The Cardiff Arts Institute on Park Place is undergoing a change. The Brains owned venue was established in 2009 in partnership with 580 Ltd and Something Creatives who created the original concept, venue design and extensive musical programming.
But two years on the three partners are going their separate ways, with Brains continuing to run the venue as a solo venture.
In its short but colourful time Cardiff Arts Institute sought to take the collective experience of all involved to create a venue which we felt had been missing from the city. A venue with true Cardiff soul but still connected to a national music network through one of its partners, 580 LTD (Lock Tavern, Field Day Festival and Start The Bus)
The venue gave all three partners the opportunity to showcase the many levels of artistic talent from various walks of life within the city, as well as being able to bring inspiring musicians and artists from all over the world to Cardiff.
The venue will continue to be a hub for students and the local business community, and will remain the perfect place to eat, drink and relax; offering everything from coffee and cake to express lunches. The venue will also continue to present live music three times a week curated by Brains. Something Creatives said:
“We would like to thank all the many people who have helped to make the last two years truly special. We will still be heavily involved in developing, showcasing and nurturing creative talent within the City and we wish our partners the best in their future venture.”
Cardiff Arts Institute reopens after its rebrand.
But you're keeping the Lego wall, right?
So (regardless of the splitting of partnerships) you're turning a decent venue into another boring, wood-brown colour schemed bar that is too far from the center of town to make any money with that model.
Good plan, Brains! Enjoy closing the place this time next year!
Not enough rich hipsters in Cardiff to populate both Milgis and here it seems
What a shame….. absolute waste of something beautiful
All good things come to end
Bye bye Cardiff Arts, you will be sorely missed. xx
too many acts no one wanted to see drafted in when local acts an events could have rammed the place. far too little promo
gutted!
No more mojito bar?
at least brains could keep local people and genral people that have an idea about the music scene to carry on with event planning. any bets no one will go there for music, actualy i dont think any will go at all now
Shiver me timbers, them’s some great ifnmroation.
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Another decent Cardiff venue lost then, guess it'll go back to something similar to Incognito – can't see that anyone will bother with it without the individuality that CAI brought – esp when you could just nip to the pen and wig instead.
This sad day for Cardiff music scene…Brains are a bunch of bums
I'm guessing no more Electro Swing nights?
Goodnight Sweet Prince
So, despite Cardiff Life Model Collective bringing in 40 plus clients most Tuesday nights September through to April and 25 plus a night May to August CAI can't be arsed to get back to me and let me know if we will be able to continue to use the common room – appalling treatment of a not for profit group and of all of that groups clients.
I was given a days notice that there was to be a refurb and since then have been in in person and have left several phone messages. Nothing…
Cardiff Life Model Collective have effectively lost 20 odd regular clients as we didn't have a chance to let them know that there would be a break or a move.
As far as I am concerned Brains can find a dank and dirty corner and go die in it. Really not very nice people
Find us at http://www.a-muse.me if you need to find where we are running sessions over the next few months.
As for the refurb… Costa Coffee for sure… Why? Just Why?
Went there last night… about 10 people in there… on a saturday night! The decor is garish, there was no atmosphere (which used to be one of the main reasons to go) it was like walking into a very horrible joke.
Hope you flop in your convention Brains. Thank you for depriving us of one of the very few alternative spaces Cardiff had to offer. Enjoy the lawyers.
Good riddance, pretentious hole as it was
Its not Brains's fault as they were not the ones who pulled out!!
Why cant Cardiff keep a decent venue, I wonder what theyve done to The Globe, If the new sign outside is anything to go by then it probably looks like Varsity!
I think you will find it was Brains who folded the project.
I'm trying to get an email adress for here! Can any one help me XD
Cardiffartsinstitute@sabrain.com
Info@cardiffartsinstitute.org or any derivative of this email address no longer works or goes to anyone associated with the venue.
brilliant, possibly the only venue of it's kind in Cardiff, aside from Milgi's (where dancing is pretty difficult to do) and it's been ruined, whilst shitty chain clubs like Oceana and Glam remain strong. Nights out in Cardiff just got a lot more mundane. Nice one Brains, you've ruined EVERYTHING.
also – love how you've tried to keep the website and branding the same – it's like you murdered Cardiff Arts and now are living in it's home like a squatter.
Hey Marta – so far Brains have had literally nothing to do with this website, not sure about the Twitter account or Facebook page. I've still got it up and online as a home for the above statement and a bit of a condolence book.
As for the branding – I've got noone has been in touch with me about it and from my 1 visit to the venue, there seems to be no reference to it at all. For which I'm grateful. I worked very hard in trying to create a look in keeping with the spirit of the venue and the ideas that drove it. With that venue gone now in all but name I would rather put the logo in mothballs too than see it dragged behind a very conservative bar.
whats it like in there now?? whos doing the gigs now? will you be having local bands?? itll be a shame if theyve wrecked it. anyone been to the full moon by welsh clwb? thats pretty awesome! at least cool places are still poppin up!
The sign from the window needs to be jacked I hate walking passes it!
What?! Why this has only just dawned on me I don’t know but really? No CAI full stop. We will seriously miss the best Sunday lunch Cardiff had to offer. Gutted.
I always thought the toilets were great
Very disappointed! I will have to save up every year and go to the Vanilla Rooms once a year instead.
Incognito died a similar death, but CAI was infinitely better and died prematurely. I dread what will fill this gap…
The routine of work > Pen & Wig > CAI and home are gone forever!
hi there -I have taken part in one of Mab Jones slam events at the institute and I noticed you did food:I now work for a company called Asiri foods which specializes in sri lankan pickles and chutneys – they make a good alternative to cranberry jelly with the Christmas turkey or with mozzarella in paninis.Asiri is keen to promote the ethical side of buisness with responsible sourcing and packaging,she likes to make personal contact with her clients so is it possible for me to make an appointment for her to pop down to Cardiff with some samples??
cheers
Caroline
Good riddance. Frequented by a mass of vacuous hipsters, this place was a shrine to the emptiness of late capitalism and the postmodern condition. My lasting memory of this place was going to a gig being watched by a handful of people, whilst in the upstairs room a bunch of posers projected their constructed identities onto one another at some twatty 'Music Geek' club, in which these knobbers brought some shitty beardy record along and used it to talk about themselves and their Christmas cardigans. If they were truly into music, wouldn't they have been down watching the live act? Fuck 'em all. Anyone who drinks Red Stripe is a mindless twat.
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I'm from Canada, and I lived in Cardiff for only a year, but many of the great memories I have from Cardiff were from CAI. @QuimMuncher- if you hated the place so much why are you on here to talk shit about it? I find it amazing that you were able to see both the live show and the Music Club which you would have had little idea about in the same night. I was part of the Music Geek club, which was a really fun way to meet people with similar tastes of music, and to expand my tastes even further. The runner of said club was one of the nicest people I met the entire year I lived in Wales. You sound like an absolute shit head.
I was able to see alot of good shows (Darkstar, Daedelus, XXXY, Electroswing, etc.) that would not have had the opportunity of playing in the city if it weren't for CAI. I'm eternally greatful for CAI shaping the experience I had while in the city, and I think it's a shame that they aren't around anymore. It seemed like a place that wouldn't shut down! Sure the place wasn't without its pretentious hipsters, but what scene doesn't have those people?
Hi
My name is brandon and I’m a dance teacher in cardiff
I teach a group aged 14_16 and we struggle on finding shows so I was wondering in the future if you have any shows or events going on for children or staff to contact me for an preformance ,or even if you have any ideas for me it be a big help
Thankyou,email back x
Oh Brains, Brains… what have you done? I popped in last night to see what damage had been wrought and… Well, every time I've been there over the last few years, CAI has been heaving. Last night it was dead. I can understand, if some of the partners pulled out, that things had to probably change but the bar that is there now is not the CAI at all and should probably change its name. It's more like Bar 33, which is also generally pretty quiet. Brains are capable of running a decent alternative-ish venue – see Dempseys – and it doesn't necessarily need a tonne of marketing and fancy graphic design to pull it off, so it seems a shame you couldn't keep at least some of the spirit from CAI's original incarnation.
I guess the clientèle for CAI will likely just head to Gwdihw, and I guess the expanding Undertone, or just stop going out in Cardiff altogether.
Nice topic.
I think you flop in your convention Brains.
Thank you for depriving us of one of the very few alternative spaces
Cardiff had to offer. Enjoy the lawyers.
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Great sharing.
I think there are many acts no one wanted to see drafted in when local
acts an events could have rammed the place. far too little promo.
Thanks for sharing.
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Irrespective of what you think of the new look venue I'll be playing some classic soul and disco, there to enjoy and maybe have a dance or two this thursday (8th dec 2012) at 8pm, G
Used to go to the CAI all the time for food as it was absolutely yummy and a bargain. Went the other day for the first time since the refurb and was horrifed. I thought I'd accidentally walked into a costa coffee crossed with a wetherspoons. Ordered food anyway but took one mouthful and took it back. At exactly the same time as someone else was getting their money back. Will not be returning any time soon. I miss the lego wall
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Glad I read this! So where would people say to go now instead? Wanted to enquire about hiring this venue to put on a band night but doesn't like it's such a good idea? Any and all assistance much appreciated! x