Lisa Wright and Tom Piper Artist Talk

Lisa Wright and Tom Piper were commissioned to create the installation, Future Forest, in Thetford Forest, to mark the Forestry Commission’s centenary year. This dramatic sculptural installation at Suffolk’s High Lodge in Thetford Forest features ten life size figures based on classical motifs and representing custodians of the past looking over the forests of the future. They are displayed in a series of dramatic settings designed by Tom Piper MBE (famed for the installation of Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red at the Tower of London) which will act as a stage, setting up a dialogue between each figure and its forest environment. The installation reflects the vital role that trees and woodlands play in protecting our natural environment and the next generation’s role as custodians of our forests. The artist talk will take place on the first day of Lisa Wright’s accompanying painting exhibition, Infinite Forest, that presents a unique opportunity to see the artists’ work in the capital and showcases sister paintings to the lifelike Future Forest sculptures. The works in the exhibition are a continuation of what Wright refers to as her ‘inner landscape’ series; figures that embody natural landscapes, encompassing fauna, trees, sky. They draw our attention back to nature and remind us of our responsibility to protect Earth’s ecosystem. The Thetford Forest project runs until 30 May 2020