Brian Homer, Photographer and Co-Founder of Ten.8 Magazine, Dies at 80
Brian Homer, a prominent figure in Birmingham's cultural landscape as a photographer, designer, and entrepreneur, passed away at the age of 80. In the late 1970s, he was a co-founder of the photography magazine Ten.8, which was recently showcased in an exhibition at New Art Gallery Walsall. In 1979, he initiated the Handsworth Self Portraits project to challenge negative media representations, with the negatives now housed at the Bodleian Library in Oxford. Originally from Cheltenham, he relocated to Birmingham at the age of five. After completing his education at King Edward VI Five Ways grammar school, he apprenticed with the Central Electricity Generating Board and briefly studied electrical engineering at Aston University. He also co-founded community publications Grapevine and Broadside, established Homer Creative, and supported live music events. He is survived by his wife, Val Jenner, whom he married in 1999.
Key facts
- Brian Homer died aged 80.
- He co-founded the photography magazine Ten.8 in the late 1970s with John Reardon and Derek Bishton.
- An exhibition about Ten.8 was held at New Art Gallery Walsall until earlier this month.
- In 1979, Homer, Reardon and Bishton created the Handsworth Self Portraits; the negatives are preserved at the Bodleian, Oxford.
- Homer was born in Cheltenham and moved to Birmingham at age five.
- He co-founded the community magazines Grapevine and Broadside in the mid-1970s.
- He started the design agency Homer Creative in the early 1980s in Birmingham's jewellery quarter.
- He married Val Jenner in 1999; she survives him.
Entities
Artists
- Brian Homer
- John Reardon
- Derek Bishton
- Catherine Redding
- Howard Homer
- Val Jenner
- David Attie
- Vanley Burke
- John Akomfrah
- Stuart Hall
- Martha Langford
Institutions
- Ten.8
- New Art Gallery Walsall
- Bodleian Library
- King Edward VI Five Ways grammar school
- Central Electricity Generating Board
- Aston University
- National League of Young Liberals
- Grapevine
- Broadside
- Homer Creative
- Nupe (National Union of Public Education)
- Unison Education
- Aston Villa
- Villa Matters
- Birmingham Jazz
- Tate Britain
- MAC Birmingham
- Ten.8 photographic magazine
- The Guardian
- Creative Boom
Locations
- Birmingham
- United Kingdom
- Handsworth
- Cheltenham
- Oxford
- Walsall
- 81 Grove Lane
- London