The ‘Restore the Shore’ project sought to protect and enhance historically important sections of Papay’s coastline, while sharing practical, traditional, local knowledge from expert skills sharers on the island. On Papay, an island with a population of 88 people and a landmass one mile wide and four miles long, with a high point of 48 metres, the responsibility for surviving and thriving lies with the community, and environmental issues between land and sea are dealt with through their direct energy and efforts.
The goal of this project was to help safeguard the future island coastline in the face of rising seas and increased erosion of the land. Through a series of Cassie sea defence wall building events in 2016, 2019 and in 2022, we aimed to preserve valuable island knowledge and pass this down to the next generation - "knowledge that branches like a bird’s foot from generation to generation and island to island."
This film documents island expert skills sharers, together with the island community, gathering and building a Cassie sea defence wall at The Kelp Store shoreline over two days in April 2022.
‘Restore the Shore’ project was managed by Jonathan Ford
Film was created and produced by Saoirse Higgins, edited by Ian Cudmore.