The Story
For too long Birmingham and the Black Country have failed to celebrate what is rightfully theirs, to claim the city and the region as the birthplace of "Heavy Metal".
The Home Of Metal archive was developed after our Metal Symposium which was held as part of Supersonic Festival in 2007 at New Art Gallery Walsall and resulted in a fascinating article in the New Statesman entitled Rocking The World. The symposium's aim was to kick start people thinking about the West Midlands as the birthplace of the genre.
After years of research Home of Metal landed with the digital archive of Heavy Metal memorabilia and stories, where you are invited to upload items, record stories and comment on other entries.
In addition to the archive, 2011 saw a season of Home of Metal activities, launched with a huge exhibition at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery entitled 'Home of Metal: 40 years of Heavy Metal and its unique birthplace'. This exhibition explored the elements that together created the genre and was launched by Tony Iommi himself.
Other events during this season included a solo show by former Turner Prize nominee Mark Titchner, an international Heavy Metal conference and a weekend of activity across the region in our Black Country Weekender.
Read what the press have had to say about the project...
And read about the Home of Metal documentary made by Sky Arts
Popular Uploads
- 01 January 1986
denim jacket with patches - The Eighties
Napalm Death hand wriiten lyrics for Scum - The Noughties
Denim waistcoat with Black sabbath patches/badges - 16 October 1970
Sabbath Poster/Ticket '70/'71 - 01 January 1984
School Photograph circa 1984 - The Seventies
Black Sabbath cartoon book - 01 January 2001
Bootley Black Sabbath t-shirt - 01 January 1970
Henry's Blues House January 1970 - 01 August 1969
Black Sabbath/Earth gig flyer 1st August 1969
