On Saturday, the rain finally ceased, darkness descended and @mark_moif guided guests through Langley Park and the canal side to see his stunning illuminated paste-ups and 4-storey high projections on the Langley Maltings building. . . Over the last year Mark has been delving into the rich archives that have been amassed by both the Living Memory and Made in Oldbury archive projects, to create new collage / cut outs / paste-ups and created this spectacular trail around the park. Thank you to UAP @urbanaudiopro for event production and @cpl.tech for AV support. Thanks also to the Canal River Trust @canalrivertrust for supporting this project as part of #BCN250 . . #blastphotofest2019 #acesupported #sandwellcouncil

What a spectacular weekend we had in Oldbury for #blastphotofest2019! Shopkeepers on Langley High Street documented by Kate Jackson @katejacksphoto joined us for the launch of exhibition ‘The Village.’ Rob Clayton @clayton.rob met with new and old friends (including someone he hadn’t seen since photographing them for the original book in 1991) at ‘Estate Return’ at Rounds Green Library. Mark Murphy @mark_moif guided us through Langley Park and the Canalside by moonlight to showcase his project ‘Out of Time’. As ever, thanks to all the people who participated and our project partners #acesupported #sandwellcouncil

This week Blast! Festival of Photography, Talk and Walks goes to Smethwick, with artist talks, exhibition launches, community events and sound walks to take part in! . Exhibitions to visit while you’re there are: The Exiles by Billy Dosanjh and Black Country Siks at Smethwick Heritage Centre, Mitti Di Kushboo – The Smell of the Land by Jaskirt Boora at Lightwoods House and Homemade in Smethwick by Liz Hingley outside Thimblemill Library. . Visit the news section on the Blast! Festival website for event timings and booking links. . . . . . . . #BlastPhotoFest2019 #socialdocumentaryphotography #Multistory #multistoryartist #Sandwell #AmbitionforExcellence #ACE #westmidlandsartsbursary #ACEmidlands #CultureMatters #SandwellCouncil #MultistoryArtists #Community #artsfestival #ACEsupported #NationalLottery

For a rainy Saturday we have the perfect solution- come to Langley Park Lodge in Oldbury to watch the fantastic documentary Faces Places at 6PM! . Nominated for Best Documentary Oscar, Faces Places follows iconic filmmaker Agnès Varda and street artist & photographer JR as they embark on a road trip like no other, to explore what it means to make a meaningful piece of art. The duo travel across rural France creating portraits of the people they meet, in what is a deeply charming look into the power of community. . Book your tickets on the event section of the blast website. . . . . . . . #facesplaces #agnèsvarda #jr #communityart #documentary #film #oldbury #multistory #BlastPhotoFest2019 #travel #Ambitionforexcellence #sandwell #culturematters #ACEsupported

Girl Gaze: Journeys Through The Punjab & Black Country, UK brings together newly commissioned work by artists Jocelyn Allen (UK), Jennifer Pattison (UK), Andrea Fernandes (India) and Uzma Mohsin (India). The works explore themes of gender, identity, patriarchy, tradition, culture, memory and place. Curated by @iofergusson, and produced by @creativeblackcountry. . Girl Gaze is exhibiting at The British Muslim School in West Bromwich until 29 June 2019, as part of Blast! Festival of Photography, Talks and Walks. See the Blast! Festival website for opening times. . Photo by Uzma Mohsin. . . . . . . . . #BlastPhotoFest2019 #socialdocumentaryphotography #Multistory #multistoryartist #Sandwell #AmbitionforExcellence #ACE #westmidlandsartsbursary #ACEmidlands #CultureMatters #SandwellCouncil #MultistoryArtists #Community #artsfestival #ACEsupported #NationalLottery

Photos by: Apna Heritage Archive, Centrala, Sukie Dhesi & Michael Landelle. Last week’s iteration of Blast! Festival focused on the town of Rowley Regis. Events included an online curatorial tour by @bethanykane and students from Sandwell College of exhibition ‘Lost Generation IV’, a tour and coffee morning of ‘Stories of Home’ led by the artist Jon Tonks for a group of Polish elders from Polish Millennium House – it was the first trip to West Brom for many! @Centralal also hosted a CEE Artist Networking Event, with great presentations by Birmingham–based artists Aleksova Boyana & Jakub Cerglaz. We screened Martin Parr’s film ‘Mark Goes to Mongolia’ and hosted an ‘in-conversation’ between Martin and Black Country pigeon breeder Mark Evans (with his pigeons!) Anand Chhabra gave a fantastic talk about his project the Apna Heritage Archive at the Guru Nanak Gudwara, and people who attended Cradley Heath Creative Arts Festival got the chance to take part in Vicky Roden’s ‘The Sandwell Honours’ workshop. We’re now half-way through the festival, with lots more still to come – check out blastphotofestival.com for more events and exhibitions! . . . . . . . . #BlastPhotoFest2019 #socialdocumentaryphotography #Multistory #multistoryartist #Sandwell #AmbitionforExcellence #ACE #westmidlandsartsbursary #ACEmidlands #CultureMatters #SandwellCouncil #MultistoryArtists #Community #artsfestival #ACEsupported #NationalLottery

Head over to the Blast! Festival website to keep up to date with exhibitions and events taking place during the second half of the festival. You can also download the Blast! Festival brochure here. Blast! Festival of Photography, Talks and Walks is taking place throughout the six towns of Sandwell until 29 June 2019. Join […]

This week, Blast! Festival highlights the Sandwell town of Oldbury. Exhibitions taking place are ‘Estate Return’ by Robert Clayton at Rounds Green Library, Kate Jackson’s ‘The Village’ at Langley Park Lodge and Family Portraits by Inka & Niclas Lindergård at Oldbury Council House. Check website for opening times or attend one of the events. On June 15th, why not make a day of it and join Robert Clayton for a talk and family friendly workshop at Rounds Green Library to celebrate the launch of his exhibition ‘Estate Return.’ Then head over to Langley Park Lodge to watch the fantastic Agnes Varda documentary ‘Faces / Places’ at 4.30pm and stay for artist Mark Murphy’s Collage Party from 6.30pm. On the 11th of June, Andrew Jackson leads a visual storytelling workshop where you can learn how to tell your own story of belonging. On June 13th is the preview of Mahtab Hussain’s exhibition ‘The Quiet Town of Tipton’ and Dr Euripides Altintzoglou will be ‘in conversation’ with Anand Chhabra (Apna Heritage Archive) and Emma Chetcuti (Multistory Director). On the 14th June Kate Jackson introduces ‘The Village’; an exhibition of work newly commissioned as part of the Forge Programme. . . . . . . . #BlastPhotoFest2019 #socialdocumentaryphotography #Multistory #multistoryartist #Sandwell #AmbitionforExcellence #ACE #westmidlandsartsbursary #ACEmidlands #CultureMatters #SandwellCouncil #MultistoryArtists #Community #artsfestival #ACEsupported #NationalLottery