Earlier this month, a day of festivities in Derby marked the start of We Feed The UK’s five-month showcase at the city’s cultural hub, QUAD.
Stemming from the success of our recent thematic exhibition in Nottingham, a tailored curation of three We Feed The UK stories is on display in the centre of Derby until 4 October 2026. Exhibiting artists include photographers Arpita Shah, Sophie Gerrard and Johannah Churchill, and Hot Poets Zena Edwards, Iona Lee and Kate Fox.
It’s a really beautiful exhibition that forces us to think about community and what we put in our land and our bodies, and how we combat some of the larger ‘Big Agriculture’ questions that are surrounding us today.
Eleanor, CEO of QUAD
Immersed in the exhibition’s vibrant energy, attendees were invited to reimagine a locally-led food system with the community-sourced momentum needed to counter corporate food production’s failures.
Talking with people who are open minded. and have a great mindset for the hope and future of this world is amazing!
Abror, Derby exhibition launch attendee
Curious minds journeyed through tales of women in Scotland reclaiming the custodianship of seed, farming, and food that they hold in most Indigenous cultures; of Black-led collectives in London sharing soursop, watermelon, and cane, ripened in glasshouses with the expertise of 80-year-olds who carried agroecology to these isles from their ancestors; and of the soil inhabiting collaborators of Northumberland, restoring the diversity of vitamins and minerals underground that nourish life above.
Fabulous, informative, life affirming.
Ripley, Derby exhibition launch attendee
Between the colourful walls, an eager audience gathered to hear Hot Poet and world-record-breaking beatboxer, Testament, share his rhythmic verses. The Lig walks us through three generations of tending to ancient, biodiverse hedgerows in Cumbria.
This project has been a life changing event for me. It’s had a massively positive effect on my life.
Testament, Hot Poet
Skilfully twisting
bows into breaks,
cultivate a network
of linking,
artistically shaping,
weaving a new lineage.
To complement the curation, our Pop-Up Portrait exhibit by photographer Louis Little showcased dozens of the incredible growers who make up the wider nature-friendly food production picture in the UK, beyond the three flagship stories on display. With their words of inspiration handwritten on seed packets hanging between the portraits, their spirit and wisdom enhanced the conversations shared in the gallery.
Capturing the faces – both longstanding and just emerging – of Derby’s own food justice scene was award-winning photographer, Ayesha Jones. Her on-site portrait booth welcomed artists, students, allotmenteers, and everyone in between to recognise their place in the diverse mosaic of regenerative, community-focused food production in Derby.
After looking at this exhibition, I feel more connected, more inspired. It’s very important. I’d encourage everyone to come in and have a look.
Ismail, Derby exhibition launch attendee
No Diggity Gardens founder Neville Portas wonderfully brought the exhibition to life with his well-loved wormery workshops. His wriggly companions met the compost-covered fingers of new friends, young and old, before being carried home to enrich the soil of garden pots and beds across Derby and beyond. Upstairs, attendees shared their own creative reflections, inspired by the stories on display; collectively producing a medley of poetry, collages, tales, and drawings.
It makes you think about what you can do as an individual and what you can do in your community.
Sebah, Derby exhibition launch attendee
We were warmly encouraged by the enthusiasm of all who attended the launch of our Derby exhibition. It was a delight to see the work being so thoughtfully absorbed, especially by those completely new to We Feed The UK and to agroecology as a whole. We look forward to witnessing all that will blossom from this exhibition, as we hope to further nourish the emerging local networks over the coming months.
Event photography by Tom Platinum Morley
