News from Blackburn is Open

There are several events up and coming in the Blackburn is Open calendar that we thought you might be interested in;

Beatles Drink & Draw

Drink & Draw are a cabaret style event with a difference.  Bringing together both professional and amateur artists alike to enjoy a drink and drawing while being entertained.  This month it is the turn of The Walrus, a Beatles/John Lennon inspired tribute act to entertain the artistic crowd.

The Drink and Draw event takes place on Thursday 12th February, 6:30pm at St. Johns Church, Victoria Street, Blackburn.  Admission is £5.

Open Day @ The Bureau

The Bureau is Blackburn's newest art venue and will be opening its doors for a day of artistic intent.

The event taking place on February 19 will feature live entertainment, demonstrations and workshops in everything from printmaking to lampshade making.

Take part in a singing workshop or even try your hand at circus skills such as juggling or unicycling.
There’ll also be live entertainment from a variety of performers including Blackburn People’s Choir, singer songwriter Ian Hodgson whose band Bradford have shared stages with the likes of Bjork and Primal Scream, and folk band The Driver Brothers.

SLYNCS, a Blackburn based youth organisation, will be delivering a one hour workshop aimed at finding out what people want from an arts centre in Blackburn and Somewhere-to who support young people in the arts will also be on hand to talk about the work that they do.

There’ll also be an art auction to help raise money for The Bureau. Work will be contributed by the many artists involved in setting up The Bureau and bidding begins at 7.30pm.

The Bureau is based at the former church St Johns which until recently was the venue for the Citizens Advice Bureau.

It has now been relaunched as an arts centre and is being run by local artists, performers and event promoters to host events, exhibitions, workshops and other creative endeavours.

The event will run from 10.30am until 5pm followed by ArtSpace creative meet-up from 5-10pm.

A Light Shines in the Darkness

‘A Light Shines in Darkness’ aims to bring new audiences into churches, some of whom may have never set foot in one, and challenge them to look at the building in a new way.

It seeks to provoke discussion around buildings now often overlooked and undervalued that nevertheless have a powerful architectural presence.

“Whether you’re religious or not you can’t help but be affected when you go into a place like this and the atmosphere the architecture creates. They deserve to have life in them and for people to have access to such special places,” Mike Jones FVU, curator.

Three films from the collection will be shown at the Grade I listed Gothic church Holy Trinity, built at the height of Blackburn’s industrial might.

They include LEAP after The Great Ecstacy an examination of worship of a different nature that of a major sporting event and Stable a film exploring what happens when you release a group of horses into a religious space.

A Light Shines in the Darkness is commissioned by the Film and Video Umbrella (FVU) and the Church’s Conservation Trust

A Light Shines in the Darkness runs from 5th March until 28th March, 4:30pm - 8:30pm, Holy Trinity Church, Mount Pleasant, BB1 5DQ.

One for the Gamers

Pixel Lust, the retro gaming interactive exhibitions returns but this time with more levels and extra bonus points!

Back by popular demand Pixel Lust the exhibition dedicated to the art of gaming returns for a two week bonanza of exhibitions, workshops and of course gaming.

In a nod to the hacker movement and also a time when computing seemed more accessible for would be coders Pixel Lust II will include a whole of host of computing workshops.

Events will include Tech Jam, an opensource electronics event for people wanting to start Raspberry pi and Arduino projects and coding for youngsters with Scratch software.

“We’re getting practical with art, programming and electronics workshops and celebrating technologies such as Minecraft, Arduino and Raspberry Pi, that encourage adults and young people alike to get their hands dirty but only digitally, of course,” says organiser Alex Martindale.

And other events include a jewellery making session, a stitch a sprite workshop, a retro gaming party and a craft jam where anything goes.

To volunteer or to get more information Facebook visit the website Pixel Lust

Pixel Lust runs from the 16th March until 29th March, Blackburn is Open Art's Centre (Next to the old cinema).