This summer, Everything in the forest is the forest, a handmade biodegradable photobook by artist Clare Hewitt and a community of collaborators, will be distributed across the UK via a Borrow and Share system.

For the past five years, artist Clare Hewitt has been working within a circle of twelve oak trees at The Birmingham Institute of Forest Research (BIFoR FACE), which were acorns around the time photography was invented.

Setting her artist studio within this circle, Hewitt has repetitively documented the forest and its seasonal changes. Her first major solo exhibition, Everything in the forest is the forest, currently on show at Impressions Gallery, celebrates trees’ remarkable ability to nurture and communicate, and offers insights into how we can all gain from the unity, communities and relationships found within the forest.

About the photobook

Mindful of creating a book inspired by the behaviours she observed in the forest, Hewitt worked collaboratively with artists Carolyn Morton, Danielle Phelps and Alice Fox, alongside designer Emily Macaulay (Stanley James Press) to make Everything in the forest is the forest, a handmade biodegradable photobook. The small collection of books has been consciously produced using responsibly sourced natural materials, including fungi (mushroom) paper, oak gall ink and spun linen thread.

The book features collaborative text by international writers Kerri ní Dochartaigh, Marchelle Farrell and Jessica J. Lee, interweaved with oak leaf lumen* prints, some of which were created by people living near the trees during the Covid lockdowns. The others, made by Clare Hewitt, depict just a handful of over eight million leaves produced by the twelve oaks each year.

The photobook consists of twelve parts, each a self-contained ‘mini-book’ offering its own experience, while forming part of a connected whole. This modular format is inspired by the relationships found in the forest and has been conceived to enable the work to be shared more widely.

Borrow and Share distribution

This summer, an edition of the books will travel across the UK, sent from one person to the next, each exchange offering a moment of reflection and connection.

Following an open call, the 12 mini-books are now weaving their way to households and communities across the UK, from the Isle of Wight to Aberdeen. Sent from one person to the next, each exchange will offer moments of reflection and connection.

An edition of the photobook Everything in the forest is the forest can also be viewed during the exhibition at Impressions Gallery, with handling sessions programmed during the exhibition.

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Everything in the forest is the forest photobook and the community-driven distribution has been made possible by ACE project funding, with thanks to Impressions Gallery, GRAIN Projects, The Birmingham Institute of Forest Research (BIFoR FACE), University of Birmingham, STEAMhouse, UWE Bristol, Stirchley Printworks, and a-n The Artists Information Company.

Oak leaf lumen prints © Clare Hewitt.

Project conceived and developed by Clare Hewitt.

Botanical ink by Carolyn Morton.

Fungi paper and screen printing by Danielle Phelps.

Spun linen thread by Alice Fox.

Design and binding by Stanley James Press.

Book text © Kerri ní Dochartaigh © Marchelle Farrell © Jessica J Lee.

Image top © Curtis James.

*An image made by placing an object on a piece of light-sensitive paper and exposing it to sunlight.