The Photographers’ Gallery Residency 2027

Overview

The Photographers' Gallery invites applications for a two-month residency at Wigwell Lodge in Derbyshire for artists working with expanded photography and digital practices. Set against photography's 200th anniversary, the residency offers an opportunity to research, experiment, and expand thinking around photography, technology, and innovative approaches to image making and visual culture.

Theme: Cite the past, sight the stars

Drawing on Aby Warburg's unfinished Mnemosyne Atlas, NASA's 1977 Voyager Golden Record, the Gallery's 1980 exhibition In and Out of Space, and related references, proposals may respond to image-making, celestial fictions and realities; institutional archives; photography's relationship to computational culture; collective knowledge; deep time; how Earth's knowledge can be distilled into 116 images; transmissions and long-distance communication; cosmic/earthly debris; and digital twins and AI world models.

Eligibility

• Individual artists only (not duos, groups, collaborations, or collectives)
• Must be over 18
• Must have legal right to work in the UK; visas cannot be sponsored
• One application per applicant

Residency Benefits

• Two months' accommodation and studio space at Wigwell Lodge, Derbyshire
• £1,000 stipend per month (£2,000 total)
• £1,000 production budget
• Up to £500 towards travel
• Curatorial and administrative support from The Photographers' Gallery
• Potential to develop into a project or commission for 2027/2028
• Public presentation or showcase at The Photographers' Gallery or partner venue, potentially timed to the Spring Equinox on 20 March 2027

Key Dates

• Application Deadline: 6 September 2026
• Interviews: 21 September 2026, for up to 3 shortlisted applicants (short online interview)
• Results Announced: by Wednesday 30 September 2026
• Residency Period: 2 February – 31 March 2027
• Potential Showcase: to coincide with the Spring Equinox, 20 March 2027

How to Apply

Apply online. No application fee. The selection panel includes Sam Mercer (Curator of Photography and Technology at The Photographers' Gallery), Michelle Henning (Professor in Photography and Media, University of Liverpool), Milia Xin Bi (curator and writer), Sarah Cook (Professor of Museum Studies, University of Glasgow), and a representative of The Ampersand Foundation.

Additional Details

The residency runs through the astronomical spring equinox (20 March, 20:24), meaning daylight hours will be short. The cottage has central heating throughout. No staff are based onsite, though the curator will visit at intervals. The accommodation has two bedrooms; visitors and partners are welcome to stay, though the residency itself is open to individual-artist applications only. While generative AI may be used in the application, the Gallery encourages you to consider how the writing reflects and relates to your practice. Full details and FAQs are available as a downloadable PDF from the listing page.