Open Call // The Higgins Photography Initiative (in Ffocws)

The Higgins Photography Initiative is a new initiative launched by Cardiff MADE in partnership with Ffotogallery to run in parallel with their Ffocws scheme which supports emerging artists coming out of Higher Education with a career development programme. The Higgins Initiative is looking for people to apply who aren’t currently in education who can demonstrate a significant engagement with photography and lens based media, with aspirations to continue and develop their photographic practice to a professional level.

Drawing on a pool of expertise from professional photographers and educators across Cardiff and beyond, we will steer up to four selected participants towards presenting a body of work at Ffotogallery in November 2023, in conjunction with the 2023-24 Ffocws cohort of emerging graduate photographers.

About the Open Call

We understand that not everybody has the opportunity to study at Higher Education level, or it may have been some time since you did, which is why we are introducing the Higgins Open Call specifically for photographers who are in the process of developing their photographic vision, and who aren't currently studying the arts at higher education level.

A series of talks will launch the open call in April, to introduce the different viewpoints and work of the professional photographers who will be acting as mentors to the scheme participants.

The open call will run from 15th April until the end of May 2023 and is free to enter.

What we’re looking for

We want to see creativity, authenticity, and enthusiasm shine through your work; in particular an approach which revells in detail, noticing the overlooked, an attitude of wonder, voicing the marginal, either with empathy or a real sense of enquiry.

The initiative was inspired by the work of Tom Higgins, an aspiring photographer whose recent exhibition In Praise of Famous Bins, presented a commentary on human inequality through humour and witty observation, framing moments he noticed from walks through local / international landscapes or marginal urban spaces, with a bin as the human surrogate.

Full details about the open call and how to apply can be found here.