Join us at the BRIG Cafe for Digbeth First Friday where we are delighted to present artist Gary Stewart who will be live mixing selections from Vivid Projects media archive in response to stories and sounds shared by the public.

Gary Stewart performing at Focal Point Gallery, 2022

Gary Stewart is an interdisciplinary artist whose work examines social and political issues of identity, culture, and technology, using digital tools to challenge narratives and empower underrepresented voices. For Digbeth First Friday Stewart invites you to an improvised performance exploration of the media archive, as he creates new and unexpected ways of experiencing Birmingham in the 80s and 90s. Running over the course of the evening, this is a durational work which you can drop into or spend three hours with.

The performance is the culmination of the first research phase of ‘We Did It Together’ a collaboration between Vivid Projects and Birmingham Libraries, which has been taking place in Handsworth and Northfield this winter. Stewart has led workshops guiding discussions on the evolution of community campaigns and how different generations can work together for social change. Drawing from shared testimonies and materials, the participants helped to shape an interactive, audio-visual collage of archival material and memories.

Gary is a seasoned artist and performer, having showcased his work far and wide – including a recent appearance on TATE’s Friday Lates. Trust us, it’s not one you want to miss!

The final two ‘We Did It Together’ workshops will take place on the March 4th at Northfield Library and the March 8th at Handsworth Library. It’s not too late to get involved – sign up now by filling in this form.

Thanks to the John Feeney Trust and Birmgingham Libraries for support in making this project possible.