NEWS AND VIEWS FROM THE GREEN PARTY IN THE LONDON BOROUGH OF BRENT

11 Jun 2014

Mapesbury Dell's annual concert


  • at 7:00pm - 9:45pm

  • Mapesbury Dell
    NW2 3XD London, United Kingdom

  • Mapesbury Dell's annual concert.Live pieces of Opera and Classical music by some wonderfully talented performers. In the intimate setting of our gold award winning 'secret' garden. Fully licenced bar, sandwiches, ice creams. Open from 6.30; performances from 7.15 finishes at 9.45. Just turn up and enjoy a very unique and special evening. Admission is FREE.

Art-itecture and the New Willesden Green.


Press Release            Art-itecture and the New Willesden Green.       9th June 2014

As part of this years celebrations for the 30th Birthday of Brent Artist’s Resource (BAR) is hosting a series of events on Art and Architecture to coincide with The London Architecture Festival.  This timely Art-itecture programme celebrates the acclaimed regeneration of Willesden Green and brings together Artists and Architects in a combined exhibition at The BAR Gallery together with a series of curated events, supported by Pop Up Wonderland's live music and digital art evenings.

The programme will illustrate the Art form of Architecture. The current re development of Willesden Green has been led by Beth Kay on behalf of Brent’s Regeneration and investments team and The Art-itecture programme will showcase presentations from all the main organizations involved.

 The theme of this new project is a perfect mirror to local developments on the community skyline. Anyone going down Willesden High road can’t fail to notice that Brent’s brand new flag-ship building The New Willesden Green Cultural Centre is rising over the horizon. The old Electric House building previously a 1930’s landmark on the corner of Willesden Lane and Walm Lane has been demolished making way for a mixed housing and commercial development; a new Electric House.

Co-organisers Architect in the making Marcella Leone and local artist Sally Buchanan first collaborated together in the memorable inter-active art and performance project in the space re designed and curated by Marcella entitled  “What would you do in this________? “ at Electric House (March 2013.)  

Queens Parade is part of the New Windows on Willesden Green Project that aimed at reviving and improving Willesden High Road, bringing positive change to the area.  This was The Mayor’s Outer London Fund project delivered by the Architecture Foundation for Brent Council and Design for London in collaboration with Meanwhile Space and Blue Consulting. In 2012 it won the prestigious National Regeneration and Renewal award for boosting High Street vitality. 

Brent Artists Resource has supported local artists since 1984. It was founded by 4 artists including Sue Whitmore and John Blandy (the current chairman).  BAR occupied the popular gallery in the old Willesden Library site for over 12 years and was nominated one of the top community galleries in London by the BBC in 2011. The galley vacated this space in April last year to make way for the re-development of the site. The BAR Gallery was able to move side ways initially into the ground floor of the local Community Creative Hub at Electric House and then into the current temporary gallery space at 4-5 Queen’s Parade. The Library Lab Scheme, the brainchild of Architecture 00 was piloted by Joanna Steele at the old Willesden Library Centre and provided the blue print for the current BAR Lab offering workshops and lectures and a pop up co-working space aimed at accelerating local entrepreneurship in the Brent Community. This has all been made possible with the kind support of Brent Council.


Programme details:

The London Festival of Architecture / The ART-ITECTURE Programme

BAR (Brent Artists Resource):
ART-ITECTURE Exhibition
Friday 20th June – Friday 4th July 2014
BAR Gallery / LAB Unit 4 – 5 Queens Parade, Walm Lane NW2 5HT

Open Wednesday – Saturday 10 am – 6 pm,
Private View Friday 20 June 7 – 10 pm
Entry: Free
Event Website: http:// www.brentartistsresource.org.uk


The ART-ITECTURE Exhibition presents Architecture as an invisible form and showcases selected works in a cross section of creative mediums, digital mapping to life size installation, detailed illustrations to tableau vivants sets.
What isn't Architecture?
We walk down streets filled with buildings, structures that reach out to skylines. We live in spaces made of beams and jambs. We watch Architecture clones in films and Dystopian cities in games. We photograph and illustrate across billboards. Design, build temporary installations and sets to permanent structures and buildings. We watch and film, photograph and sculpt, talk and design, illustrate and advertise, Architecture.
To accompany the Private view, BAR presents live 3D Mapping and Pop Up Wonderland's presents Soundscapes, a night of ambient, electronic music and generative animation (Unit 8, 8 – 11 pm)



A Pop-up Wonderland
Wonderland Showcase Presents: Soundscapes
A night of live music, Ambient, electronic beats and generative animation.
Friday 20th June 8-11pm
A Pop-up Wonderland, Vintage Store+ Art Gallery, 8 Queens Parade, Walm Lane NW2 5HT

Pipe Dreams (Magic+Dreams) Live
DJs Nova (Ultimae) DJ set
Phiorio (Metroline Limited) DJ set
Visuals by Stefano Terranova.

Entry: Free




BAR (Brent Artists Resource) :
Installation and Architecture, Art-nic Talks + Tea
Saturday 21st June 2 – 4 pm
BAR Gallery / LAB Unit 4 – 5 Queens Parade, Walm Lane NW2 5HT
Talks will be followed by a public Q + A session and tea and cake to close.

Entry: Free


Is Installation Art or Architecture?

In collaboration with a team of specialists, The Art-nic Talks explore the theme of Installation Art in relation to space : this is dependant on Architecture in structure and form and works within space constraints, just like Architecture. 

Speakers include;
Elle Reynolds, Head of Centre at Istituto Marangoni ISC / previously Course Director at Central Saint Martin's,
presents ' Framed '.
Dr Jolanta Jagiello, Director of Art Going Places, presents ' Public Art Exhibitions in Unusual Spaces '.
Vaclav Bayer ARBS, Interior Architect and Sculptor, presents ' Architecture and Form '.
Zofia Trafas, Exhibitions curator at The Architecture Foundation.





BAR (Brent Artists Resource) :
Walk, Talk and Draw Willesden Green (Tour)
Sunday 22nd June, 11 - 1pm
Meeting Point: BAR Gallery / LAB Unit 4 – 5 Queens Parade, Walm Lane NW2 5HT
Entry: Free
Event website: http:// www.brentartistsresource.org.uk


A colourised tour of Willesden Green's historical landmarks, reminiscent of the early 1900's picture postcards.  Sketch on the spot sessions following the High Road from The Spotted Dog (1893 ) to The Victorian Police Station ( 1865 ), The Old Willesden Library ( 1894 ) and St Andrews the Apostles Parish (1887), ending at The Queensbury Pub, recently saved from demolition by Brent Council's Planning Committee. With commentary from local historians, the tour presents a look at the past, present and future regeneration of the area.






BAR (Brent Artists Resource):
NW London Regeneration Talks in Association with Brent Council
Wednesday 25th July, 7 - 10pm
BAR Gallery / LAB Unit 4 – 5 Queens Parade, Walm Lane NW2 5HT
Entry: Free
Event website: http:// www.brentartistsresource.org.uk

A discussion panel with speakers leading change in the Brent Regeneration programme.
In particular Beth Kay, Regeneration Manager, Investment Team from Brent Council presents Willesden Green - the current plans in action. There will be talks with specialists / developers / contractors and architects involved in the ongoing project New Windows on Willesden Green and Queens Parade (Diana Grisales for Meanwhile Space / Peter Paddon for Blue Consulting / Willesden Town Team  and  David Foster speaking for Network Housing Group and the new mixed use development at  Electric House and John Murray on behalf of Galliford Try the contractors for the  new Willesden Cultural Centre.)

The evening will culminate with the screening of a short film about Electric House, an example of temporary arts use and followed by a public Q + A session.


BAR (Brent Artists Resources):
ART-ITECTURE Social evening and Film Shorts
Thursday 26th June, 7 – 10 pm
BAR Gallery / LAB Unit 4 – 5 Queens Parade, Walm Lane NW2 5HT
Entry: Free
Event website: http:// www.brentartistsresource.org.uk


To accompany the ART-ITECTURE Exhibition, the screening features the digital facet of ART-ITECTURE ( n ), cross section of : Art ( n ) The field of creative self expression + Architecture ( n ) The design and construction of buildings. Social Shorts explores the experiential ground of Cinema, Art and Architecture with a selection of short films from industry professionals with the background sound of popcorn crackle.

“Architecture exists, like cinema, in the dimension of time and movement. One conceives and reads a building in terms of sequences.” - Kester Tauttenbury, 'Echo and Narcissus,' Architectural Design, Architecture & Film, London, 1994.


BAR (Brent Artists Resource)
A Closing Party
Friday 4th July 7 – 11pm
BAR Gallery / LAB Unit 4 – 5 Queens Parade, Walm Lane NW2 5HT

A closing party will present a line up of surprise acts from the Art-itecture participants on the theme of Willesden’s Urban Framework Today and will celebrate the end of the Art-itecture Programme. Critics will be invited to present their review on the overall project.

Entry: Free
Event website: http:// www.brentartistsresource.org.uk


A Pop-up Wonderland
Wonderland Showcase Presents: Re-imagining Willesden
A night of video installations and live performance
Friday 4th July 8-11pm
A Pop-up Wonderland, Vintage Store+ Art Gallery, 8 Queens Parade, Walm Lane NW2 5HT
Entry: Free
Jockel Liess- Generative sound and video installation
Lania Narjee – Photography
Layla Wiseman – Live performance
Nic Wassell- Video installation


2 Jun 2014

Invitation to a Meeting with Friends of the Earth Director - Wednesday 18th June - 7.30pm -at Salusbury School

Schools Run on Sun

Friends of the Earth's new campaign to help schools install solar panels.

We want our children to grow up in a world where renewable energy is completely normal. Our Schools Run on Sun campaign aims to make that happen.

It has a simple premise; “Every school that wants solar, should have it”, and an ambitious aim – to put us on the path to clean energy in every street and every town across the UK.

We urgently need more clean energy to help tackle climate change, and schools are a great place to start. They have big roofs that can create lots of lovely solar energy, saving the average school around £8,000 a year on energy bills.

Help us make this happen in Brent schools.

Come along to the meeting to find out more, or email info@brentfoe.com

Invitation to a Meeting with Friends of the Earth Director - Wednesday 18th June - 7.30pm -at Salusbury School

On Wednesday evening, 18th June, Andy Atkins, Executive Director of Friends of the Earth, is coming to Brent to give a talk on -

"2064:  Our Planet in 50 Years' Time – Ravaged Disaster or Eco Dream World? It's Time to Decide."

He will talk about the risks that lie ahead, and what we need to do to get the future we all want. There will be time for discussion and the opportunity to meet Andy and the members of Brent Friends of the Earth.

We will provide information about our activities, and will be launching a campaign to get solar panels on schools in Brent, as part of Friends of the Earth's new campaign Schools Run on Sun.

The event is taking place at Salusbury Primary School, Salusbury Road, NW6 6RG - not far from Queen's Park Station. Light refreshments will be available, and all are welcome. It will start at 7.30 pm. It is a free event.

A flyer is also available on our website

For more information about the event, about Brent Friends of the Earth, or how you can get involved in our campaigns see www.brentfoe.com, or contact us on 020 8621 0157 or 07985 375798

We look forward to seeing you there: if you are planning to come with a group it would be useful if you could let us know so that we have some idea of how many to expect.

With Good Wishes,

Pam Laurance and Ian Saville
Joint coordinators, Brent Friends of the Earth
www.brentfoe.com