Stunning artworks from Birmingham students light up second city

Eye-catching artworks from Birmingham students are lighting up iconic second city locations.

Dozens of creative projects produced by Birmingham City University students have gone on display at sites across the city including the Bull Ring, New Street, the Aston Expressway and the famous‘eye’ at Birmingham’s Grand Central.

INSPIRED FESTIVAL
BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY

The artworks, inspired by the Covid-19 pandemic, are being showcased to mark end-of-year projects for students on creative degree courses, and to take exhibitions to the people of the city, after 16 months marred by event restrictions and limitations on Birmingham’s cultural sector.

Students at the University’s Faculty of Arts, Design and Media hold an annual event known as Inspired Festival, in which campus buildings are taken over to display an array of works to industry, the public, staff and students.

But following the pandemic the University took the decision to take the works to the city, taking over the billboards, banners and hoardings to showcase the talents of students from courses such as photography, art, fashion, jewellery, music, acting, writing, architecture and design.

Among the works on display are photographs, fashion designs, creative writing and digital designs which have been inspired by the experience of the of the last year.

Sara Middleton, Associate Dean for Birmingham City University’s Faculty of Arts, Design and Media, said: “In an unprecedented year our students have shown a level of creativity and innovation that deserves to be celebrated and showcased to as wide an audience as possible. And if people can’t come to us, it is only right that we take the exhibition out in to our city.

My approach to the Inspired Festival is that the ‘show must go on’ and to come up with creative solutions to showcase the work of the talented class of 2021 – and seeing these works in such prominent locations fills all of us with great pride.
Sarah Middleton

“The showcase includes printed billboards, digital screens, ad vans, a new website and an active Instagram site plus interviews from our journalism graduates. Behind the scenes we also have a team of alumni freelancers and students supporting us to make this happen in a short time scale.”

This year the Festival will also host artworks on dedicated web pages, and celebrate the work of artists, actors, designers, writers and musicians across the Faculty, and share their positive and creative responses to the unparalleled challenges of Covid-19.