ROUND THE ROTUNDA

11-01-2008

Is the Rotunda the defining image of Birmingham?  Ellie Clifton talks to a photographer collecting stories about one of the city’s great cultural icons.

I was watching one of those reality TV shows a while back where they scour the nation for talent, and hold auditions in every major city. With the mention of each city they showed a picture - for London it was Big Ben, for Edinburgh the Castle.  And guess what it was for Birmingham? Spaghetti Junction!

Now I’ve only been living here a few years, but it annoyed me. Millions of pounds have been spent on rebuilding and regenerating the city centre and of all the beautiful, distinctive images they could have chosen, they go and pick a hideous, concrete, scary looking motorway!

No wonder, “at the mention of Birmingham, people’s faces often contort like there’s a bad smell” (http://www.birminghamitsnotshit.co.uk), if that’s their mental picture.

So how do we change this? What do you think should be used to represent Birmingham to the world? How about St. Martin’s and the Bull Ring? Victoria Square? Birmingham’s numerous canals?

Or maybe it’s the Rotunda? 

Local photographer Nic Gaunt certainly feels there’s something special about Birmingham’s cylindrical tower block, and with the help of the people of Birmingham, he’s hoping to capture and celebrate what he calls its “iconic status” in a book, documentary and exhibition later this year.

However it’s not images he’s looking for, its stories; 21 stories to be precise, because the Rotunda has 21 storeys (geddit?).

So what’s his story? Why does he feel the Rotunda has iconic status?

“I remember when I was growing up, coming into Birmingham to shop with my parents and just seeing this building, this bizarre round building, but I liked it and it was a shame to see it fall into disrepair.

“It’s great to see it being redeveloped…there’s lots of new buildings being constructed now, taller and taller buildings, but an icon is more than just a building, its a symbol of a city, adopted by it’s people”.

Encouraging people to tell stories might seem quite an unusual approach to redevelopment, but actually it’s a method that has already enjoyed some success in other parts of the city.

Castle Vale was an area characterised by poverty and high rise flats until they were demolished in a government funded programme of redevelopment.

The programme finished last year, but the community spirit has continued in the form of a committee and regular meetings all supported by the online newspaper “The Vale Mail” (http://valemail.wordpress.com/), a realistic publication, which whilst taking stock of the insults and criticisms still levelled against the area, provides a voice and a rallying point for the community.

Another website with a similar aim is community broadcasting website “Podnosh” (http://www.podnosh.com) founded by Nick Booth. Nick lives in Balsall Heath, an area he said was previously known as a red light district, dominated by drugs and prostitution;

“It isn’t anymore, the community has taken charge, there’s been restructuring and the area is regenerating, but it all takes time, a much quicker way is to capture people’s imagination ….if two neighbourhoods were given the same amount of money and had the same amount of redevelopment, the tipping point for which area would regenerate most successfully, would be the number of people willing to tell stories…it’s not just about bricks and mortar”.

If you want to see The Rotunda redeveloped as an iconic symbol for Birmingham, please email your stories to Nic Gaunt on stories@newrotunda.co.uk.

You can also find out more information about his project “21 stories” on its website: http://www.newrotunda.co.uk.

Is the Rotunda the defining image of Birmingham?

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