We're at @beyondconference.org 2025, sharing FII projects in this year's showcase; featuring an interactive display of 3D-digitised island artefacts and oral histories, alongside videos highlighting our work strands in flow and fellowships.

Irish Design Week 2025! We're taking part, in collaboration with Belfast Design Week & One Bite Design Studio. Featuring projects & stories from FII & Hong Kong, exploring design, architecture & sustainability for people, place & planet, and a pop-up display of our fellowships in the BSOA foyer.

Well done Nina, Meabh, all the young people and everyone involved in bringing the Imaginarium exhibition to W5! Superb work #SustainableFutures #YoungPeople #Education #Rathlin @futureislandisland.bsky.social

Delighted to share that Gillian Colhoun, our Strategic Development Manager, will take to the stage at the World Design Congress as part of the Designing with Nature Hive Session: Nature’s Inspiration × Human Creativity. 🗓️ Day 2 | 14:00–14:45 📍 Auditorium 2 @designcouncil.bsky.social | @wdo.org

The Future Blueprint: Inis Nua | Film Screening A “sci-firish” fever-dream where folklore collides with architectural climate prophecy – a film about the consequence of leaving your mess behind. 10 Sept | Queen’s Film Theatre 6pm reception | 6.30pm screening + panel talks. Book now: bit.ly/3JSpNd2

2 days celebrating creativity & craft on Rathlin Island for August Craft Month. What did we get up to? 🪡 Heard Rathlin's wool, needlework, and sustainability histories. 🐑 Made wall hangings with naturally dyed Rathlin wool & learned how it's being transformed for sustainable reuse. 1/3

Do you have a creative child who loves to imagine and play? 🎲 Sign them up for a FREE board game design workshop where kids explore environmental themes and create their own board game! 🔔Fri 15 August | Ulster Museum | Ages 9–11 ▶️Get your game on: bit.ly/4fsNpAM

On Friday, we were on Rathlin exploring stone as a natural material for a circular economy. We heard about NI's stone resources, benefits of using natural materials, low-carbon ways to retrofit buildings and global approaches to sustainable stone construction. @qubelfastofficial.bsky.social

Fungal Learning – A collaborative project. 🍄 Tomorrow, Wed 30 July | Void Art Centre Void Art Centre is hosting Ann Henderson and Vanya Lambrecht as they share their research, Fungal Learning, a Rathlin Creative Fellowship project through Future Island-Island. #fungi #research #design 1/2

We're hosting a hands-on design workshop at the @ulstermuseum.org for young designers and eco-advocates. Children will be introduced to design thinking and create their own board games that explore how environmental themes shape our world. FII | Ulster Uni | Hub Games Game on▶️ bit.ly/3TIR83a

We're celebrating the wonder of Rathlin wool with a workshop where you will: 🪡 discover traditional crafting techniques 🐑 explore locally sourced island wool 🌿 take home a handcrafted piece inspired by Rathlin’s landscape Part of an overnight craft package (7-8 Aug). Book now: bit.ly/45fJCDf

Bringing together @futureislandisland.bsky.social, Rathlin RAFT Project (eradication prog), the Rathlin Development & Community Assoc & the Inishowen Development Partnership on Rathlin today to share knowledge & experiences across projects #sustainability #greenfutures #greentransition #biodiversity

Watch S McConnell & Sons shape the Stone Strategies prototype, inspired by Rathlin's traditional dry stone walls. The modular blocks are designed for reuse, providing a sustainable alternative to concrete. 25 July | Manor House, Rathlin | bit.ly/3TVgKKa FII Fellowship: QUB, S McConnell & Sons.

Calling all crafters, makers, and curious creatives! Join us on Rathlin, 7–8 August, for an overnight experience that celebrates the island's craft culture, creative spirit and stunning landscapes. 🔔 Book now: bit.ly/3U2fdSv @ulsteruni.bsky.social | @rspb.bsky.social | LIFERaft | Craft NI

Join us on Rathlin for a special event exploring how local stone can be reimagined in modern sustainable construction. Part of the Future Island-Island Design Fellowship led by Rachel Delargy, @qubelfastofficial.bsky.social, in collaboration with S McConnell & Sons Stone. Register: bit.ly/3TVgKKa

Say hello to the creative minds behind the bold ideas at DesignLink! These early-stage designers, thinkers and creators teamed up with NI businesses to co-design responses to real-world challenges, bringing new eyes and energy to every brief. @qubelfastofficial.bsky.social @ulsteruni.bsky.social

DesignLink – 3 days of Innovation, Ideas & Impact 11 businesses & 23 Design Guilds teamed up to co-design responses to live business challenges. From architects & textile creatives to game & graphic designers, the event showed the power of cross-disciplinary creativity for innovative solutions.

💡 DesignLink - Who's behind the briefs? Tomorrow, we’re teaming up with 11 forward-thinking NI businesses and individuals in a three-day design sprint, with each presenting a live design challenge to our 23 Design Guilds. Looking forward to the collaboration ahead! #Design #NIBusiness

We're bringing together 11 NI businesses & 23 Design Guilds to tackle real-world challenges through innovative thinking. This 3-day design sprint connects creatives with businesses to unlock fresh solutions in sustainability & build a more interconnected design ecosystem in Northern Ireland.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Solastalgia event as part of the #RathlinSoundFestival. Together, we slowed down and connected with Rathlin’s landscape before using natural materials like seaweed and shells to create expressive artworks at the seafront. 🐚 ___ @ulsteruni.bsky.social

Graphic Design students from the Belfast School of Art presented their project work on Rathlin Island to over 100 local design professionals, as well as international design leaders Brian Collins and Mary Doherty, during the Rapid Agency x BSOA event in Belfast. @ulsteruni.bsky.social

On the Rathlin ferry with Dr Patrick Dunlop, who was on Rathlin with the @futureislandisland.bsky.social project today. Next stop for us both is the UUSU Learning & Teaching Awards in Derry this eve @ulsteruni-edi.bsky.social And there are island musicians on the ferry playing for the passengers!

All aboard the #Rathlin ferry. @ulsteruni.bsky.social @futureislandisland.bsky.social colleagues over today running events at the Rathlin Sound Festival - working and creating with Rathlin wool and deconstructing a washing machine for repurposing #circulatity #sustainability

What's really inside your old appliances? Come along to see us take apart a washing machine & uncover the surprising potential of e-waste. From wind turbines to bug hotels, we’ll explore how mechanical and electrical engineering can breathe new life into discarded objects. #RathlinSoundFestival

Join us to discover how Rathlin’s own wool is being reimagined to celebrate the island’s rich fishing and maritime traditions. This interactive show-and-tell features creative work from @ulsteruni.bsky.social students, crafted from Rathlin wool. #RathlinSoundFestival

And from the films of the first 6 Rathlin Creatives collaborations in Future Island-Island @futureislandisland.bsky.social

Gillian taking us through some of the work package activities in the FII project @futureislandisland.bsky.social

Super update from Gillian & others from Future Island-Island (including me) at the Rathlin Sound Festival today. A highlight was the 6 short films of the Rathlin creatives who through the project have been empowered in their work #RSF25 #Sustainability #GreenFuture @futureislandisland.bsky.social

1 day to our Solastalgia event at the Rathlin Sound Festival! Why not take a moment to explore and reflect on the practice of forest bathing? Gillian Colhoun, from FII previously joined the Why It Matters podcast to discuss the importance of reconnecting with nature. Listen in: bit.ly/44KPRPQ

Discover the story of Foghorn Requiem, a unique musical performance that honours the iconic foghorn sound across the UK coastline. 🚢Featuring over 50 ships, custom-built horns, 3 brass bands, and the iconic Souter Lighthouse foghorn. #RathlinSoundFestival

Join us as we reconnect with nature and express ourselves through creativity. Solastalgia blends nature connection and intuitive art. Begin with a gentle forest bathing session, before exploring your emotional response to environmental change using natural materials. #RathlinSoundFestival

🌊We’re joining the Rathlin Sound Festival! From solastalgia and Rathlin wool to iconic soundscapes and the hidden value of e-waste, we're bringing creative conversations, film screenings and interactive moments to festival-goers. Our events will run from 24-30 May. 🔗More info: bit.ly/3WASBua

Our partner, Ulster Wool, has set up shop at Balmoral Show, celebrating the rich heritage and future potential of Irish wool. 🐑 Featuring garments crafted by BSoA students from Rathlin wool developed as part of FII. 🧶 Come explore the journey of Rathlin wool today! @ulsteruni.bsky.social

🎧Rathlin Island Repair Café on the NIRN Sustainable Conversations Podcast. 💚 Get a feel for Rathlin Island's first-ever Repair Café on the @niresourcesnet.bsky.social's latest podcast episode – a bustling day of clinking tools, shared skills, and community connections. Listen now: bit.ly/3Fb2WY6

Students from UU and QUB joined forces for an Environmental Simulation Workshop – part of FII's WP4. 💡This hands-on collab explored how co-learning & environmental modelling can help future professionals develop strategies in socio-environmental education, design thinking, and climate resilience.

Fix it, don't ditch it! 🛠 Watch circularity in action at the Rathlin Repair Café. 📽 From hands-on mending to shared stories & skills, the landmark event celebrated the island's culture of care, repair, & community. ♻️ Organisers: FII, @niresourcesnet.bsky.social & RDCA. Mappers: More Than Minutes.

🚨 2 weeks left to apply! 🚨 Are you an early-stage creative with big ideas? Join DesignLink – a high-impact, fully funded design fellowship, where you’ll team up with real businesses to tackle real-world challenges. Deadline: 28 April 🔗 bit.ly/4iBCqWy

It's Puffin Day! 💚 We couldn’t let it pass without celebrating some of the puffins we’ve run into on our visits to Rathlin & crafted during creative moments on the project. From 3D prints to murals & our own team mascot – these iconic island residents always steal the show! #Puffin #Rathlin

Rathlin Island held its first Repair Café – an inspiring afternoon of fixing & skills sharing! From antique clocks to bikes, skilled fixers helped revive old items, rethinking waste as a valuable resource. 🛠️ 23 items repaired ♻️ 139kg waste saved from landfill 🌍1,554kg CO₂ emissions prevented

Delighted to get my old axe and garden shears sharpened and cleaned at the Repair Café on Rathlin today. Many thanks to the organisers and to all the skilled people who came over for the popular and successful event @futureislandisland.bsky.social

♻️ Rathlin Repair Café 🔧 5 April | 12-2pm | McCuaig's Give broken items a second chance – For free! From small household electronics to garden tools and more – Let's save items from landfill. Let’s celebrate repair, sustainability, and Rathlin’s innovative spirit. @niresourcesnet.bsky.social

The Small Democracy of Rathlin Island: @imaginebelfast.bsky.social From hands-on deliberation to insights from the Rathlin Citizens Panel, we had a great time exploring how Rathlin is shaping local policymaking through design and deliberation. 💡 Thank you to everyone who joined us!

🚀 Calling Early-Stage Creatives! Come take part in DesignLink – a high-impact, fully funded design sprint where you will collaborate with real businesses to solve complex challenges. All backgrounds/disciplines welcome! £750 stipend. Deadline: 28 April. Spaces limited–apply now: bit.ly/4iBCqWy

🚨 3 DAYS TO GO! 🚨 Future Island-Island is bringing 'The Small Democracy of Rathlin Island' to Imagine! Belfast this Thursday, 27 March! Level 6 Atrium, Ulster University | 11:30 AM - 1 PM Only a few spaces left! 🔗 Register now: bit.ly/3RcGgJn @imaginebelfast.bsky.social, @ulsteruni.bsky.social

Future Island-Island is coming to @imaginebelfast.bsky.social! Join us for The Small Democracy of Rathlin Island, a hands-on workshop exploring how Rathlin is shaping community-led policymaking through design. 📅27 March | 11:30 am - 1 pm 📍Level 6 Atrium, Ulster University 🔗https://bit.ly/3RcGgJn

We're shifting the narrative on ocean plastics– from problem to potential. ♻️ At #NISF25, we shared updates for Beach Clean 2.0, an FII method that moves beyond beach cleanups to embrace circular economy thinking. Belfast Region City Deal (@qubelfastofficial.bsky.social), @ulsteruni.bsky.social

📢 Calling all Future Island-Island teams– A must-attend event! Void Art Centre is hosting Chris Fremantle for a talk on Artists, Woods, Forests & Living Systems—a crucial conversation at the intersection of art & ecological futures. ✨ 13 March 2025 | 5:30pm – 7:30pm 🔗 bit.ly/43CcHZa

Music—a tool for action?🌍 Check out the video from our workshop with Mr Klaje Collective for #NISF25. Together we transformed discarded materials into musical instruments and explored connections with the environment & community. 🎥British Council NI. 🔗 Full Video: youtu.be/532jPqqaZ8Q

More on the amazing work from 50 final-year BDes #GraphicDesign students from BSOA! The challenge: Create visual concepts representing an aspect of Rathlin’s identity & propose a product, service, or experience related to its existing infrastructure. 🖼️ @ulsteruniversity.bsky.social

Beautiful work from @ulsteruniversity.bsky.social Graphic Design students, inspired by Rathlin Island 🎨