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Bostin News Toni Williams - Founder of The Square Genius Bostin News Toni Williams - Founder of The Square Genius

Bostin News: Rupi Dhillon explores Participation in Isolation

Rupi Dhillon is a British Indian artist currently based in the Black Country. In her work she explores relationships between (wo)men and their environment, exploring how culture is connected to belonging. Her current work reimagines cultural experience through participatory performance, collaboration, gifting and found objects.

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Bostin News Toni Williams - Founder of The Square Genius Bostin News Toni Williams - Founder of The Square Genius

A Walk Through My Local History with Lou Blakeway

Like many people in 2020 artist Lou Blakeway has discovered and uncovered more about her local neighbourhood. For this piece, commissioned by Bostin News Content Editor Heather Wastie, Louise talks us through how lockdown walks inspired her work…

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Bostin News Toni Williams - Founder of The Square Genius Bostin News Toni Williams - Founder of The Square Genius

Three bridges, Four Tunnels by Heather Wastie

Three bridges, Four Tunnels by Heather Wastie is inspired by three bridges in close proximity on the canal at Bumble Hole, Netherton. Netherton Tunnel Bridge spans the main route while Boshboil Arm Bridge and Windmill End Bridge both lead to dead ends.

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Bostin News Toni Williams - Founder of The Square Genius Bostin News Toni Williams - Founder of The Square Genius

Bostin News - Important. Personal: Fragments   

Hannah Taylor, live performance artist and facilitator, is one the many residents in the Midlands who has been shielding since March. Working from home, she was commissioned by Creative Black Country in May to run a project called ‘Fragments’.

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Bostin News Toni Williams - Founder of The Square Genius Bostin News Toni Williams - Founder of The Square Genius

Bostin News - A Black Country Playlist

Live music and performance has been hit really hard during the pandemic but that doesn’t mean people have stopped performing, playing and recording. We asked Head of MAS Records Scott Garrett to give us the lowdown on the musical talent from across the Black Country that we should be looking out for and supporting.

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Bostin News Toni Williams - Founder of The Square Genius Bostin News Toni Williams - Founder of The Square Genius

Bostin News - Giant and the Georges

"Come on Home" was written by Ben George right at the beginning of lockdown when full restrictions were just about to be set in place. Ben's brother, Sam, performed and recorded the intimate track from his shark-themed lockdown bedroom as his voice was best able to faithfully evoke the bitter-sweet sentiment of the lyrics.

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Bostin News Toni Williams - Founder of The Square Genius Bostin News Toni Williams - Founder of The Square Genius

BOSTIN NEWS - Caroline's House by Tim Brinkhurst

I need to bounce off someone to get to the nub of what I’m trying to say. To get to the real truth of my thoughts. Especially now that we are all self-isolating. I could argue that I’m still thinking the same way I thought three months ago. Because we’ve been forced to stay in one place, whereas before I chose to stay in one place.

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Bostin News Toni Williams - Founder of The Square Genius Bostin News Toni Williams - Founder of The Square Genius

Bostin News - Black Magic with Fokawolf by Tim Brinkhurst

Tim Brinkhurst with artist Fokawolf… If I go out there and keep putting fake posters around then hopefully it brings questions in people such as, if that’s fake what else around me could be fake? And if that has tricked me, what else in society has tricked me?

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Bostin News Toni Williams - Founder of The Square Genius Bostin News Toni Williams - Founder of The Square Genius

Bostin News - The Bliss of Solitude – Ode to Sneyd

In September 2019 16 members of Mossley Big Local community group walked to local Sneyd Reservoir to take photographs of the landscape which they later used as reference to make into drawings and paintings. Our co-editor Heather Wastie commissioned Alex Vann to produce a song and video. See the video…

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Bostin News Toni Williams - Founder of The Square Genius Bostin News Toni Williams - Founder of The Square Genius

Bostin News - Stay Up Your Own End poems

‘Stay Up Your Own End’ was a series of six online events, each providing a platform for poets of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities to share their work. Held on Monday evenings on the Prattlers Facebook page, fellow poets were encouraged to write about some aspect of life in their part of the Black Country.

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Shine a Light, News Toni Williams - Founder of The Square Genius Shine a Light, News Toni Williams - Founder of The Square Genius

£200,000 awarded to Black Country art and culture project through Spirit of 2012 collaboration with Birmingham 2022

£200,000 has been awarded to Creative Black Country to create a new, inclusive art and culture project linked to the Commonwealth Games, following a collaboration between Olympic legacy funder Spirit of 2012 and Birmingham 2022.

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