THE search is on for a Cumbrian artist to take on exciting commission as part of a digital arts programme.

Signal Film and Media, in Barrow, has announced a call-out for a micro-commission opportunity, to form part of the year-long Lost Stations project.

Artists are invited to create an artwork or series of artworks which will be exhibited this September at Cooke’s Studios, in Abbey Road.

This commission is designed to showcase digital artwork based on the theme of Lost Stations and is a unique opportunity open to both emerging and mid-career artists aged 16 and upwards, living or working within Cumbria.

The selected artist will receive a total of £1,000 in funding to realise their vision, including a £500 bursary and £500 of in-kind funding, which includes mentoring sessions, assistance from technical staff and access to Signal Film and Media’s state-of-the-art in-house digital facilities.

To apply, artists must submit statements about their intended piece and about their previous work and examples of their previous work to the project manager before review by an expert panel.

The theme of Lost Stations is a subject inspired by the huge network of disused train lines and stations that once ran across Barrow and the legacy of its boom years.

Now almost invisible, these locations reflect key moments in Barrow’s history, serving as a metaphor for the changing fate of a town and a ghost image of its past. Ideas explored by the artist should respond to the subject of Lost Stations, or the wider themes and ideas that raises.

Artworks submitted must incorporate digital, but can include film, photography, sound, animation, mixed media or performance art. The work created will then be exhibited as part of a grand public opening in September 2017.

Heading the expert panel including Loren Slater, director of Signal Film and Media; Art Gene curator Phil Northcott; Bren O’Callaghan, visual art programme manager at HOME, Manchester; and Dani Admiss, independent digital curator for galleries including The Barbican, London.

Lost Stations project manager Joanna Roy says: "This is a fantastic opportunity for Cumbria’s art scene and we encourage applications from local artists working across the many different areas of the digital realm.

"We hope this micro-commission will act as a catalyst in the development of the artist and we are very excited to support them in realising their project for the public to experience later this year."

The Lost Stations programme is supported by Arts Council England and will open up a world of digital art for participants and audiences in Barrow and Cumbria.

For more information, phone 01229 838592 or email joanna@signalfilmandmedia.co.uk

Details on the application process can be found at loststations.signalfilmandmedia.co.uk

The deadline for entries is midnight on Monday July 17.