There’s no chance of ignoring the women of Barrow, thanks to a new arts project celebrating their contribution to the town.

Sixteen life-sized collages of Barrow women are taking over public spaces in the town centre as part of The Noras of Barrow , the latest artist in residence  project run by BarrowFull, the new name for Barra Culture, which aims to increase participation in the arts, particularly among those least engaged.

BarrowFull commissioned Spanish artists Belén L.Yáñez and Cristina Villalonga to interview local women from a variety of groups about their lives.

They took photographs of the women and created life-sized collages which can be seen around town from May 20.

Prints of the collages will be exhibited at The Forum alongside quotes from another 17 women who were interviewed as part of the project.

The name Nora is the Latin word for honour so the project honours women’s contributions to Barrow’s community, be they large or small, extraordinary or ordinary, and challenges stereotypes.

It also celebrates the extraordinary in the ordinary lives of diverse women in Barrow.

“Each image shows the integrity and depth of the women and girls who participated, providing a series of multifaceted female portraits and as a series, a snapshot of this important group within Barrow community,” said  Belén and Cristina.

The launch and first view of the Noras takes place on May 20 at 4pm, followed by a free walking tour led by the artists at 5pm. All the Noras will be at locations within a ten minute stroll of the Forum.

There will be a further free walking tour on May 21 from 1pm starting at the Forum which follows a free collage workshop from 10am-midday . No experience is needed and all materials are provided.

This workshop will discuss diverse women’s social and cultural contributions to the community and encourage people to explore their own creativity.

The Noras of Barrow exhibition at the Forum will be open from 10am-4pm on May 21, 26, 27 and June 2 & 4.