Between Seas [Is-land]
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. The Cassie walls are built to protect the island coastline against rising sea levels.
A community lead initiative in the Northern Isles of Orkney.
‘Restore the Shore’ project was managed by Jonathan Ford
Film was created and produced by Saoirse Higgins, edited by Ian Cudmore.
Restore The Shore
This project explores traditional and contemporary skills sharing to build sea defence walls called Cassies. ‘Restore The Shore’ seeks to protect and enhance a historically important section of Papa Westray’s island coastline while instilling islanders with the practical knowledge of traditional skills that will help the community safeguard the future island coastline in the face of rising seas and the increasing erosion of the land. The outcome of this project takes the form of a film and a printed and digital manual, to be shared with other islands. The skills and techniques learned could be put to use on other islands, where coastal erosion is also a contemporary or future issue. This project was created by artist Saoirse Higgins and artist Jonathan Ford.
Funded by Historic Environment Scotland and North Isles Landscape Partnership. In collaboration with Papay Development Trust.
This project was part of the Scottish Year of Coasts and Waters.
