Exhibition: Shutter Hub OPEN brings world photography to Cambridge

Bringing the work of photographers from around the world to Cambridge University, the annual Shutter Hub OPEN runs across four floors of West Road’s ARB building from now until March 21. Velvet spotlights five local talents taking part

Tiina Burton: Cambridge-based artist and lecturer Tiina Burton has spent the past seven years working with scientists to create artistic responses to their cutting-edge research, investigating and interrogating topics as diverse as artificial consciousness, neural networks, robotic hands and particle physics. Her current focus is on “an exploration of attention over time, space and matter through walking; the repetitive labour of step after step, one foot after the other”.
Image: River Cam 1
tiinaburton.co.uk

Alison Carter: Describing her latest series as “a homage to my mother and to the sea”, Cambridge photographer Alison Carter explains: “In the latter part of her life, my mother returned to live by the sea, not far from where she had grown up, and it brought her great happiness. Her beloved father had died at sea during the war, when she was 19. Buried in Egypt, she never had a chance to visit his grave.
“For me too, there is reverie and magic in the sea, and this, as well as the ordinary pleasure of ‘the seaside’ informs this project. It includes what turned out to be the last photographs I took of [my mother’s] view of the sea before she died, unexpectedly, in 2016.”
Image: Seahomage 6
instagram.com/alisonccarter

Brian Human: Cambridge’s Brian Human introduces himself simply as “someone with an enthusiasm for photography, places and the oddities of the world.” The work appearing in the OPEN exhibition is, he says, “part of an ongoing street photography project, ‘street’ being interpreted loosely as areas of public performance. I have tried to capture moments of stillness and separation in the continual busy movement of city life.”
Image: Bloomsbury Street, London
brianhuman.co.uk/wp

Lauren Irving (Li Cooper): Lauren Irving’s portfolio is nothing if not eclectic, ranging “from showcasing immaculate interiors, developing imagery for household brands and capturing events to documenting the beauty of the world around us”. “I truly love my work and the adventures it has taken me on,” says the Cambridgeshire photographer. “From my college darkroom days to the vibrant wedding seasons, from corporate clients to drag queens, I’ve met some incredible people and it's been a pleasure to tell their stories through my images.”
Image: Porch House 06
licooper.com

Trevor Nicholls: Capturing everything from dilapidated tower blocks and riotous graffiti to an icon of Dolly Parton looking down on a Nativity set, Cambridgeshire’s Trevor Nicholls says he’s an “amateur photographer shooting images on my extensive travels around the UK, inspired by my professional job in the Arts”.
Image: Ophelia
instagram.com/auspice_art/

OPEN Days: Billed as “promoting the future of photography through diverse and creative imagery”, the 2025 Shutter Hub OPEN is showcasing the work of more than 100 photographers across four floors of the ARB building, 7 West Road, Cambridge CB3 9DT, from now until March 21. It is open to the public from 9am to 7pm from Monday to Friday (closed weekends).
Visitors are invited to vote for their favourite photographs, with Best in Show awarded at the end of the exhibition. A chance to browse and buy a wide range of artists’ printed works, including Shutter Hub’s own Editions photobooks, the exhibition will host a one-day Book & Zine Fair on March 1.

Art for All: Born and based in Cambridge, Shutter Hub is a photography organisation providing opportunities and support for creative photographers worldwide. Say the team: “Through our awards, exhibitions, publications, website and meetups we enable photographers to promote their work, access curated opportunities and make new connections within the photographic community. What we offer is unique and personal.
“We are dedicated to creating fair access to photography, making a positive impact within the industry and opening up opportunities for everyone – be it through our Camera Amnesty Projects or other similar initiatives. Originally set up in 2017 to connect homeless photographers with the equipment they needed, Camera Amnesty has continued to grow into something much bigger, providing a platform, funds and equipment to those who need it and reaching thousands of people across the globe.
“Our searchable portfolio directory features hundreds of photographers working in wide-ranging styles, subjects and locations. Our growing community makes us proud to represent them and the photography industry wherever we can.”
shutterhub.org.uk/about/what-we-do/