The second section of Tools for Transition – a new display of regionally-specific design research at the Design Museum – features a digital game, set on the island of Rathlin.
Combing the digital coastline
Like many small offshore islands, Rathlin – located off the northern coast of Northern Ireland – is highly susceptible to the effects of climate change. Its shoreline is threatened by oceanic storms, rising sea levels and coastal erosion – the impacts of which are compounded by the community’s separation from the mainland.
This separation – marked by a 30-minute ferry from Northern Ireland’s Ballycastle – has forged a strong sense of community on the island. Determined to safeguard their future, the inhabitants have set the target to decarbonise their home by 2030 – electrifying the ferry service, reducing waste and promoting sustainable tourism.
These activities have rendered Rathlin’s coastline emblematic, both of its vulnerabilities and green transition goals. Inspired by this duality, Future Observatory commissioned creative coder and web designer Rifke Sadleir to create a digital interactive for Tools for Transition.
Unlocking the Past
Drawing on the work of Future Island Island (FII) – a research project using digital technologies to support Rathlin’s green transition – the interactive invites museum visitors to explore Rathlin’s shoreline from the Design Museum, London. Combining 3D mapping with stories from residents, the work aims to capture Rathlin’s rich past whilst also speculating about its future.
Wander along the digital coastline and you will come across a series of objects: a neolithic axe, a washed up lighter, tangles of kelp and a discarded buoy. Each item provides a glimpse into Rathlin’s cultural landscape and historical legacy, gamified to maximise interactivity.
The Axe Head
During Northern Ireland’s Neolithic period (4000–2500 BC), Rathlin was a significant source of porcellanite – a stone used to make axe heads for Irish farmers who were clearing land for crops. Following the more recent discovery of an axe head at a quarry in Brockley, Rathlin, FII 3D scanned the stone artefact to create a digital twin. This is now featured in an Augmented Reality experience, serving as a form of digital preservation and community engagement with the island’s local heritage.
The Lighter
Like many of Northern Ireland’s beaches, Rathlin’s coastline is polluted with plastic – food packaging, fishing gear and single-use items like cigarette lighters. To tackle this, and the island’s waste management more generally, the local community have set up a Repair Café – the first on any Irish island and the second in the United Kingdom. Encouraging a culture of repair and reuse, the Café has so far diverted 139kg of waste from landfill and prevented the production of an estimated 1,554kg of CO₂ emissions.
The Kelp
Up until the 20th century, wild kelp was considered a ‘cash crop’ on Rathlin. Gathered from the shore, it was burnt in purpose-built kilns which became a vital part of the offshore island’s economy. In 2013, kelp processing was reinstated on Rathlin, who now operate the only kelp farm in Northern Ireland. This provides economic opportunities for the coastal community and regenerates the local marine ecosystem – sequestering carbon dioxide, absorbing excess nutrients, creating vital habitats and protecting the coastline.
The Buoy
Wool has been a large part of Rathlin’s history since the settlement of artisanal weavers in the 18th century. In recent years, FII has supported the island community to revive this historical practice – establishing the partnerships and infrastructures needed to process the wool from local blackfaced sheep. Once a waste material, this natural fibre is now being repurposed into textiles for local industry, including traditional fisher’s ganseys and rope for kelp farming and securing buoys.
Sadleir’s video game aesthetic adds a futuristic element to these case studies, lifting them out of the past and into the contemporary moment. In the process, Rathlin’s coastline is transformed into a site for experimentation within which historical artefacts become signifiers of the island’s green transition.
Forming part of the Future Observatory: Tools for Transition display, the interactive will be on show at the Design Museum until August 2026.