BLACK COUNTRY TYPE
Tom Hicks is a contemporary photographer who places words at the centre of his work.
His current project, Black Country Type, is a photographic exploration of the post-industrial landscape of the region. Often overlooked as source of inspiration, it is a zone that has a sense of the unknown, not least to its own inhabitants who are still to agree on a definitive border or map.
Focusing on type, lettering, graffiti and words in the environment, Tom is interested in the cultural history of the area and the impact of industrial decline. His work doesn’t contain people, but their presence is felt. He is interested in revealing the traces that they leave in the environment.
His practice reflects an interest in psychogeography and the idea of urban exploration is a key part of his way of working. His images are taken whilst cycling and he believes that the freedom of movement afforded by a bicycle has been essential to his work, in that is allows access to areas that are inaccessible to a car and that it allows him to explore large geographical areas in the space of a day.
Tom’s work showcases long forgotten typefaces, industrial graphics and traditional signwriting – as well as hand-scrawled graffiti. He also documents crumbling factories, long-faded architecture and the beauty of decaying surfaces.
His images have attracted interest many quarters. His work has found popularity amongst graphic designers, architects, photographers and fans of mid-century design and he will be exhibiting the city-wide Birmingham Design Festival this summer.
In stark contrast, he has recently staged a solo exhibition at one of Birmingham’s oldest artistic institutions, The Birmingham & Midland Institute.
