise Birmingham. The restaurant will pay loving homage to the old Irani cafés that were once part of the fabric of life in Bombay.

He may not be a comic you would describe as overtly political, but this mercurial Dubliner does tackle the broader issues by discussing normal people, often finding joy in the idiosyncrasies of humans. “I would say that I’m optimistic about people. I didn’t go to university, let alone a good university but I’ve got this far. You can make it. Ultimately my guiding light is love. You go around every possible chamber of human experience and the only one that works is love.”

Andrew Maxwell

In a career that has achieved high praise from audiences and critics alike, Andrew Maxwell has never been short of subjects to regale us all with. As he gears up for his next tour, he’s set to give us a dose of Reality. Or reality TV, to be more precise, given that his experience of being in the back and beyond in Australia for I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here will form a significant part of his new show writes Brian Donaldson

“It’s such a massive programme and it has a very special place in people’s hearts. When I started talking to my nearest and dearest about doing it, I didn’t realise how many people are so crazy about it. You get whole families wanting photos. People’s kids want a photo of me! I was living on 600 calories a day, literally sleeping with snakes, and spiders are falling onto your head as you try to wee into a bucket at night: everything else in life is then much easier.”

Making stand-up look easy has been Andrew Maxwell’s forte during a career spanning more than 25 years. A favourite at the Edinburgh Fringe with shows such as Grand Royale, Waxin’ (which earned him an Edinburgh Comedy Award nomination in 2007), Supernatural, and his most recent hour, All Talk, he has also appeared on TV shows such as Live At The Apollo, Mock The Week and Drunk History, and narrated MTV’s Ex On The Beach. In 2004 he was crowned King Of Comedy in a Channel 4 reality show, while he also claimed victory in a 2018 episode of Celebrity Mastermind with his specialist subject of Lebanon. Luckily I’ve got a constant raging “

midlife crisis on the go, so there’s always something to talk about. ”

His reluctance to talk about Trump, Brexit, Boris or any of the other current political buzzwords doesn’t mean that he’s afraid of confronting those sorts of issues. It’s just that he senses people might have had their fill of it all for the time being. “My feeling is that at the moment, there’s going to be a period of ‘please stop talking about it’. I’ve talked extensively about the situations with Brexit and the IndyRef in Scotland and the constant rolling us versus them stuff in Northern Ireland: these things will always pop up but I just get the sense that people don’t want it. A period of reflection I believe it’s called. Luckily I’ve got a constant raging midlife crisis on the go, so there’s always something to talk about.”

A veteran of the comedy circuit in the UK and at arts festivals all across the world, Andrew has spent enough time on the road to know all about the pros and cons of touring. “The con is loneliness, and there’s not a lot you can do about that. I drive around myself and listen to Melvyn Bragg’s In Our Time. It’s 45 minutes long and they get right to the point, with three experts in anything from the East India Company or quantum mechanics.”

For a man who is constantly inquisitive about the world around him, there’s always something to learn about the places he’s appearing in. “The pros of touring are the whole days set aside to just learn something new. There was a day on the tour last spring when I looked at the maps and it struck me that I had never realised that the Peak District is just above Sheffield. So suddenly I’m just pottering around the countryside like I’m in a Sunday evening murder-mystery.”

One of the mysteries of the entertainment industry is that people as talented in their field as Andrew Maxwell aren’t better known to a wider populace. His newfound fame from I’m A Celebrity might attract a different kind of audience to his shows, but whoever is in the crowd, his goal will always remain the same. “You want people to laugh their bollocks off and leave the tent or the room with their chin up. It’s important to send them off armed and ready for life. I want them to feel a million dollars.” The Reality is you can pretty much put your house on that happening.

Andrew Maxwell’s Reality tour calls in at The Old Rep, Birmingham on the 22nd May. For tickets visit www.andrewmaxwellontour.com