7inch Cinema and Capsule present: MAKING DO
A free late night event on Thursday 7 May, 6pm – 9pm
The New Art Gallery Walsall in partnership with 7inch Cinema and Capsule want to take you on a magical journey back to the 1950s with an evening event of listening, viewing, drinking and doing on Thursday 7 May, 6pm – 9pm. Inspired by Britain’s make-and-mend post-war spirit, the event brings together screenings of short films, live music performances courtesy of Pram (Domino Records), July Skies and The Winter League, workshops and activities and a nostalgic and street party atmosphere throughout our award winning building!
Not so long ago housewives had a number of very good reasons to be desperate. Not only did they have to look after their families in an age of depression, war and austerity, but they did so without the consumer durables that we now consider essential. Housewife Choice is a series of short public information films packed with handy hints for housewives, produced between the 1920s and 50s but just as useful in today’s wintry economic climate.
The film programme includes documentaries, cine-magazines, propaganda films and adverts, especially selected from the BFI archive. The screenings will also include a selection of colourful, handmade music videos by new talent from the recent Flatpack Festival in Birmingham, featuring flipbooks, animated sock-fish, cut-out cardboard dogs and puppetry.
Trevor Woolery will be running an animation workshop at the art library and people’s animated stories and characters will be instantly projected onto the wall and become part of an animation story.
Sara Fowles from Stitches and Hos, an organisation that is outing knitting from the private domain to the public realm, will be showcasing the art of knitting and will be inviting people to join her and create anything from socks to scarves.
Alongside the free food and refreshments that we will be offering that night, our visitors will also have the opportunity to decorate their own cake, with patterns, shapes and colours of their choice.
The same night, Sima Gonsai, the gallery’s current artist in residence, will keep her studio door open and present an audio visual installation of Cycle Dialogues Walsall, a journey navigated by people’s stories and recommendations whilst travelling on her bicycle.
Finally, Jo Digger, the gallery’s Collections Curator, will be taking groups of people on behind the scenes tours around the building and give them the opportunity to experience and have a look at areas of the gallery that our everyday visitors can not access and explain how exhibitions are put together.
For more information contact the gallery on 01922 654400 or visit www.thenewartgallerywalsall.org.uk
7 Inch Cinema have been producing unusual film events in all kinds of places since 2003, including Birmingham’s annual Flatpack Festival.
www.7inch.org.uk