Heritage Lens

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Visual Narratives on Cultural Heritage resilience against Climate Change

Open Call /

Cobertura Photo (Spain), ISSP (Latvia), Officine Fotografiche Roma (Italy), and Fotofestiwal (Poland) invite Europe-based photographers/visual artists to apply to take part in the HERITAGE LENS project in 2025 - 2026!

About the project

Heritage Lens presents a comprehensive approach to addressing the intersection of cultural heritage, climate change, and artistic expression. The objective of the project is to raise awareness about the growing impact of climate change on European cultural heritage and to catalyze a collective response through artistic expression.

By using photography, the project seeks to illuminate the intricate relationship between climate change and heritage, emphasizing the fundamental role of both tangible and intangible elements. The primary focus of the project is the enhancement of interdisciplinary collaborations and knowledge exchange among photographers, experts, and activists.

The project will facilitate the transnational creation and circulation of artistic works through a collaborative photographic exploration by 12 emerging European photographers from diverse regions.

Through a collaborative process, the project aims to weave together individual visual narratives into a cohesive portrayal of the diverse impacts of climate change on European cultural heritage, inspiring a sense of responsibility towards climate action and preservation. The project is coordinated by leading photography centers from Spain, Italy, Latvia, and Poland and is funded by the EU Creative Europe Culture programme.

Heritage Lens presents a comprehensive approach to addressing the intersection of cultural heritage, climate change, and artistic expression. The objective of the project is to raise awareness about the growing impact of climate change on European cultural heritage and to catalyze a collective response through artistic expression.

By using photography, the project seeks to illuminate the intricate relationship between climate change and heritage, emphasizing the fundamental role of both tangible and intangible elements. The primary focus of the project is the enhancement of interdisciplinary collaborations and knowledge exchange among photographers, experts, and activists.

The project will facilitate the transnational creation and circulation of artistic works through a collaborative photographic exploration by 12 emerging European photographers from diverse regions.

Through a collaborative process, the project aims to weave together individual visual narratives into a cohesive portrayal of the cultural heritage resilience against climate change, inspiring a sense of responsibility towards climate action and preservation. The project is coordinated by leading photography centers from Spain, Italy, Latvia, and Poland and is funded by the EU Creative Europe Culture programme.

Who should apply

Europe-based photographers will be selected to work on the resilience of different aspects of cultural heritage against climate change within the heritage lens project.

Applicants should correspond to the following criteria:

Who should apply

Europe-based photographers will be selected to work on the resilience of different aspects of cultural heritage against climate change within the heritage lens project.

Applicants should correspond to the following criteria:

What does participation in Heritage Lens offer?

/ An opportunity to establish interdisciplinary connections and gain in-depth knowledge about the growing impact of climate change on European cultural heritage and to contribute to raising awareness about this subject.

/ Development of a strong project mentored by a group of international professionals.

/ Participation grant of €1,000 per artist.

/ Participation in three interdisciplinary workshops in Spain, Latvia and Portugal (obligatory – travel and accommodation covered).

/ Participation in an exhibition at Fotofestiwal 2026 in Lodz (Poland) and in exhibition/s in other partner countries.

/ Work featured in Heritage Lens publications online and offline.

Project activities - Timeline

1st Interdisciplinary Workshop
Seville, Spain
28 April - 2 May 2025

2nd Interdisciplinary Workshop
Latgale, Latvia
29 August - 2 September

3rd Interdisciplinary Workshop
Lodz, Poland
9 - 15 March 2026

Lodz Photofestiwal
Lodz, Poland
June 2026

Exhibitions in Spain, Latvia and Italy
July - November 2026

Project activities - Timeline

* NB! Participation in three interdisciplinary workshops is obligatory.
Physical presence at the openings of the exhibition is optional but encouraged.

To apply

Please submit an application form in the button below, including your bio, portfolio and your Heritage Lens project proposal with visual material.

Deadline: 16 February 2025 (midnight) EET time.

Open Call for Emerging
Photographers

Open Call for Emerging
Photographers

Should you have questions, please contact us by email (info@heritage-lens.com) indicating "Question - Heritage Lens" in the subject by 14 February latest.

All candidates will be notified of the selection results by the end of February.

The selection of participants will be carried out by an international jury composed of the director of Cobertura Photo, Alberto Rojas Maza, the academic director of Officine Fotografiche, Marco Rapaccini, the director of ISSP, Julija Berkovica, and the curator of Fotofestiwal, Krzysztof Candrowicz.

The selection process will take into account a diversity of focus and approaches to the project theme, the geographic distribution of the participants, as well as other diversity aspects. The reasoning behind jury decisions will not be disclosed.