Amplifying Voices

About Amplifying Voices

Amplifying Voices, a podcast dedicated to what people have to say about the spaces they occupy. The Tower Ballroom (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_Ballroom_(Birmingham)) was a venue located in the Edgbaston Reservoir in Ladywood, Birmingham, United Kingdom. Opened to the public in 1876, it provided a haven that celebrated cultures irrespective of race, creed or colour. Throughout the decades, music, dance, cuisine, sport and romance were played out in the most exuberant manner, forging the Tower in the heart of Brummies throughout generations. However, in 2017, the building closed after 141 of activity and has been abandoned since, becoming part of the Reservoir's landscape. The current plan coveted by the council is to demolish the building to turn into housing, which is opposed by the local community, as it will lead to privatisation of the Edgbaston Reservoir by stealth and also destroy a local nature reserve. The idea for this podcast was generated following the production of two films as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival: Sporting Tower 1&2, a documentary and an experimental short film celebrating the life of the Tower and asking what its future might be. The films were developed through working with a group of emerging creative professionals from Birmingham, researching the history of the venue & its future. Amplifying Voices seek to pursue further the eulogy of the Tower, while giving voice to the community and ponder: what spaces do we really want? A Bertz Associates podcast brought to you by the Birmingham 2022 Festival. Find out more about the Tower Ballroom and other community projects on our website (https://www.bertzassociates.net). Send us your reaction by email (admin@bertzassociates.net (mailto:admin@bertzassociates.net)) or on our Instagram @bertzassociates. Children of the Diaspora: Hosted by Elilta Tiruneh, Jessica Samba Produced by Jessica Samba, Vanille Vardon Executive producer and mother of the project, Iris Bertz Sound by Stephen Stanley Preview episode produced by Rebekah Tolley-Georgiou Music by Mia Sugunasingha Logo by Sharonjit Sutton Acknowledgement A huge thank you to the wonderful guests that have accepted to be interviewed for this podcast. Gracious thanks to the Yard (https://www.yardarthouse.co), community space for local artists in Birmingham, where part of the episodes were recorded. Finally, a big congratulation to the whole team for all the work put in the production of Amplifying Voices! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

Children of the Diaspora

Category

arts · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

29 Sept 2022

Latest episode

14 Nov 2022

Latest episodes

7 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   14 Nov 2022

   Intercultural And Intergenerational Spaces

   In this last episode, meet the hearts of the project: an interview of our young and talented host, Elilta Tiruneh, by Stephen Stanley, our sound engineer; followed by a discussion between Elilta, our second host and producer Jessica Samba, with Iris Bertz, executive producer and founder of Bertz Associates. Elilta and Stephen draw from their own respective backgrounds to delve into ways of building intercultural and intergenerational communities, reflecting on the Tower Ballroom and related projects. Discussing how she came to build this arts and culture organization, Iris tackles the importance of believing in young people and giving them a chance to express themselves, as well as the urgent need to redefine the traditional workspaces. A Bertz Associates podcast by the Children of the Diaspora, brought to you by the Birmingham 2022 Festival. Hosted by Elilta Tiruneh, Jessica Samba Produced and edited by Jessica Samba, Vanille Vardon Executive producer and mother of the project, Iris Bertz Sound by Stephen Stanley Music by Mia Sugunasingha Logo by Sharonjit Sutton Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

2. 

   7 Nov 2022

   Noble Gestures For A Thriving Community

   At only 29, Danni Bank Ingram, aka Zaz, has landed their dream job by co-founding Civic Square, a platform for young people to express themselves and nurture the community, currently based in the Port Loop development. They dedicate their time giving back to locals and fostering trust and kindness in the neighborhood; and with these simple philanthropic gestures, they disrupt the traditional economic model to build a thriving community. Find out more at civicsquare.cc A Bertz Associates podcast by the Children of the Diaspora, brought to you by the Birmingham 2022 Festival. Hosted by Elilta Tiruneh, Jessica Samba Produced and edited by Jessica Samba, Vanille Vardon Executive producer and mother of the project, Iris Bertz Sound by Stephen Stanley Music by Mia Sugunasingha Logo by Sharonjit Sutton Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

3. 

   31 Oct 2022

   Re-inventing The City: the challenge of sustainability in urban planning

   Katie Kershaw, a Ladywood resident and passionate boxer, uses her experience as an urban planner to reflect on the case of the Tower, and explore the sustainable prospects for an environment and community-friendly city. A Bertz Associates podcast by the Children of the Diaspora, brought to you by the Birmingham 2022 Festival. Hosted by Elilta Tiruneh, Jessica Samba Produced and edited by Jessica Samba, Vanille Vardon Executive producer and mother of the project, Iris Bertz Sound by Stephen Stanley Music by Mia Sugunasingha Logo by Sharonjit Sutton Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

4. 

   24 Oct 2022

   Dancing Against Capitalism: Fighting Gentrification and Balances of Power in the Urban Space

   Three friends and artists closely connected to the projects around the Tower, Gavin, Simeon and Tom, reflect and question the idea of community, the balances of power within the city, gentrification and capitalism. A Bertz Associates podcast by the Children of the Diaspora, brought to you by the Birmingham 2022 Festival. Hosted by Elilta Tiruneh, Jessica Samba Produced and edited by Jessica Samba, Vanille Vardon Executive producer and mother of the project, Iris Bertz Sound by Stephen Stanley Music by Mia Sugunasingha Logo by Sharonjit Sutton Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

5. 

   17 Oct 2022

   The Self Made Actress From Ladywood

   In this first episode, Coronation Street and Doctors actress Lorna Laidlaw discusses her childhood in Ladywood, her self made career as a black woman from Birmingham, and her prospects for the youth. A Bertz Associates podcast by the Children of the Diaspora, brought to you by the Birmingham 2022 Festival. Recorded at The Yard, find out more: https://www.yardarthouse.co Hosted by Elilta Tiruneh, Jessica Samba Produced and edited by Jessica Samba, Vanille Vardon Executive producer and mother of the project, Iris Bertz Sound by Stephen Stanley Music by Mia Sugunasingha Logo by Sharonjit Sutton Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

6. 

   10 Oct 2022

   If You Had The Money, What Would You Do?

   For this prologue, the Children of the Diaspora decided to go to the Edgbaston Reservoir and give their voices to the people. They asked bypassers their opinion on the fate of the Tower Ballroom, and what they would have wanted for the space. A Bertz Associates podcast by the Children of the Diaspora, brought to you by the Birmingham 2022 Festival. Hosted by Elilta Tiruneh, Jessica Samba Produced and edited by Jessica Samba, Vanille Vardon Executive producer and mother of the project, Iris Bertz Sound by Stephen Stanley Music by Mia Sugunasingha Logo by Sharonjit Sutton Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

7. 

   29 Sept 2022

   Amplifying Voices (Preview)

   Welcome to the preview episode of Amplifying Voices, the first in a new series of podcasts dedicated to what people have to say about the spaces they occupy. This, and future episodes have been created in addition to a number of films that were produced for the Birmingham 2022 Festival, all of which were centred in and around the Tower Ballroom, a much loved venue at the edge of Edgbaston Reservoir, in Ladywood, Birmingham, which closed in 2017, after 141 years. This now iconic piece of local history is soon to be demolished to make way for a new housing development...and whereas the films explored the Tower’s fascinating past, and even at times an imagined future, the podcasts instead ponder the question: what spaces do we really want? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Contact Amplifying Voices

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.