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MagdalenStreeteertSneladgaM

We are proud to announce a brand new film commissioned for the 2011 Magdalen Street Celebration!

The work of local artists, R J Hinrichsen and Mark Wilsher, MagdalenStreeteertSneladgaM reveals a snapshot of life on our favourite Street. Shot simultaneously from both ends of the street the film adds a new dimension to the linear view we often have of our environment.

Catch it now at:
Anteros Arts Foundation
7-15 Fye Bridge Street (at the South end of Magdalen Street)
Norwich NR3 1LJ

"...Tension mounts as the two cameras gradually approach and briefly catch sight of each other near Anglia Square. A group of people is caught from two sides at once. The cameras pass by and keep on walking to the end of the street.

This film is entirely made up of small incidental details — two women with a barking dog, a man with a walking stick meeting a friend, cars and buses pass, and a ghostly figure waves to camera on both films.

This is an absolutely typical afternoon on Magdalen Street."

Artist Info:
R J Hinrichsen works with film, sound and installation. Mark Wilsher works with installation, text and live performance. Graduates of Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design, both artists live near Magdalen Street.

SemiFormalDiscussion | Mark Wilsher

Festival Gets Bigger!

Latest Press Release from MAGDALEN STREET FESTIVAL

On Saturday October 1st, Magdalen Street will celebrate its unique character in street festival style with performances, exhibitions, workshops, family activities and history tours. Following on last year's memorable and groundbreaking success, even more musicians and activities have been arranged.

As part of the day
• Norwich Taiko Centre will be opening the event under the Magdalen flyover
• Some of the best-known bands in the city will be playing on the street throughout the day, using a cycle-powered PA. The audience will be able to hop on the bike and power up their favourite bands!
• Roys Stores will be hosting family activities in their foyer
• Local history guides will give extended history tours of both Magdalen St. and St.Augustine's throughout the day
• Vintage, local, and London designer fashion shows will take place at One Touch Beauty, Sackville Place

Helen Simpson of the organising committee said “The goal of the day is to bring together neighbourhood residents, regulars and visitors to highlight Magdalen Street's role as a hub of creative, independently-owned, ethnically diverse and environmentally sustainable businesses.”

The art events, stallholders and historical aspects to the day will bring to life Magdalen Street's rich heritage. The street still boasts a range of food, clothes and shoe shops and is classified by the City Council as the busiest in the whole of Norwich for numbers of pedestrians and buses. Some of the shops from 1905 have survived - most notably 2 of the original fish shops.

Well-known songwriter James Frost who lives in NR3 and performed at the Celebration in 2010, said “It was fantastic to see so much art, music and street performance in my local community last year – it made me see Magdalen Street in a whole new light! It shows what can happen if everyone offers their own unique talents into the community they live in, with the support of local businesses and venues. It was a real atmosphere of participation and everyone felt it. In fact, I was so impressed with the event as a whole I joined the organising group for this year.”

Whether you are a regular visitor or haven’t ventured this way for some time, the Magdalen Street Celebration invites you to discover and rediscover this fascinating part of Norwich full of creativity, diversity and sustainability with a rich history and an even brighter future.

The event is organised by members of Transition Norwich. The organisers are grateful for the financial assistance of Norwich City Council and Norfolk County Council who are supporting this year's event.

TO GET INVOLVED CONTACT:
Helen Simpson-Slapp | helenofnorwich@hotmail.com | Tel: 07747 751656

PRESS COMMENT:
James Frost - Tel: 07905 274325 | Stefi Barna - Tel: 07964 494836

Anticipation & Participation

October may still seem like ages away but in just 10 weeks time, the 2nd annual Magdalen Street Celebration will be taking place! As last year’s festivities proved, October 1st will be a chance for visitors, residents, traders and the vast array of local talent to come together in recognition of this unique corner of Norwich.

Our celebration explores Magdalen Street’s rich past, it’s diverse and highly creative present and gently nudges the area into a more sustainable future. Viewed by many, not totally unjustly, as a somewhat neglected area of town, Magdalen Street is also a treasure trove of diversity and creativity. Simply walking from one end to the other is a journey of great transition. From the very traditional cobbled roads around Fye Bridge and Wensum Street, up through the grey area of St. Saviors and The Flyover, via the architectural mishap that is Anglia Square and on past the charity stores of the northern end, towards the almost forgotten city walls leading out to the suburbs, one is immersed in reminders of history and a palpable hunger for a richer future.

Whilst there may be much to be improved upon in some areas, there is also a wealth of activity, community, diversity and creativity flowing up and down Magdalen Street. In the cafes and bars, shops and services, and those who run and frequent them, palpable demonstrations of a love of arts and crafts, individual creative style, a welcoming, easy sociability and a craving for the new whilst drawing on and respecting the past can be seen. All of which we aim to celebrate with you this October.

If you love Magdalen Street as much as we do, whether you live nearby or further afield, work in or just enjoy visiting the area, if you have a tale or talent to share, we would love you to be involved in making this year’s celebration the wonderful event it deserves to be.

As well as traders and residents, creators of all kinds are welcome: painters, sculptors, photographers, craftspeople, film makers, designers, performers, musicians, story-tellers, dancers, tailors, bakers, candlestick makers and more! Download, complete and return the Participation Application Form (see links below) to let us know how you would like to be part of the celebrations and join us every first Tuesday of the month at Aladdin’s Café on Magdalen Street, to help plan this vibrant community event.

Next meeting: Tuesday 11th September, 7pm
Tel: Stefi - 07964 494836
Email: Karen - artoftheordinary@googlemail.com
Join our Facebook page

APPLICATION FORM DOC (click to download)
APPLICATION FORM PDF (click to download)

Meetings for Magdalen Street Celebrations

If you would like to be involved in the Magdalen Street Celebrations then please come along to our monthly meetings as Aladdins Cafe.
Next meeting July 5th 20011 7p.m. to 9 p.m.
then August 2nd 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Cafe Conversations June & July 2011

		JUNE
Commute, Work, Commute, Sleep... What is Work/Life Balance? What is the relationship between 'work' and 'life'?  Does a 'work/life balance' suggest that when we're working we're not really living?  Is work simply the means by which we acquire resources to keep us alive? We’ll discuss these questions and the ways in which people thought differently about the relationship between work and life in the past.	Ross Wilson School of Literature and Creative Writing	Wednesday  1 June 12.30
introduction to translation What is involved in translating a piece of writing from one language to another?  After a general background to what translation is, we will practice a short translation/adaptation exercise together, either into another language or from English to English.	BJ Epstein School of Literature & Creative Writing	Saturday 4 June 3 pm
Bioplastics:  Waste product or gold mine? The food and drink industry generates 12.6 million tonnes of waste per year, more than 10% of UK’s total.  Can food waste be used to make ‘bioplastics’ for packaging and other sustainable materials?  [To be confirmed – please check website before coming]	Dominique Georget School of Chemistry	Friday 17 June 8 pm
Imagining Justice: what are war crime trials for? Looking at the examples of the Nuremberg Trial and the Eichmann Trial, this session will ask what kind of justice war crime trials can actually represent. Do they demonstrate the power of the law to legislate against genocide violence or are they merely victor's justice? Are trials the right way for a nation to come to terms with atrocity in the first place? What kind of justice do we need to imagine in an atrocious age?	Lyndsey Stonebridge Literature and Creative Writing	Wednesday 22 June 12.30 pm
THE END OF THE NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE? Opposition to changes to the NHS in the Health and Social Care Bill currently going through Parliament has been so widespread that the Secretary of State for Health has had to call a pause. Why has this Bill aroused so much criticism and what does it mean for the NHS? Norfolk Keep our NHS Public is a newly formed branch of the national pressure group KONP, committed to campaigning with other organisations to defeat the Bill.	Jan Ainsley Keep Our NHS Public	Saturday 25 June 3 pm

		JULY
cAN WE Control our brain activity? New evidence suggests that we can use biofeedback methods to control and change our brain activity. The equipment used is becoming more accessible, but  is it usefu? Could we use it to maximise our cognitive performance or help us to relax? Can it also be used as a treatment method? How would this change our view of ourselves?	Neil Rutterford  Social Work & Psychology	Wednesday  13 July 12.30
The Mysteries of Bread Why can’t we make good gluten-free bread? What happens when you knead bread - why does the dough stiffen up and why is air so important? Humans have been making bread for about 5000 years, but only recently has science begun to explain its mysteries and in doing so discovered some of the weirdest proteins known. This conversation may not make you a better cook but you will never look at a loaf in the same way again.	Peter Belton School of Chemistry	Wednesday 20 July 12.30
www.uea.ac.uk/ssf/cue-east/events Cafe conversations will continue in september 2011

Anglia Square Update

The Anglia Square redevelopment application which is recommended for approval, will be considered by City Council’s Planning Applications Committee at 10am, Thursday 9th June 2011 at City Hall.

To voice your opinion (3 minutes max) at the meeting, whether for or against the proposed development, please contact the Committee Officer before 10:00am on Wednesday 8th June 2011. Tel: 01603 212 033.

Celebration 2011 Is Coming!

Anglia Square Redevelopment

Want to have your say on the Anglia Square Redevelopment plans? Add your comments to the Norwich City Council website here. You'll have to be quick as the deadline is this Friday - 8Apr2011.

It's not the clearest site to follow so here are some instructions you may find useful. Follow this link to the site. Click on 'View associated documents' to view all relevant documents in Planning Application Document List. If you wish to go straight to the visual plans, click on Page 8 and view the document called 'DCL2 - Photographs Submitted'. Use the 'Click here to open document' link to download as PDF for best view.

Further Info

More Cafe Conversations

The Cafe Conversations on Magdalen Street have been going well and many more topics for discussion have been added to the updated programme. Conversations are instigated by University of East Anglia staff and everyone is welcome to take part. Check the programme details below and come along to Aladdins Cafe, 3 Magdalen Sreet (near Fye Wensum Bridge) to find out more and add your opinion to the debates.

		APRIL
Engineering Earth Efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have provided little sign that we will avoid dangerous climate change. But can technology succeed where we have failed? The new science of Earth Engineering offers promising and innovative new technologies to capture emissions and cool the planet but raises novel social, ethical, legal and political questions.	Rob Bellamy Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research	Fri  1 April  8 pm
SOMETHING KINDA FISHY GOING ON How good are we at detecting air quality?  Can anybody tell if it’s a bad pollution day? Now that the factories in Norwich have mostly closed or relocated, is air quality even a problem?  We will sniff out the air quality around Magdalen Street and use resources (i.e. a map of the new one-way system around St Augustine’s, reproductions of paintings of smoke and smog) to think about the invisibility of air pollution and how that influences attitudes to its regulation.   This event is part of the Invisible Dust project supported by Arts Council England, the Wellcome Trust and CUE East.  (Please note 6 pm start time)	Peter Brimblecombe Environmental Sciences,  Lawrence Bradby  Artist	Fri 8 April  6 pm
Sustainable Food Systems: Can Farming be Green? With growing populations and diminishing resources, sustainable agriculture and food security are top priorities globally.  Modern agriculture is one of the most energy-hungry and polluting industries in the world and covers nearly 40% of the land surface, yet without it we cannot survive.  How can we increase agricultural yields, reduce environmental damage caused by farming and achieve long term food security?  Come share your views with researchers in sustainable agriculture.	Tom Powell, Melanie  Bennett School of Biological Sciences	Sat 15 April 3 pm
talking to children about Lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender people How are sexual minorities portrayed in children’s books?  We will look at current examples and discuss your experiences with children’s questions about diversity.	BJ Epstein School of Literature & Creative Writing	Sat 30 April 3 pm
		MAY
WHAT IS LEARNING? Must education be either teacher-driven or learner-driven?   John Dewey describes an ‘aesthetic experience’ for learning and proposes that the most worthwhile education consists of memorable experiences which make a real difference to one’s life.  What are your views on what learning and education should be like?	Geoff Hinchcliffe School of Education	Fri 6 May   8 pm
cAN WE Control our brain activity? Techniques have evolved which allow us to measure the activity of our brain, and evidence suggests that we can use biofeedback methods to control and change our brain activity. The equipment used is becoming more accessible, so is this useful to us? Could we use it to maximise our cognitive performance, or help us to relax? Can it also be used as a treatment method? How would this change our view of ourselves?	Neil Rutterford  Social Work & Psychology	Wed 18 May 12:30
A day in the life of a hospital lawyer What are the pros and cons of the principle of confidentiality?   Does everyone have a right to make decisions about their medical treatment?  What are current myths and realities about the NHS?  Come meet a medical law specialist to discuss these topics.	John-Paul Garside School of Medicine	Wed 25 May 12:30
The values revolution: why everything comes down to the values you hold In politics, at work, when making major personal decisions, the values you hold dear determine what you do. Often, people and organisations are unaware of the values they hold. This conversation will be about getting clearer about (y)our values using techniques derived from the latest philosophical, psychological and linguistic research.	Rupert Read School of Philosophy	Sat 28 May 3 pm
Commute, Work, Commute, Sleep... What is Work/Life Balance? What is the relationship between 'work' and 'life'?  Does a 'work/life balance' suggest that when we're working we're not really living?  Is work simply the means by which we acquire resources to keep us alive? These are some of the questions we'll discuss, and I'll outline ways in which people thought differently about the relationship between work and life in the past.	Ross Wilson School of Literature and Creative Writing	Wed  1 June 12:30
introduction to translation What is involved in translating a piece of writing from one language to another?  After a general background to what translation is, we will practice a short translation/adaptation exercise together, either into another language or from English to English.	BJ Epstein School of Literature & Creative Writing	Sat 4 June 3 pm
Bioplastics:  Waste product or gold mine? The food and drink industry generates 12.6 million tonnes of waste per year, more than 10% of UK’s total.  Can food waste be used to make ‘bioplastics’ for packaging and other sustainable materials?	Dominique Georget School of Chemistry	TBA

Cafe Conversations Review

Kerry Lane has been along to some of the Cafe Conversations at Aladdins and written a great review on the Transition Norwich blog - This Low Carbon Life. Read Kerry's review here and view the upcoming conversations here.

"... I haven't voluntarily subjected myself to discussing maths for quite a while, but I really enjoyed the session. Robert Henderson, a PhD researcher in Maths, was infectiously enthusiastic about his topic and had all number of interesting paradoxes and patterns that he wanted to share with us - including fractals ... He explained everything clearly for those of us a bit rusty on our maths and it was great to learn about something completely different ..." More here

Cafe Conversations @ Aladdins

A series of informal debate and conversations are currently taking place in Aladdins Cafe at the town end of Magdalen Street. Throughout the coming months, join scientists and academics from University of East Anglia as they present ideas about contemporary social and scientific topics. All welcome. See below for more details.

Café Conversation Topics  updated 1 FEB

Topic		Facilitator	Date & Time
			FEBRUARY
What is Infinity? Why is the universe infinite?  If a tree grows for an infinitely long time, will it be infinitely tall? What does "infinity" mean, and why is it so controversial and misunderstood?   In this Cafe Conversation we will answer these questions and more with interesting examples and thought experiments.  No mathematical experience is required, only a willingness to try out new ideas!		Robert Henderson and Lydia Rickett School of Mathematics	Friday         4 Feb     8 pm Saturday     5 Feb     3 pm Wednesday  9 Feb  12.30 pm
Increasing Happiness, Decreasing Consumption What makes us happy?  In this workshop we will do some simple exercises, hear a brief introduction to research findings on what generates wellbeing, and talk about how these findings translate into activities that have little or no cost to our purses or the Earth.		Teresa Belton School of Education	Saturday     19 Feb     3 pm
			MARCH
Too busy to be bored? Is feeling bored a good thing or a bad thing?  This conversation explores what older people mean by “being bored”.  Your input will help define various kinds of boredom and what value older people place on not being bored and on maintaining activities and social relationships.		Kathleen Lane Centre for Applied Research in Education	Saturday 5 March at 3pm
International Women’s Centenary International Women's Day (8 March) celebrates the economic, political and social achievements of women.  The first International Women's Day event was run in 1911; 2011 is the Global Centenary Year.  As part of a city-wide series, the following talks will be offered: 1. Is a feminist approach in medical education possible? 2. Women and the glass ceiling		Andrea Stockl Sara Connelly	Wednesday 9 March 12.30 Thurs 10 March 12.30
OUR HERITAGE IN A CHANGING CLIMATE  The historic buildings and monuments in our cities bring character and context and stimulate tourism. In the 20th century improvements in air quality  have lessened the threat from pollution but more recently a changing climate has started to alter the appearance and weathering of buildings. This café will explore these changes and what they might mean for heritage management and our appreciation of the built environment.		Peter Brimblecombe School of Environmental Sciences	Friday 18 March 8 pm
Greenspeak: How to talk people into compost and other inconveniences Sexing up recycling: Can it be done? The conversation revolves around the techniques we might use to generate and created messages that might encourage the reluctant to recycle and the grudging to act green.		Simon Hampton School of Social Work & Psychology	Saturday 26 March 3pm
			APRIL
Engineering Earth Efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have so far provided little confidence that we will avoid dangerous climate change. But can technology succeed where we have so far failed? The new science of Earth Engineering offers an array of promising and innovative new technologies designed to capture emissions and cool the planet; but raises a number of novel social, ethical, legal and political questions. Come and share your views on this rapidly evolving and vibrant topic.		Rob Bellamy Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research	Friday  1 April  8 pm
Bioplastics: Waste product or gold mine? The food and drink industry generates 12.6 million tonnes of waste per year, more than 10% of UK’s total.  Can food waste be used to make ‘bioplastics’  for packaging and other sustainable materials?		Dominique Georget School of Chemistry	TBA