In the Frame: Natasha Wightman

You describe your jewellery as ‘wearable sculptures’, why?

Natasha Wightman: ‘My first collection of jewellery, Ravens, was compared to Japanese netsuke due to the fine carving detail and three-dimensional forms of the pieces. I have taken the same approach with Lost Forests. Each piece consists of high and low relief work. I wanted to create a form of diorama, with each landscape drawing the viewer into the scene. You feel you understand it, but then you look through a magnifying glass and another world opens up to you.’

For this collection, you are using bog oak from the ‘Hemplands Haul’. What is the Hemplands Haul, and why is it so special?

NW: ‘This is a remarkable story. The bog oak used in Lost Forests comes from what’s now called the Hemplands Haul — a discovery made over 50 years ago, when a sub-fossilised woodland was found just a metre beneath a farmer’s field [in East Anglia, England]. Recognising its importance, the farmer chose to rebury the trees, hoping they would one day be rediscovered when the tools and the knowledge existed to excavate and preserve them properly, a similar process to the conservation of the Mary Rose.

‘By chance, the woodland was rediscovered in 2022 on Hemplands Farm. The wood was then carefully excavated and preserved by the cabinetmaker Hamish Low, who has spent more than 25 years refining the specialist techniques required to protect and dry out the bog oak. It’s a rare and significant material, and one that carries deep environmental, historical and cultural resonance.’

Were you nervous about using such an ancient material — and how difficult is it to work with?

NW: ‘It definitely demands care and respect. There’s a detailed process of preparation before we even consider carving. I begin by exploring the landscape through drawing, and finding the form that feels right for the material.

‘Once the design is in place, Graham Heeley, the carver, creates a maquette. We spend a great deal of time refining this before touching the bog oak itself. With detailed preparation and someone as skilled as Graham involved, I’ve never felt nervous — the process is deliberately slow, thoughtful and precise.’

How significant is the sourcing of this material for your jewellery?

NW: ‘The Hemplands Haul was taken from a farmer’s field, not a living bog. Owing to current adverse weather conditions, natural bogs are becoming increasingly rare in the UK. In the case of the Hemplands Haul, droughts had turned bogland into farmland. This bogwood has been compressed and fossilised since the Neolithic period. Its fibres carry the story of our lost ecosystems. When someone touches a piece from the Lost Forest series, they are connecting with a fragment of Britain’s ancient Neolithic rainforest.

‘I see our fragile and often overlooked ecosystems as national treasures, deserving the same respect and protection as Britain’s traditional crafts, which need to be nurtured and revalued. Every piece in the collection is handmade in the UK by skilled craftspeople committed to exceptional standards. The combination of native materials and British craftsmanship is deeply important to me.’

Tell us about the performance and soundscape to accompany the collection.

NW: ‘I’m incredibly fortunate to have collaborated with Sadler’s Wells dancers. Choreographer Nathalie Harrison and composer Rachel Fuller share a real passion for the story of the bog oak. Rachel even sourced rare bog oak instruments to create an authentic score.

‘I directed the dance as a way to add another layer to the story. Through movement, I wanted to embody the journey of those incredible forests, allowing the audience to feel both the power and the fragility of these ancient trees through the body’s expression.’

Were there any ancient customs or folklores that you looked to for inspiration?

NW: ‘While visiting one of Britain’s last remaining rainforests, Cabilla on Bodmin Moor, I was shown stone circles that are over 3,500 years old nestled among ancient sessile oaks. This experience deepened my understanding of how significant these forests were to Neolithic people. Perhaps they worshipped certain trees there.

‘I was deeply inspired by the idea that our ancestors lived in these forests for thousands of years, and that many customs have been lost, just as nearly all of our temperate rainforests have disappeared — only one per cent remain in scattered fragments. My hope is that by valuing this past, we can better protect what’s left.’

Is there a work of art that made you see the world differently?

NW: ‘The huge spider sculpture [Maman] at Tate Modern by Louise Bourgeois was a truly unforgettable experience. Its scale and presence were both unexpected and mesmerising. Discovering how Bourgeois captured the essence of the natural world and its cycles of life through materials like metal, wood and marble made me question our place within it and helped me understand that beauty can be found in the most unexpected forms.’

Lost Forests by Natasha Wightman, comprising jewellery, sculpture, film, a documentary and a dance interpretation inspired by the works, will launch at Christie’s King Street galleries to coincide with Frieze Week in October 2025. A curated selection of the works will be on view from 8 to 16 October during the 20th/21st Century Art auctions. A broader presentation, including Forest Cathedral, takes place on 18-22 October alongside the Modern British and Irish Art auctions

NVW by Natasha Wightman