How a photographer who shoots caravans and snooker clubs landed praise from Robert Plant – and an exhibition inside a heritage museum
Tom Hicks' photos of Black Country signage and shopfronts attracted unlikely support from a Led Zeppelin legend
Tom Hicks, a photographer known as Black Country Type, has discovered the power of photographing ordinary subjects through the lens of his unique perspective. His work, featured in his second book, Black Country Type II, has caught the attention of many, including the renowned Robert Plant. The two first met when Plant asked Hicks to curate a photographic exhibition to accompany one of his shows at The Halls in Wolverhampton.
Plant's foreword to the book praises Hicks for his ability to capture the "surreal madness and magnificence of our old mothership" with a keen eye and quiet wit. Hicks' images, such as those of the Central Snooker Club in Lye and PIES painted across corrugated steel in Tipton, showcase his ability to avoid clichés and maintain formal control in his compositions.
The Black Country Living Museum is currently showcasing 12 of Hicks' images in their café space, with the book and prints available for purchase.
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