SS Net ReUse: new stories for old ropes
September 2018 - May 2019
New, in use and old nets. SS Net ReUse revisits the fishing net ecosystem to understand the problem to discover new solutions.
Synthetic fishing nets detoriate but don’t rot. When accidentally lost as part of fishing operations they can causing a real problem for fishermen, the ocean and its residents alike. Disposing of these nets responsibly by traditional methods such as landfill is costly and not without its environmental impact. While these nets may no longer be fit for the purpose of catching fish they may have many alternative uses.
The solution to the problem of marine plastic waste could be in the mind of a 12-year-old or an 80-year-old, living locally and the project team, from the CoDesRes and Sea Synergy collective, brings together over 141 years of experience to work with local residents’ expertise in a collaborative co-design process.
The team with Sea Synergy won a national tender from Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) the state agency for the development of Ireland’s Seafood Industry to undertake a design-thinking project with local students and the Iveragh fishing community of Portmagee. Focusing on the concept of ‘waste as resource’ and the circular economy, the project expands these ideas through integrating human potential and knowledge into the circular economy.
Using design-thinking the project will develop 4 prototypes of products that create value in off cuts, old nets and marine plastic waste, which can be evaluated for market readiness and then explored for production and distribution by local micro-businesses.
The project is supported by Bord Iscaigh Mhara and the EPA. The project links into CoDesRes' Storybank project and we will be announcing more exciting news on this project soon.
Storybank: stories of the past; told today; for the people of tomorrow
August 2018 - August 2019
Making a crúcan, (croakeen or thraw hook) used for making straw rope for tying the hay bales and Súgán chairs
The National Implementation Plan for the Sustainable Development Goals is an all-government global initiative that was launched 26/4/18, by Minister Naughten. Storybank will save the knowledge of the past’s making and mending, sharing the skills and knowledge that could contribute to a more sustainable future. As part of our approach to the need to move towards a more sustainable future, Storybank is gathering memories and stories of making and mending on the Iveragh Peninsula.
The project is looking at the heritage of sustainable practices on the Iveragh Peninsula by gathering the innovation and the ‘make-do and mend’ ethos that is still within living memory. The project will gather stories on these themes through specially designed ‘storybanks’ that recycle plastic bottles carrying a message or story. In addition, artists, Sean O’Laoghaire and Anita McKeown will tour the Peninsula using the community link bus to gather and document story within the context of the villages. In the tradition of itinerant storytellers, they will gather local knowledge and tell stories in exchange for bed and board on the project themes.
The stories will then be exhibited with a range of related imagery and workshops throughout heritage week culminating in a weekend of a coordinated tour to local venues within the Peninsula to experience ‘live-demos’ of a range of local skills. The project will be digitally archived and consolidated in a number of archive boxes to be held in local libraries and heritage centres, as well as the national collection.
We will be running the project for a year with a launch on culture night 21st September, including details of a new project that utilises skills from the past with 21st Century needs and technologies.
From Waste to Taste - edible medicinal sculpture trail
September 2018 - May 2019
Meadowsweet for teas, cordials and wine
Rosa Rugosa for syrup rich in vitamin C
Yarrow for teas and salads. Stems bloodflow
From Waste to Taste, proposes the development of a sculptural / horticultural trail that runs runs the length of Cahersiveen town; starting and finishing with two landmarks: Colaiste Na Sceilge, to the newly reconstructed Saidbh’s Fort, behind the Old Barracks Cultural Centre. The project is a community project in partnership with Cahersiveen Tidy Towns and has a number of key objectives and outcomes. Each node on the trail will include low-maintenance, landscaped reclamations of wasted space in Cahersiveen, integrating low-maintenance native planting and augmented reality to share the story of natural and cultural heritage of the area.
The project will also be used to teach a design-thinking approach that integrates social and environmental justice to students and community members.
May 4th Festival 2018 - SDG 14
gallery coming soon
A Call To Light
Examining local heritage and adaptation as an impact of climate change as part of a coherent strategy to link art, design, ecology and storytelling.
A Call to Light story and workshop sessions for children 12 and under was held as part of the ‘May The 4th’ Festival, in Portmagee Co. Kerry. Natural and local heritage and culture were examined through the lens of Star Wars; specifically the transformation of puffins to porgs. The sessions were grounded in irish mythology and ecology, focussing on the problem of plastic in the oceans. The workshop was designed to reflect the idea of the possible adaptation of puffins, which could easily be turned into adaptation of ourselves and other parts of the natural world.
Creating a culture of problem-identifying and solving is imperative for our environmental future; participants discuss how could/should/ would puffins need to adapt and started thinking of reasons why puffins might need to adapt and how this adaptation might manifest itself. By linking questions to real issues that Atlantic puffins are experiencing due to human-driven climate change. e.g. changes to food sources and changes to location of food, we were able to gently begin a conversation in a way that small children could understand without fear.
This approach created the foundation for our participants to create the puffins of the future; a fun way for them to start to use their imagination and creativity to explore environmental adaptation and raise awareness of concerns that can be overwhelming or frightening.
Seachtain na Gaeilge Uith Ráthaigh
March 2017, SDG 14, 15
Seachtain na Gaeilge (SnaG) "Irish language week"is a non-profit organisation in Ireland which promotes the Irish language during a two-week festival held at the beginning of March every year, just before Saint Patrick's Day on March 17.
Find out more about what our Seanchai in Residence, Seán O'Laoghaire thinks about the importance of our indigenous culture for Sustainable Development
St Patrick's Day parade
March 2017 SDG 11, 14, 15
The beginnings of the snake puppet's head - withies and tape for the structure
Its going to be a full on few weeks
To this - The Cahersiveen Snake, Seánita
The beginnings of the snake puppet's head - withies and tape for the structure
In Feb 2018, we had the opportunity to work with Acard Development Ltd, The Old Barracks Heritage Centre and some of the businesses in Cahersiveen for the St Patrick's Day Parade. We embedded two of the Sustainable Development Goals, (SDGs) 14 Life Below Water and 15 Life on Land to begin to raise awareness of the SDGs in local contexts.
The pCr methodology has a number of key stages and the parade enabled us to begin to undertake a number of these, in a tangible way that can easily be explained to others.
You can read more about the parade and pCr stage 2 - Strategic Intervention Tactics here
TY Work Placement
Jan. / Feb 2017
As part of our TY placement, we went to Lohar Beach
This was no ordinary day at the beach
Our student RA's didn't realise the problem was this bad this close to home.
As part of our TY placement, we went to Lohar Beach
In Jan / Feb 2018, CoDesRes had four Transition Year (TY) students as Research Assistants for two weeks, working in the areas of inter-disciplinary research, marine biology, community arts practice and of course, sustainable development through an engagement with the SDGs. We explained the CoDesRes project and how they would contribute both as Research Assistants, and the tasks we expected them to complete over the two-week placement.
You can read more about the two weeks here