Revert Issue 1. In a Different Perspective. 5.12.11

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Dear Readers,

Welcome to the first issue of REVERT.This zine was born of the collaborative effort of BIAD visual communication students, Jo Fretwell, Júlio M.G. Rasga and Mimi Gerrard-Morgan.

Revert has as its main objective look at cities with a different perspective, it is also and experiment on editorial design.

On this first issue, we looked into the relationship between derelict buildings , their historical relevance and people, from those who are unware or ignore their presence to those who embrace and leave they’re own mark on them.

CONTENTS

CREDITS

IDENT

Discarded, The Beautiful Unknown............................................................................4

Zen Shop..................................................................................................................................14

Abandoned not lost...........................................................................................................17

Beyond the Wreckage......................................................................................................22

Ident model: Micheal Hone

Ident make-up artist: Simra Basra

To watch the Ident Click here.

DISCARDEDThe Beautiful

Unknown

The old east side - Belmont row, Birmingham

I wonder how many people walk down the same street every day oblivious to what is actually around them.

After recently moving from a small countryside town into the second biggest city in the UK, one of the first things I noticed was the amount of abandoned and derelict buildings scattered about among the modern growing city, with the majority of people going about their day not even noticing that they exist.

I came across one building in particular near to where i now live - an old victorian furniture factory which (it is suspected) suffered from an arson attack as well as damage due to serious weather conditions back in 2007. I was intrigued by this odd out-of-place building and decided to go and explore…….

I found the inside of the building to be a playground for inspiration.

I wanted to produce some photographs which would show off the beauty of the old, overlooked factory to people that would usually see it as a waste site, unaware of what lies beyond the boarded up windows and doors .the old reminents now becoming beautiful and mysterious in some way, each photograph encapsulating an unknown history which would make people wonder what this building has actually seen over the years, not only history from when the building was in tact but also through the events of the fire and the years where it has stood deserted ever since, now gradually becoming a hideout for youths who leave their marks with spray cans and litter, adding even more to the character of this forgotten world..

“I wonder how many people walk down the same street every day oblivious to what is actually

around them”

Digbeth branch Canal - Eastside Birmingham

Once I had finished exploring the old factory at Belmont row, I decide to take a closer look around my local area. It wasn’t long before I came across another part of East Birmingham which I found not only to be inspiring but also enticing in some way... This is Digbeth branch canal which is also only a stride away from my accommodation. One thing I miss about country life is that there are very few places where you can get peace and quiet in a city; even in my flat there are still the sounds of roaring car engines and the screeching brakes of trains as they pass by my bedroom window.

So….. I decided to go and have a wander along the canal and see if I could actually find any tranquility at all.

It was a lovely warm afternoon and the sun was shining. It was nothing like the canals back home though, which were always buzzing with wildlife and had an abundance of overgrown plants and tree, with the air filled with bird song and the smell of freshly cut grass. Here, instead, there was the odd bedraggled duck or Canada goose sitting on the concrete bank surrounded by plastic bottles and again the sound of trains crossing the bridge over my head….the scummy water was filled with litter.

the artwork covering the walls, bridges and benches around

every corner brought the canal itself to life

But this canal was enticing in a differ-ent way; there was graffiti everywhere, and as I am a design student I love graffiti. I immediately wanted to walk further and further to see what lay around the next corner.

Although there wasn’t much wildlife inhabiting the canal the artwork covering the walls, bridges and benches around every corner brought the canal itself to life.The fact that this canal was different to canals back home made it a complete-ly different and new experience for me.

As i ventured further though things started to make me feel a little on edge; there were no women walking along the canal at all, just men, some in suits walking to and from work but others had a very different appearance. A lone man was standing underneath one of the long canal tunnels smoking a cigarette in the gloom and a drunk stumbled past me carrying a can of Special Brew. I started to realize that this was perhaps not a good place to walk alone. It was then that a man from the council approached me and advised me to hide my camera because thieves operated in the area. At this point I headed back home and my journey unfortunately came to an end but I would still like to return to Digbeth canal - only next time I wont go alone. Jo Fretwell

During the creation of these issue, I started to ask myself questions, what makes a city, for me, the ideal place to live?

Is it the weather? can’t be otherwise i would not be living in england. The architecture? while it does set a mood and atmosphere, there are other cities with far more appealing cityscapes, both in historical architecture styles and show off of technical skill on contemporary shape and form. Is it the accessibility and quantity of cultural and social events? It does certainly help, although nowadays people commute from paris to london and flights are availiable to almost all major cities in europe from less than 30£ if booked in advance. Whereas traveling inside the UK these prices drop considerably. And then it stroke me.

What better translates what a place is than those who live within its boundaries.

COVER STORY: Zen Shop

I first stumbled in Birmingham in 2009. At the time I wanted to do a degree in England and I was visiting possible cities to live in, on my first day I went to explore the city, close to broad street near the canal was Zen shop, a small shop selling incense, beautiful Buddah statuettes and books on natural alternatives, mysticism,etc. The shopkeeper asked if need help and we engaged in conversation, he offered a cup of tea while attending other costumers naturally and after 15 minutes he volunteered to show me the city after his closing time.

A few hours later we met again and went to digbeth to see an exhibition that was happening at the time and then to moseley which he described “one of the more culturally active areas of birmingham”,

there we went to an weekly event Jam Jah hold at The Bull’s Head pub where he introduced me to his friends, it was a open mic session with people going on and off stage singing and rapping to very chilled roots reggae to dubstep. The all place made me feel at home, most where somehow involved with creative arts being musicians, artists and designers. Enjoying their drinks while speaking about ongoing and previous projects, with ideas flying around. That sold Birmingham to me, the dynamics and multi-cultural feel of that area.

With that said i’m living in Birmingham, doing my degree, I still visit moseley with some regularity and the Zen shop, now in digbeth.Julio M.G. Rasga

The old parts of Birming-ham are still very much a part of the present and bring with them from the past a new dimention to the city. It would be a shame to lose such a historical part of Birming-ham. They are the frame-works that have lead to the future structure of Birmingham and should be embraced with a pro-jection of new life, rather than be abandoned.

Keeping up with the city

Abandoned not lost

The old Custard Factory was refurbished and transformed into a venue for shops and clubs in order to keep up with the modern market. Birmingham is always changing and growing up but keeping the past very much a part of the present.

These designs by Philip Watts, created in 2010 within the Zelig building inside Bim-ringham’s Custard Factory are described by the Artist as a “mass of energy”. The steel sculpture represents a maze of confusion and distortion that people can walk through, giving the phsical feeling of uncertanty. The chaos of the abstract forms mimic the accidental creation of wreckage from old buildings that you find dotted around Birmingham. The Custard factory itself which has been refurbished from its original historical state has been filled with exhibits like these that give you a feel of the buildings past. The more you look at Birmingham you begin to realise that most objects and events from the past have subcon-sciously proved to be inspiration to current design, just as these magnifiscent sculptures reflect. Mimi Gerard-Morgan

Beyond the wreckage