We Feed The UK: No Diggity in collaboration with The Gaia Foundation

Across the past year, Multistory have been working in collaboration with The Gaia Foundation on their national story-telling campaign project: We Feed The UK, culminating in a pop-exhibition in May 2024.

We Feed The UK stems from the successful We Feed The World campaign in 2018 (the largest global photography initiative that explored our food systems). Following a similar model, The Gaia Foundation are collaborating with ten UK regional partners who have commissioned ten photographers and poets to depict the story of a regenerative farmer, under a particular theme.

As one of the invited partners, we commissioned West Midlands-based photographer Ayesha Jones who captured the ‘no-dig’ and regenerative approaches explored by Neville Portas at Winterley Lane Allotments in Walsall, West Midlands. No-dig gardening is an environmentally sustainable way to care for your soil; it removes the need for cultivation (such as digging, forking and rotavation) and supports the existing soil structure and fauna. Plants are simply grown directly onto a layer of organic matter (e.g. garden compost or well-rotted manure) which is applied to the soil surface.

Alongside this, Ayesha photographed the various groups who use the space including students from Radley’s Primary School, individuals from The Motivation/Transition Hub and Winterley Lane plot owners to represent the community-oriented nature of the site.

As well as working with Ayesha on this nationally significant project, we were delighted to be paired with Birmingham-based poet Bohdan Piasecki. Selected by Hot Poets, Bohdan wrote a poem titled Again, Again, responding to Neville's No Diggity Gardens in Walsall, and exploring the wider impact of this gardening and food production approach.

Click here to read more about the We Feed The UK launch at Open Eye Gallery in Liverpool (February 2024).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1xzS65-lWk&t=6s Again Again, written and performed by Bohdan Piasecki at Winterly Lane Allotments, Walsall. 2023. © Hot Poets

We are very grateful to The Gaia Foundation for involving us in this fantastic UK-wide project alongside other acclaimed partners: Martin Parr Foundation, Belfast Exposed, GRAIN Projects, North East Photography Network, Open Eye Gallery, and Photo Fringe.

We would also like to thank Winterley Lane Allotments, Neville Portas, Radley’s Primary School, and The Motivation Hub/The Transition Hub for their engagement and commitment to the the project.

If you would like to learn more about The Gaia Foundation/We Feed the UK, and the other regions/people involved, see here: (https://gaiafoundation.org/we-feed-the-uk-coming-to-a-billboard-near-you/)

If you are interested in the ‘no-dig’ approach to gardening, see here: (https://nodiggitygdns.wordpress.com/)

Bios

Ayesha Jones (she/her) is an artist based in the West Midlands. She works predominantly with photography and film and is interested in art as a catalyst for growth, healing and social impact.

Bohdan Piasecki (he/him) is a poet from Poland based in Birmingham. Bohdan founded the first poetry slam in Poland before moving to the UK to get a doctorate in translation studies. He also works as Creative Producer, and sits on the board of the Poetry Translation Centre.

Neville Portas is a soil advocate, promoting regenerative system change. Consultant, facilitator and food producer, Nev aims to amplify the message that soil is one of our most significant assets on this planet. Through projects, workshops and Winterley Lane Allotments, Neville promotes the 'no-dig' concept.

Belle Portas is currently studying photography at college. Their ambition is to pursue marine photography and also enjoys capturing events. The photos from the blog page are all by Belle.