*Hackney Revealed, an Illuminated Arts Festival by SDNA*

Summary

As part of the Story Tellers programme for Lightwaves, we have commissioned creative studio SDNA to develop a new participatory artwork, Voices from the Lost Forest.

As part of the project, SDNA is now looking for Lincolnshire-based artists to join its creative team and help deliver workshops with communities along the Lincolnshire coast.

If you have experience in collage, visual storytelling, creative facilitation or gathering stories through community engagement, this is an opportunity to contribute to a new artwork inspired by the ancient submerged forests beneath the Lincolnshire coastline.

Expression of Interest deadline: 20 July 2026
Workshop delivery: 3rd – 21st August 2026 - exact dates TBC
Fee: £150 for half a day (approximate duration 3 hours including setting up/clearing out time) / £250 for a full day (approximate duration 6 hours including setting up/clearing out time)
Travel expenses will be covered within reasons.
Locations: Sutton-on-Sea, Chapel St Leonards, Spilsby and surrounding areas. Final venues will be confirmed in due course.

About the Opportunity

SDNA is looking for Lincolnshire based collage artists and story gatherers to join the creative team for Voices from the Lost Forest, a participatory digital art project inspired by the ancient submerged forests found along the Lincolnshire coast.

Through a programme of creative workshops with local residents and community groups, participants will explore the ecology, history, memories and folklore connected to Lincolnshire’s lost forests and changing coastline.

Participants will be invited to create handmade collages and share personal memories, local stories, imagined narratives and reflections. These contributions will help shape a new sculptural and projection-based installation combining layered imagery, animation, sound and local voices.

We are particularly interested in artists who can create welcoming spaces for conversation, imagination and collective storytelling.

We are looking for…

Collage Artists

Artists with a strong practice in handmade collage, mixed media, cut-paper work, illustration or visual storytelling.

You will support participants in creating imagery inspired by submerged forests, coastal landscapes, plants, wildlife, folklore, memories and imagined creatures.

Experience of working with community groups and adapting collage activities for different ages and abilities is essential.

Storytellers and Story Gatherers

Writers, oral historians or socially engaged artists who can encourage participants to share memories, local knowledge, stories and imaginative responses connected to the coastline and submerged forest.

This may include:

Personal and family memories of the Lincolnshire coast
Local legends and folklore
Observations of changing landscapes and wildlife
Imagined creatures, characters and hidden worlds
Poems, short texts and recorded reflections

The stories gathered through the workshops may be incorporated into the final installation as text, voice recordings, animation or inspiration for the visual artwork.

Role Description

As one of the project’s workshop artists, you will:

Plan and co-deliver creative workshops with community groups and local residents
Lead accessible collage-making or story-gathering activities
Encourage participants to explore memories, local history, folklore and imaginative responses
Support people with different levels of confidence and creative experience
Help gather visual and narrative material for the final installation
Collaborate with SDNA’s lead artists to ensure collage outcomes are suitable for digitisation, animation and projection
Create an inclusive, welcoming and supportive environment
Contribute to project documentation and evaluation where appropriate

Essential Experience

Applicants should have:

A strong personal practice in collage, mixed media, writing, storytelling, oral history or socially engaged art
Experience of delivering inclusive creative workshops with community groups
Confidence working with people of different ages, backgrounds and abilities
Experience of encouraging conversation, gathering and recording stories sensitively
An interest in nature, ecology, heritage, folklore or environmental change
Strong communication skills and a collaborative approach
A current DBS check is preferred, particularly for artists working with vulnerable adults. This is not essential at this stage and can be discussed.

We particularly welcome applications from artists based in Lincolnshire, especially those living or working near Sutton-on-Sea, Chapel St Leonards, Spilsby or the surrounding coastal communities.

How to Apply

Please email valentina@sdna.tv with the subject line:

Voices from the Lost Forest – Artist Application

Please include:

A short statement of no more than 300 words outlining your interest in the project and relevant experience
A CV or brief artist biography
Three to five examples of your work, supplied as images, writing samples or a link to an online portfolio
Details of any relevant community workshop or story-gathering experience
Any access requirements you would like us to be aware of

For questions or an informal conversation about the opportunity, please contact valentina@sdna.tv.

About Voices from the Lost Forest

Voices from the Lost Forest is inspired by the remains of prehistoric forests that can still be discovered along parts of the Lincolnshire coast.

Bringing together environmental history, ecology, memory and folklore, the project will invite local communities to imagine the landscapes, creatures and stories held beneath the sea and sand.

Through participatory workshops, residents will contribute handmade collages, stories, memories and recorded voices. These contributions will become part of an atmospheric sculptural and projection-based installation celebrating the relationship between people, landscape and the changing coastline.

About SDNA

SDNA is a creative studio founded in 2010 by Valentina Floris and Ben Foot, specialising in the production of distinctive digital artworks and interactive experiences across a wide range of settings.

With a diverse and continually evolving portfolio, we have successfully delivered projects of various scales, exploring themes including mythology, anthropology, natural history, and climate emergency.

At the core of our ethos is a strong passion to collaborate with experts from scientific and artistic fields, involving people of all ages, cultures, and backgrounds in the creative process.

We are dedicated to creating digital art that is accessible, inclusive, and emotionally resonant. In many of our projects, we aim to involve participants not just as contributors but as co-creators, whose ideas, stories, and creativity shape the final artwork.

SDNA

Artist opportunity - Voices from the Lost Forest