The Bullring presents Borealis by Dan Acher - 9th to 18th February 2024

From the 9th to 18th February 2024 at the Bullring in Birmingham was an art installation by Dan Acher called Borealis. Based on the Northern Lights or the Aurora Borealis. It was on Central Street (St Martin's Walk) for 10 days from 5pm to 9pm each evening. Best seen after dark, as the effect didn't really work in daylight I found. Smoke machines and ambient music.

Borealis

BOREALIS THE NORTHERN LIGHTS - ANYTIME, ANYWHERE Borealis recreates one of nature’s most awe-inspiring phenomena over cities around the world. It shifts our emotional experience of familiar urban landmarks and awakens a shared conscience by creating something magical - something that shouldn’t naturally be there. Borealis is about our ancestral communion with nature and our more recent compulsion to control it. As our planet’s climate breaks down, the question arises: will technology one day replace everything that nature currently provides for us?

 

Dan Acher's Borealis was held at the Bullring on St Martin's Walk above St Martin's Square (aka Central Street) from the 9th to 18th February 2024. Time started each evening at 5pm, ended each night at 9pm. Every evening attracted a big crowd looking at the artificial Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights. Personally I think they should have started it a month earlier, as between 5pm and 6pm, it's not that dark in February, although getting dark after sunset, which is getting a bit later each day now.

 

11th February 2024

First spotted one of the Borealis light towers from Edgbaston Street, after walking from Southside between buses.

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12th February 2024

Nice sunset down St Martin's Walk to St Martin in the Bullring, at approx 4:50pm, so 10 minutes before Borealis was due to start. This day I didn't wait for the lights to turn on.

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14th February 2024

This day, I waited the 5 minutes until 5pm for the multi-coloured lights to turn on, but was cloudy, and you don't really get the full Borealis effect at this time, but noticed the smoke machines going on.

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16th February 2024

That evening was when I hoped to catch Borealis after dark, I even popped to Costa Coffee in Grand Central beforehand after work, but I got there at 5:30pm and it wasn't dark yet, but got the full effect, and not much to see from St Martin's Square below.

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18th February 2024

The last evening, one more attempt, so got the bus up from home, then popped to Caffe Nero in Birmingham New Street Station (other coffee shops close at 5pm). Then got here for 6:30pm, and got a lot of photos of it, best I could, these are the best photos I took of Borealis.

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Borealis is next scheduled to go to Australia in Adelaide. It goes around the world.

 

Photography by Elliott Brown

A look around the new look University Station

The new University Station buildings were opened on Sunday 28th January 2024, and I went to have a look around two weeks later on Sunday 11th February 2024. I got a train one way up from Longbridge, then checked out the buildings inside, the went over the bridge to the campus, and walked around to Vincent Drive and Pritchatts Road. It looks good and fresh. The old building is exit only.

University Station, the new buildings at the West Gate of the University of Birmingham and at Vincent Drive was fully opened on Sunday 28th January 2024. With the ASLEF train driver strikes the following weekend (3rd and 4th February 2024), thought it was best to wait until the next weekend (10th and 11th February 2024) to come back and check out the buildings.

 

I got the 12:43 train from Longbridge to University, and to my suprise it was West Midlands Railway 323221 in the classic Regional Railways livery. I got to University shortly before 1pm on Sunday 11th February 2024.

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The waiting room on platform 1, there is also a new waiting room on platform 2. Probably useful for passengers going with Cross Country on the line between Cardiff Central and Nottingham via Birmingham New Street (if not the Cross City Line, as trains are frequent during the week).

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A look at the main concourse from platform level, toilets are to the right. Soon there will be an NHS facility to the left.

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Tickets and information near the stairs, way out to the Medical School.

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Up the steps from platform 1 concourse, there is seats to sit on near the lift.

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View out of the window on the new bridge above the tracks, platform 1 on the right, platform 2 on the left. Towards the 1978 building, now exit only.

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Steps down to the platform 2 concourse. Also a lift.

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Exiting the station over the new footbridge to the University of Birmingham campus, with a view to Old Joe, it crosses the Worcester & Birmingham Canal.

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There is also an entrance to University Station from the Worcester & Birmingham Canal towpath. I used to have to leave the canal via the steps to Westgate to get to the 1978 entrance.

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To the right is a ramp for disabled passengers (wheelchairs etc) to use, or 45 steps down to the University campus.

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Looking back at University Station from the new footbridge.

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There is some unfinished areas near the footbridge, including in this view towards the canal and new station building.

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This grassed area is currently all fenced off, awaiting completion, other than that the steps, ramp and bridge above are open.

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Following the Westgate path towards the 1978 building, as we see the 2024 building alongside the canal. This was part of the site of Metchley Roman Fort.

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Now heading to the new University Station building from the new path from Westgate.

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It is well landscaped with lampposts and a grass lawn.

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The station building is close to Vincent Drive. Bollards should prevent vehicles going beyond and parking where they shouldn't do.

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One of the many new University Station signs at the station.

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The University Station sign from Vincent Drive.

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One last look at the station from the bridges on Pritchatts Road, heading to the North Gate of the University of Birmingham, as West Midlands Railway 323218 arrived at platform 2.

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We hope you enjoyed our tour of the new University Station. Experience it yourself by buying your tickets at West Midlands Railway. We recommend using their app, which has a QR code ticket (once tickets purchased). But you can still buy tickets at the station of your choice (ticket machines or ticket office) such as Birmingham New Street. There is ticket gates at the station, on the platform level. Trains on the Cross City Line go between Redditch or Bromsgrove to Lichfield Trent Valley.

 

Photography by Elliott Brown

The Chinese lion dragon dance at The Mailbox Canalside

It was the Lunar New Year on Saturday 10th February 2024. The Year of the Wood Dragon. The Choy Lee Fut Lion and Dragon Dance Team from Southside performed for about 20 minutes after 2pm at The Mailbox Canalside. Similar to what they have done around the City Centre in previous years, like in the Bullring in 2023. I was joined in getting images with Jack Babington.

CLFLion Dragon on Instagram.

The Choy Lee Fut Lion and Dragon Dance Team started the walk from The Mailbox on Royal Mail Street, then walked up Severn Street and Commercial Street to the steps up to The Mailbox Canalside.

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Enjoy this series of 20 photos of the performance, or watch my YouTube video compilation above.

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Photos and video by Elliott Brown

The Annatomix wildlife street art on the Digbeth Branch Canal in Eastside below the HS2, Curzon No 3 Viaduct site

In the summer of 2023 on the Digbeth Branch Canal between Curzon Street and Curzon Street Tunnel in Eastside, Annatomix was painting wildlife street art for HS2, below where they are building the Curzon No 3 Viaduct. By the autumn it wasn't complete, and as of winter 2023-24, it is now badly tagged by graffiti vandals, so not sure if it will be repaired / repainted or not.

July 2023

Annatomix started painting the commissioned street art on the Digbeth Branch Canal in Eastside for HS2 in the middle of summer 2023.  This would be where they are building the Curzon No 3 Viaduct.

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August 2023

Just one update in the late summer, as Annatomix worked away at her art. I walked past towards the Curzon Street Tunnel. Decided to wait a few months to see if it was finished or not.

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October 2023

A major update of the Annatomix street art on the Digbeth Branch Canal in the middle of Autumn 2023. It was looking good at the time, but she was having a break at the time for about a month. There was also a message at one end "if you like the art please stop drawing on it".

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February 2024

In the months since, taggers and graffiti vandals have been drawing / writing all over the street art, and it looked like Annatomix didn't return (health reasons I think). Meanwhile HS2 had put up rusted weathering steel triangular trusses for the Curzon No 3 Viaduct. Am not sure if it is worth her coming back in future to fix / repaint the art here (her other pieces around the city get tagged as well).

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Photography by Elliott Brown

University Station progress from May 2022 to January 2024

The new University Station buildings opened on Sunday 28th January 2024. Here's our photo update from May 2022 to January 2024. The station was open throughout the works, and the extended platforms were open in time for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, but was delays for some reason in completing the station, beyond 2022. We'll get another update at a later date.

It was supposed to open in July 2022, but is now going to fully open on Sunday 28th January 2024. 

Photo progress gallery below from May 2022 to January 2024.

* Note that all these photos were taken before the new buildings were opened to the public.

 

May 2022

Worcester & Birmingham Canal view near the University of Birmingham, the new buildings under scaffolding.

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First look at the extended platforms from platform 1 at University.

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Cross Country Trains Class 220 Voyager passed non stop towards Birmingham New Street.

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West Midlands Railway 323209 calls at University, platform 2.

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West Midlands Railway 170501 passes on a service to Worcester Foregate Street (this train is now at sister company East Midlands Railway).

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West Midlands Railway 323208 calls at University, platform 1 (this train has since moved to Northern Trains).

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June 2022

From the X21 bus top deck, before the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games began. Clearly it wouldn't be ready for summer 2022.

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A day later, a comparison with the 1978 building (right, still open) and 2024 building (left).

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August 2022

Views of University Station from the Worcester & Birmingham Canal. Some scaffolding had come down at the time.

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October 2022

Approaching from New Fosse Way and the Westgate entrance.

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One last look during 2022 at the platforms, clearly the buildings wouldn't open by the end of the year.

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/University%20Station%2016102022%20(5).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/University%20Station%2016102022%20(6).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/University%20Station%2016102022%20(7).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/University%20Station%2016102022%20(8).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

 

Cross Country Voyager Class 220 passing at speed towards the south west.

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/University%20Station%2016102022%20(10).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/University%20Station%2016102022%20(11).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

 

West Midlands Railway 323217 stops at University, to take me to Birmingham New Street.

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/University%20Station%2016102022%20(12).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

 

February 2023

First University update of 2023, as usual the walk up the Worcester & Birmingham Canal from the Selly Oak Shopping Park.

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/University%20Station%2011022023%20(1).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

 

This time I walked to the far end of platform 1, buildings appeared to be complete, but would not open for at least another year.

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/University%20Station%2011022023%20(2).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/University%20Station%2011022023%20(3).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/University%20Station%2011022023%20(4).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/University%20Station%2011022023%20(5).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/University%20Station%2011022023%20(6).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/University%20Station%2011022023%20(7).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/University%20Station%2011022023%20(8).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

 

This was the day, when I managed to get West Midlands Railway 323221 in the Regional Railways Centro livery!

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/WMR%20323221%20Uni%20Station%2011022023%20(3).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/WMR%20323221%20Uni%20Station%2011022023%20(4).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/WMR%20323221%20Uni%20Station%2011022023%20(5).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/WMR%20323221%20Uni%20Station%2011022023%20(6).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

 

Later that month, some views from the X21 bus as it went up Pritchatts Road and Vincent Drive.

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Uni%20Station%2028022023%20(1).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Uni%20Station%2028022023%20(2).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Uni%20Station%2028022023%20(3).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

 

June 2023

A walk along Prichatts Road and Vincent Drive for more views of the station.

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Uni%20Station%2029062023%20(1).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Uni%20Station%2029062023%20(2).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Uni%20Station%2029062023%20(3).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Uni%20Station%2029062023%20(4).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

 

July 2023

A look at the new access footbridge from the University of Birmingham, near the Westgate.

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Uni%20Station%2018072023%20(1).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Uni%20Station%2018072023%20(2).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

 

This will be one of the new station entrances from Westgate and New Fosse Way.

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Uni%20Station%2018072023%20(3).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Uni%20Station%2018072023%20(4).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

 

August 2023

Approaching University Station again from the Worcester & Birmingham Canal.

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Uni%20Station%2024082023%20(1).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

 

Views from the X21 bus on Vincent Drive.

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Uni%20Station%2024082023%20(3).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Uni%20Station%2024082023%20(4).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

 

A week later, views from the X22 bus on Vincent Drive.

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Uni%20Station%2031082023%20(1).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Uni%20Station%2031082023%20(3).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Uni%20Station%2031082023%20(4).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Uni%20Station%2031082023%20(5).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Uni%20Station%2031082023%20(6).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Uni%20Station%2031082023%20(7).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

 

January 2024

With the news that the ORR had given permission for the new University Station buildings to open on Sunday 28th January 2024, I had one last visit to the station before it opened to the public.

The usual views from the Worcester & Birmingham Canal on the walk from Selly Oak Shopping Park.

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Uni%20Station%2018012024%20(1).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Uni%20Station%2018012024%20(2).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Uni%20Station%2018012024%20(3).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

 

Looks pretty much the same from platform 1, the boards with train times were on. Some labels needed peeling off.

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Uni%20Station%2018012024%20(4).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Uni%20Station%2018012024%20(5).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Uni%20Station%2018012024%20(6).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Uni%20Station%2018012024%20(7).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Uni%20Station%2018012024%20(9).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

 

A Cross Country Trains Class 220 Voyager in the direction of Birmingham New Street.

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Uni%20Station%2018012024%20(10).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

 

West Midlands Railway 323241 seen arriving at platform 2.

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Uni%20Station%2018012024%20(11).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

 

My West Midlands Railway Class 323 train arrived, to take me one way to Birmingham New Street.

dndimg alt="University Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Uni%20Station%2018012024%20(12).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

Photography by Elliott Brown