Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
SOLO EXHIBITION - ARDDANGOSFA UNIGOL
05.11.22 - 20.11.22
Cardiff MADE and the Higgins Family are proud to present a special exhibition of work by emerging photographer Tom Higgins, opening on November 4th, 2022 with a special evening of talks, introductions and the announcement of a new scheme to be launched in the New Year, inspired by Tom's vision.
This exhibition, planned over the past 18 months, has galvanised around the vision of this young man who took images that paid witness to his intrinsic humour, humanity, and social activism, evident in the wit which underpins this series of images.
The humble bin, present in every image becomes a surrogate for the downtrodden, the overlooked and undervalued. Raised to the status of 'subject', these images ask questions about aesthetics, what is valued, precisely what is worthy to be captured within an image. Tom's compositions play with these ideas - seeing echoes in the grand and lowly, foreground and scenery, signage and symbolism, echoes of bin - ness echoed mirrored in architectural structures.
In the January of 2021, Tom took his own life.
Devised in honour of him, this exhibition is both a re-curation as far as possible of his own original favoured selection, (which formed his final project) but also significantly as the platform from which to launch a bigger legacy project to be announced at the exhibition opening on November 4
Details of how to apply will be available from the date of the launch.
Mae Cardiff MADE a theulu Higgins yn falch i gyhoeddi arddangosfa arbennig o waith gan yr egin ffotograffydd Tom Higgins, yn agor 4ydd o Dachwedd 2022 gyda noswaith arbennig o sgyrsiau, cyflwyniadau a’r cyhoeddiad o gynllun newydd i’w lansio yn y flwyddyn newydd, wedi ei ysbrydoli gan weledigaeth Tom.
Mae’r arddangosfa hon, a gynlluniwyd dros y 18 mis diwethaf, yn galfaneiddio gweledigaeth y dyn ifanc hwn, gyda’i ddelweddau yn dyst i’w hiwmor, dynoliaeth, a’r ymgyrchu cymdeithasol, sy’n amlwg yn ei ffraethineb sy’n sail i’r gyfres hon o ddelweddau.
Mae’r bin diymhongar, sy’n bresennol ym mhob delwedd yn dod yn ddirprwy ar gyfer y gorthrymedig, yr anghofiedig, a’r rheiny sy’n cael eu tanbrisio. Wedi eu codi i statws ‘testun’, mae’r delweddau yn gofyn cwestiynau am estheteg, beth sy’n cael ei werthfawrogi, yn union beth sy’n deilwng i gael ei ddal o fewn delwedd. Mae cyfansoddiadau Tom yn chwarae gyda’r syniadau hyn – yn gweld atseiniau yn y crand a’r isel, y blaendir a’r olygfa, arwyddion a symbolaeth, atseiniau bin-aidd wedi ei adlewyrchu mewn adeiladweithiau pensaernïol.
Yn Ionawr 2021, cymerodd Tom ei fywyd ei hun.
Wedi ei ddyfeisio i dalu teyrnged iddo, gyda bendith ei deulu, mae’r arddangosfa hon yn ail guradiaeth mor bell â phosib o’i ddetholiad gwreiddiol (a ffurfiodd ei brosiect terfynol) ond hefyd fel platfform i lansio prosiect mwy bydd yn cael ei gyhoeddi yn ystod agoriad yr arddangosfa.
With the blessing of Tom's family, MADE gallery curators Zoë Gingell and Josh Leeson invited his former tutors Faye Chamberlain and colleague Sarah Hayton, to survey Tom’s digital archive of 17,000 images and present this exhibition, as a step towards the next project.
Crucially, we’re showing this to pass the baton on. To demonstrate that in taking photographs you think about what you see, and that matters.
Gwahoddodd curaduron MADE Zoë Gingell a Josh Leeson ei gyn-diwtoriaid Faye Chamberlain a’i chydweithiwr Sarah Hayton, i arolygu archif digidol Tom o 17,000 o ddelweddau a chyflwyno’r arddangosfa hon, fel cam tuag at y prosiect nesaf.
Yn hollbwysig, ‘dyn ni’n dangos hyn i basio’r baton ymlaen. I ddangos wrth dynnu lluniau a’u harddangos ‘dych chi’n annog eraill i ystyried yr hyn ‘dych chi’n ei weld, ac mae hynny’n bwysig.
Tom’s Parents explain;
‘Our much loved, widely respected, intelligent and funny son Tom tragically took his own life on the 5th Jan 2021 at the age of 36 years. After the initial devastating shock, we as a family had to decide how to donate his monies to charities and organisations that we believe he would have wanted to support; among these was Cardiff MADE, where he had been very pleased to exhibit some of his photographs.
We were very grateful to Zoe and Josh for the kind and sympathetic support they gave us when we offered the donation, and are now delighted and excited by the imaginative way they are planning to use the donation to celebrate Tom’s photography and encourage other young photographers.
We are equally grateful to Ffotogallery, Paul Woffenden from Cardiff and Vale College, Faye Chamberlain, Sarah Hayton and the Arts Council of Wales and colleagues for their enthusiasm for this project and for helping to bring it to life.’
Mae rhieni Tom yn esbonio;
'Fe gymerodd Tom, ein mab annwyl, uchel ei barch, deallus a doniol ei fywyd ei hun ar y 5ed o Ionawr 2021 yn 36 mlwydd oed. Ar ôl y sioc difethol ar y dechrau, bu rhaid i ni fel teulu benderfynu sut i gyfrannu ei arian i elusennau a mudiadau y byddai wedi eisiau eu cefnogi; ymhlith y rhain oedd Cardiff MADE, lle bu’n falch iawn o gael arddangos rhai o’i luniau.
‘Dyn ni’n hynod ddiolchgar i Zoe a Josh am y gefnogaeth garedig a sympathetig dangoswyd pan gynigom y rhodd, a maent nawr yn gyffrous i gael cynllunio dathliad o waith Tom mewn ffordd greadigol, gan annog ffotograffwyr ifanc eraill.
Dyn ni'r un mor ddiolchgar i Ffotogallery, Paul Woffenden o Goleg Caerdydd a’r Fro, Faye Chamberlain, Sarah Hayton a Chyngor Celfyddydau Cymru a chydweithwyr am eu brwdfrydedd dros y prosiect ac am helpu i’w wireddu.’
Tom's Former Tutor Faye Chamberlain Observes;
'Tom’s political beliefs influenced his work but they were made more accessible by his abstract humour, leading his pictures to be thought provoking yet visually and emotionally vibrant.
“Let Us Now Praise Famous Bins” (the name a nod towards a book titled “Let Us Now Praise Famous Men” by writer James Agee and photographer Walker Evans, published in 1941, which documents the lives of impoverished tenant farmers during the US Great Depression) was created for the course.
My criteria was simple - present 6-8 good images, on a theme that interests you and can be completed over the 10 weeks of the course. Remember this was a beginners course, so generally people think about what’s easy and accessible to them - their family, a local park or reflections in puddles.
But because of the way Tom’s mind worked, he came up with a theme so seemingly simple and accessible to all of us, within which he imbued his humour and his message. What were these bins but characters who appear in all of our lives? Full of things we no longer need, holding the detritus and now unvalued items, themselves becoming just things only noticed when we need one or to be complained about we can’t find one to dump our burden in.'
Mae ei gyn-diwtor Faye Chamberlain yn dweud:
'Roedd credoau gwleidyddol Tom yn ddylanwad ar ei waith ond roedd ei hiwmor haniaethol yn gwneud y gwaith yn fwy hygyrch, gan arwain at luniau ysbrydoledig ond eto’n fywiog yn weledol ac yn emosiynol.
Cafodd “Let Us Now Praise Famous Bins” ei greu ar gyfer y cwrs (mae’r enw yn cyfeirio at lyfr o’r enw “Let Us Now Praise Famous Men” gan James Agee a ffotograffydd Walker Evans, cyhoeddwyd yn 1941, sy’n dogfennu bywydau ffermwyr tenant tlawd yn ystod y dirwasgiad mawr yn yr UDA).
Roedd fy meini prawf yn syml – cyflwyno 6-8 delwedd ar thema sy’n ddiddorol i chi ac sy’n bosib i’w cwblhau dros gyfnod o 10 wythnos. Cofiwch mai cwrs ar gyfer dechreuwyr oedd hyn, felly yn gyffredinol mae pobl yn meddwl am y pethau sy’n hawdd ac yn hygyrch iddynt eu hunain, - eu teulu, parc lleol neu adlewyrchiadau mewn pyllau.
Ond oherwydd y ffordd yr oedd meddwl Tom yn gweithio, fe benderfynodd ar thema oedd yn ymddangos mor syml a hygyrch i ni gyd, ble y llenwodd gyda’i hiwmor a’i neges. Beth yw’r biniau hyn ond cymeriadau sy’n ymddangos yn ein bywydau ni i gyd? Llawn pethau nad oes eu hangen arnom bellach, yn dal y detritws a’r diwerth, eu hunain yn dod yn ddim ond bethau y sylwn arnynt pan ‘dyn ni’n eu hangen, neu i gwyno amdanynt pan does dim golwg o un i ddiosg ein beichiau.'
Giclée Fine Art Photo Prints with Archival Inks on
270 gsm Semi Matte Archival Paper (Edition of 10),
63 x 45 cm,
£180 Framed,
£80 Unframed,
A legacy project financially supported and co-created by the family of Tom Higgins.
Drawing on a pool of expertise, from professional photographers and educators across the city we will steer four participants, selected through an open call in the new year, towards presenting a body of work developed over a period of 6 months.
Accompanying the mentoring will be a series of lectures and workshops held by inspiring photographers with links to the city of Cardiff and hosted by Ffotogallery.
Award winning names in photography are on board already ; Abbie Trayler Smith, Clementine Schneidermann, Michal Iwanowksi, Paul Reas, all with links to South Wales,
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data. Privacy Policy