[S]ignal Film & Media are to welcome award-winning artist Felicity Hammond as the first artist commissioned to create new work for a unique exhibition in Barrow-in-Furness as part of the exciting digital arts programme ‘Lost Stations’, launched in March this year and kindly supported by the Arts Council. The exhibition opening and a talk by Felicity takes place on Thursday 11th May at Cooke’s Studios and everyone is welcome.
Felicity is an award-winning artist and has been nominated for the high-profile Magnum and Photo London Awards as well as receiving the Single Image Award at the British Journal of Photography in 2016. Her work has been exhibited widely nationally and internationally, and this year in addition to this exhibition in Barrow-in-Furness, her work is being exhibited in Rotterdam, New York, London and Berlin.
The exhibition, titled ‘In Defence of Industry’ will discuss the relationship between the industrial history of Barrow-in-Furness and the wider Cumbrian landscape, in particular the area’s mining history, and the subsequent shift towards nuclear industry during the mid-twentieth century. The unique exhibition will explore ideas of mining and excavation, imagining the landscape that would have existed during the iron-ore mining days, together with the continuing political issues surrounding the impact of nuclear waste. The show will explore themes around defence, secrecy and the unseen earth below the surface.
The private view will feature an opening talk by Felicity which will provide an insight into her work and processes, her experimental approach to the medium of photography and the sculptural forms she incorporates into her work.
Artist Felicity Hammond says: “I was particularly struck by the descriptions of the Furness iron works, and couldn’t help but imagine what the local landscape might have looked like during the industrial revolution. This grand industrial past has been reduced to traces, evident only in stories, archival materials, and the occasional relic reclaimed by nature. I wanted to produce a work which uses these hidden histories to talk about our potential nuclear future; that which may currently be hidden from public view.”
Following her exhibition, Felicity will also be running a Photography Workshop on Saturday 3rd June, open to anybody aged 16+ who is keen to develop their photography skills. Details of how to apply can be found on the Lost Stations website: http://loststations.signalfilmandmedia.co.uk/.
Applications will close 24th May. The exhibition will be open to the public Tuesdays-Saturdays from Friday 12th May – 25th May.
The Lost Stations programme is kindly supported by Arts Council England and will open up a world of digital art for participants and audiences in Barrow-in-Furness and Cumbria. Felicity Hammond’s talk and exhibition is part of a whole host of opportunities coming up over the year to see, experience, and get involved with, including: digital & moving image art, group art projects, exhibitions, artist talks, masterclasses & hands-on workshops. In addition we will be welcoming respected and innovative world-class artists such as Rachel Maclean, Mishka Henner & Marshmallow Laser Feast.
Audiences are encouraged to sign up to our newsletter on the Signal Film & Media website to receive more information as the project unfolds.
