It’s hard to sum up our feelings about the launch of We Feed The UK, but poet Bohdan Piasecki’s face does a pretty good job.
The energy that filled those galleries on a cold February evening is evidence of the magic that happens when unexpected paths cross. It strikes to the very core of emergence and is everything we hoped for and more when growing the idea of weaving together 10 regenerative food producers with10 photographers and 10 poets over a year ago.
As we gathered at Open Eye Gallery, the common ground we share became the loudest voice, and it was one of collective hope.
Farmer, poet, or photographer: we all act out of curiosity, observation, reciprocity, care. Our hope is that We Feed The UK will inspire more people to do the same: opening eyes, ears and hearts to what’s possible when we produce food with, not in spite of, this beautiful blue-green planet.
Deep gratitude goes to over 40 collaborators who we are working with nationwide, and the nearly 2000 of you who passed through Open Eye Gallery on launch day. And huge thanks to the incredible performances delivered throughout the gallery spaces by the jaw-droppingly good Hot Poets. Watching modest farmers and food producers see their poems performed live – their quiet work celebrated – for the first time to a packed crowd was truly moving.
The inaugural exhibition, featuring photography by Johannes Pretorius and previews of all 10 We Feed The UK exhibitions, is on in Liverpool until the end of March – click here to find out more.
There is a dedicated page on this website for each of the 10 stories, including films of all the poets performing, and previews of all our photographers’ work, which will blossom into exhibitions around the country over the coming year. Find out what’s happening, where and when…