Archive

Over the weekend Audiences Central along with all of its partners and contibutors, created a new world record by building the worlds largest photo mosaic (112,896 Images) at Millennium Point. Brilliant news and a huge thank you and congratulations to all those involved!

However, I was really sad to hear that the artist Helen Marshall, who we had commissioned to lead the final phase of making the Big Picture, had not been credited in some of the resulting articles by journalists who opted to omit her details from the story even though it was clearly mentioned in all press releases.

As a charitable organisation that supports the arts we understand the importance of crediting artists for their work. With this in mind we ensured that Helen Marshall, the commissioned artist for The Big Picture world record attempt image, was credited clearly on the national and regional press releases, on our public facing website, on our business to business website and through the print that we have distributed on the day and after the event. We worked closely with Helen to ensure that she had the opportunity to sign off all this material in advance of distribution.

Helen's role in the Big Picture has been covered by numerous press including newspapers, online media, and television. Unfortunately, some of the journalists covering the story have omitted Helen's details for their own editorial reasons. We have no control over how a press release is used by external media agencies and can empathise with how this may be frustrating for the artist and her family. I can also confirm that the majority of print and online media also omitted to include crediting for Audiences Central in the resulting media coverage.

The place .... a quiet backwater abandoned industrial estate in Ladywood. The time ... a dark evening in August when all remaining rememants of this abandoned industrial estate has disappeared to leave the tumbleweed blowing through this quiet turn off.

The problem? Well the problem is this setting is playing host to Birmingham Opera Companies groundbreaking production of Idomeneo and people arriving by car have been parking on double yellows along this quiet turnoff and getting ticketed by the 10's.

Now a double yellow is a double yellow and people should not park there and expect a ticket if they do but how did they decide to come down there between 7.30pm and 9.30 on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Monday, Wednesday and no doubt tonight and tomorrow? Was it just luck they happened to be wandering around an abandoned industrial estate - or has someone made a decision to come down hard on these law breaking arts attenders as part of revenue reaping strategy! I happened to think this is an extremely poor demonstration of taking advantage of a positive community gathering to profit the traffic coffers...

Birmingham Opera Company have made every effort to inform attendees of parking restrictions, to park responsibly and have laid on a bus from Town Hall twice a night to aid this issue but still.... poor show by the traffic wardens.

What I hear you say? Opera goers .... they can afford it ... tut .... tut - Well I beg to differ. A large proportiion of Birmingham Opera Company attenders are from C2DE social economic groupings or first time arts attenders through the innovative approach they take to marketing and community participation - so no, this is not going to encourage these people to return - their euphoria after a thrilling first time arts attendance is going to turn to misery of a £60 parking ticket, ruining the night, the experience and their bank balance.

The double yellows operated in parts of that area may well be appropriate in the day but some are appear not to be so essentialin the evening and in the current climate of credit crunch I happen to think this is a little bit of mean targeting ...

.... be warned if you are coming tonight or tomorrow don't park on the double yellows - in fact it would make quite a performance for no one to do it and for us all to watch them check the cars ... maybe next time.