3 Minute Heroes
We all know at least one of those special people.  People in our neighbourhood who go the extra mile, the extraordinary characters hidden within the ordinary.  3 Minute Heroes seeks to celebrate these unsung heroes, to ensure that they are celebrated and remembered.  Friction Arts are working with groups across Birmingham to identify their ‘local heroes’, to find out more about them and to document their
stories for all to see, through the magic of the internet.  Artists will work with the groups to create three-minute stories, in sound, film or the written or spoken word, and then work together to upload them to a website dedicated to celebrating these special people.
Over a series of workshops the artists will help the groups to research their heroes, create their stories in whatever way they wish, and then create a living archive online – all leading to a celebration event on April 16th, at a central location, where they can get together and share their stories in the real world.
3 Minute Heroes has been commissioned by Birmingham City Council and Arts Council England as part of the Hello Digital Public Participatory Programme.

The Process
The artists will be working with a range of groups across the city, including youth groups, elders groups, faith and cultural groups, as well as a number of individuals. Participants will learn to research their heroes, both on and offline, and to find and gather a range of material relating to
their subject.  From this research material, the artists will help the participants to frame an artwork in response to their chosen subject.  The artwork may be as simple as a story, or it may be a video piece, a poem or even a dance routine!

Once the artwork has been designed the artists will assist participants in constructing their response, sometimes the final piece will be made by the participants themselves, sometimes the artists will create the work in response to the information from the participants - whichever provides the best quality outcome to satisfy all participants.
The final artworks will be uploaded to a dedicated website - http://www.3minuteheroes.org, where anyone will be able to upload their own stories of their unsunbg heroes, to continue to create an archive of talesof our hidden heroes.