On 8 February 2024, Multistory attended the official launch of âWe Feed the UK, grown by The Gaia Foundationâ at Open Eye Gallery (Liverpool), which presented a selection of the photographs, poems and content produced by the ten commissioned photographers and poets who have been paired with inspiring regenerative farmers and food producers across the UK.
who are part of the project. Feb 2024. © Rob Battersby.
Coordinated by The Gaia Foundation, We Feed the UK stems from the successful We Feed The World campaign in 2018, which was the largest global photography initiative to explore our food systems. Following a similar model, The Gaia Foundation are collaborating with ten UK regional partners who have commissioned a photographer to depict the story of a regenerative farmer, under a particular theme.
Multistory are thrilled to be working with Midlands-based photographer Ayesha Jones and poet Bohdan Piasecki who have been collaborating with No Diggity* gardens pioneer Neville Portas and other individuals who use Winterley Lane Allotments in Walsall, including Radleyâs Primary School, members of The Motivation/Transition Hub and plot owners.
The launch in Liverpool was an opportunity to bring together the UK-wide partners, photographers, poets and farmers, and celebrate the wonderful work that has been taking place nationally. Joined by Ayesha, Bohdan, Neville and his daughter Belle, Multistory was honoured to be at such a thought-provoking and motivating event, that recognised and commemorated the intersection of creativity and our relationship with the natural world.
We look forward to sharing more images of our exhibition taking place on Saturday 18 May (more details to follow).
To learn more about the nationwide project, The Times have written a great article accessible below.
Open Eye was buzzing with 100’s of environmental allies. We came together to share our passion for the natural world and to share our stories of hope and resilience. Thank you Ally Nelson and Rowan Phillimore, from The Gaia Foundation, for organising such an inspiring and hopeful event and we are looking forward to seeing and hearing more stories from all of the partners over the coming yearâ.
Emma Chetcuti, Director at Multistory
All We Feed The UK Exhibitions at a Glance
February â Agri-culture: a lineage of hedgerow ligging in Cumbria | Poetry by Testament | Photography by Johannes Pretorius exhibited at Open Eye Gallery in Liverpool
April â Cultivating Equality: women working with land in Scotland | Poetry by Iona Lee | Photography by Sophie Gerrard exhibited at Street Level Photoworks in Glasgow
May â No Diggity: cooling our climate in the Black Country | Poetry by Bohdan Piasecki | Photography by Ayesha Jones exhibited with Multistory and No Diggity Gardens in Walsall
June â Custodians of the Land: intergenerational nature restoration in Wales | Poetry by Ifor Ap Glyn | Photography by Andy Pilsbury exhibited at Penpont in Wales
September â From Crisis to Kinship: healing people and place on England’s first community-owned farm | Poetry by Jasmine Gardosi | Photography by Aaron Schuman published with GRAIN Projects as a book
October â Food Justice: served fresh from community farms in London | Poetry by Zena Edwards | Photography by Arpita Shah exhibited with Photo Fringe and ONCA Gallery in Brighton and London
November â Down to Earth: restoring our soils in Northumberland | Poetry by Kate Fox | Photography by Johannah Churchill exhibited with North East Photography Network at The Sill in Northumberland
2025:
January â Fibre: nature-friendly flax farming in Northern Ireland | Poetry by Abby Oliveira | Photography by Yvette Monahan exhibited at Belfast Exposed in Northern Ireland
April â In Deep Water: Sustainable Fishing along the south coast | Poetry by Chris Redmond | Photography by Jon Tonks exhibited at Martin Parr Foundation in Bristol
April â Grain Rebels: a food revolution starts with seed in the southwest| Poetry by Dizraeli | Photography by Lua Ribeira exhibited at The Royal Photographic Society in Bristol