Keen readers of the Quietus will know that we’re long time supporters of Capsule’s Home Of Metal project which is helping to promote Birmingham and the West Midlands as an international centre for cultural heaviosity.
The premise is simple: all of Black Sabbath are from Aston, Godflesh are from Brum, most of Napalm are from the Black Country as well as most members of Priest and Zepplin etc, so why isn’t there a 300ft tall bronze statue of Bill Ward in the middle of the Bull Ring pointing one drumstick directly up at the moon?
This year’s events sound pretty exciting and if you’re down on the open day, you’ll probably see the Quietus down there. Here’s what capsule have to say:
"Home of Metal – an exhibition exploring 40 years of Heavy Metal and its birthplace. This will be the core exhibition at the prestigious Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, taking over the largest UK temporary gallery space outside of London from 18 June-25 September. Informed by original band artefacts and materials from the Home of Metal digital archive, the show is the first metal exhibition of its kind, bringing together unseen memorabilia sourced directly from the fans themselves, and placing it alongside iconic items from metal such as Black Sabbath’s Mob Rules stage cross and handwritten Napalm Death lyrics. The show will also explore the ingredients that together made Heavy Metal, offering an insight into the region’s industrial history, the early blues-rocks sound, the changing music industry, DIY politics and the global impact of the heavy metal.
As part of the Home of Metal season, The New Art Gallery, Walsall will also be presenting a solo exhibition by internationally renowned artist and former Turner Prize nominee, Mark Titchner, BE TRUE TO YOUR OBLIVION. The exhibition will feature newly commissioned work such as Be Angry but don’t stop breathing (II), in which visitors are encouraged to engage in a group primal scream exercise which visualizes the vibratory nature of sound. The sounds produced by the screams are processed and used to vibrate trays of ink attached to loudspeakers. Influenced heavily by metal music and the associated aesthetics, Titchner’s Turner-nominated Ergo, Ergot will also be on display, which references the iconic Vertigo logo.
Opening in July, Wolverhampton Art Gallery will present You Should be Living: The Visual Language of Heavy Metal, an exhibition which explores the relationship between heavy metal and artists inspired by the genre, using typography, vintage t-shirts, sculpture and sound to explore the varying aesthetic of Heavy Metal and its relationship to contemporary art. Thirty years after the formation of Napalm Death, French artist and grindcore fanatic Damien Deroubaix and Napalm Death founder Nicholas Bullen will present their sculptural construction containing text and abstractions, referencing the work of both artists and the first Napalm Death album ‘Scum’.
Also opening in July, Walsall Leather Museum will be displaying stage costumes worn by local heroes of the Heavy Metal scene as part of their exhibition Hell Bent for Leather: Judas Priest and the Heavy Metal Look. This will be a rare opportunity to see costumes from the private collection of the band. There will also be Home of Metal exhibitions at The Public, Bilston Craft Gallery and Dudley Museum & Art Gallery.
Bringing people together to share their passion for heavy metal music, Home of Metal’s ambitions include the development of heritage tours and ultimately a permanent collection dedicated to telling the story of Metal and its unique birthplace for fans to visit in the future.
These exhibitions form part of the 2011 programme, which will also include a touring film programme, concerts, further exhibitions and a heavy metal conference. Further details to be announced.
The Home of Metal project is to hold a fourth and final Open Day at The Public on Saturday 26 March, offering one last chance for fans of all ages to share their memorabilia and stories with the digital archive and help to tell the true story of the birthplace of Heavy Metal."
11AM – 4PM, SATURDAY 26 MARCH 2011. THE PUBLIC, WEST BROMWICH.
FREE – ALL AGES WELCOME
