Welcome to my weekly studio notes, I write these as part of my work. I do not use AI for these notes. Enjoy the full human messy experience.
Reflection
Last week was a mixture of research, workshops design and preparation for events and talks coming up.
The Social Farmers Ireland work continues with the mentoring sessions beginning. They will act as secondary research. I’m hoping to join a few as I build the mixed of primary and secondary research.
Last week I continued working on talks and workshops for
- Building Resilient Futures through Local Government, 11 September 2025 in SETU Waterford. Eventbrite link and more information here.
- An invitation to explore – What if Fethard was a place of flourishing for all? 26th September 2025 in Fethard, South Tipperary..
The weekend was full on Electric Picnic. I was there as part of Global Green in the Irish Environmental Network Biodiversity Tent. support to be there came via FEASTA and IEN.
Davie and Ollie program the Elements of Change tent and do a great job bringing activist and artist from across the Global Green arena to interesting discussions and amazing performances.
We played GAPs new game about Fast Fashion. I learnt that 46% of Irelands donated charity clothes are incinerated.
After the GAP game we borrowed the tarp and invited people to sit and join in making Doughnut Dreams. It was a small group we huddled together. I shared what doughnut economics was about. and we talked about creating a future of possibilities. A blending of How to Fall in Love with the Future and Doughnut Economics.
The methodology can be found on the Doughnut Economics Action Lab.
On Sunday morning I interviewed 3 time traveler’s who had just come back from the future a small group of about 15 people gathered.
This session came about because Theo and I had had a connected chat a few weeks ago about Rob Hopkins, What if and how he uses time travel. Theo was going to EP with a small crew working on Vox Pop interviewing and story telling. We had discussed and brainstormed some ideas. One was about interviewing returning time travellers so we did it! We had a lose idea and improvised. It was so much fun.
Alesha was at EP as part of the Creativity and Change tent, bringing her Pleasure Activism Crew to the arena.
It was great to share the shenanigans and story of it back to the Positive Futurist Signal group.
Sunday afternoon I facilitated a discussion on Art and Activism in the Polycrisis.
I began by explaining the polycrisis and wellbeing economy, mentioning new economic thinking and then got each of the artist to introduce themselves and say a bit about their practice.
The conversation was really around the question of arts role in these turbulent times. I made a little zine of my notes and framing and used that.
My prep has shaped the following:
Q1. In the face of the polycrisis, how does your creative or activist practice help you make sense of the overwhelming complexity and interconnectedness of these issues? Where do you find hope or agency within this work?”
Q2. Art and activism often challenge the status quo. How can creative work shift from simply highlighting problems to actively co-creating new narratives, new systems, or new forms of social connection that are resilient to the polycrisis?
The generative power of art and activism and directly relates to the concept of building new cultural frameworks.
- what about the commodification of the arts?
- are we now in a phase of ‘hiring’ the arts to do this work?
- is it being resourced
The connection to the land, creating space, wild nature and biodiversity being so important and our connection to each other critical. There was also an enquiry on if artist considered their work as activists or not. Cait Ní Rian saying she did not consider herself an activist, I mentioned that for me her singing is an activator. and in this way she is an actors of heart and connection to the tradition of Ireland.
Raphael shared his amazing work, phenomenal story and the work he has done on racism which has led to policy changes in Ireland.
Ruby Free shared her insights from living on Rathlín Island for 6 months about laughter, storytelling in the everyday. She read from her beautiful book.
I felt the conversation was a bit leggy but it was received well to a packed tent. A great question was asked at the end about aesthetics of activism on and through social media. I look forward to delving into it in its own right at some point in the future.
Insights
Creating opportunities for primary research is important for any design research. With the social farming I am joining some of the mentor sessions and bring the research into. I’ve never understood why primary research in design has to be fought for. It seems common sense to me that if you are working with a specific cohort of people they would be who you work with first hand.
Stepping out of the ordinary everyday and meeting new people. Getting to know people who get it, creating deeper understanding or each others work and building relationships is what Global Green and volunteering at EP to talk doughnut economics and the wellbeing economy, that’s what it’s about.
The doughnut dream huddle was felt like a picnic, it was small and beautiful and created lovely connections between us all and exploring what was important to all of us. Afterwards we cut and shaped the spiral together.
I originally thought this activity would be suitable for families and children but I guess adults need spaces and spirals to dream into also.
Time Travel can be discombobulating Rob Hopkins recommends cake as an antidote.
Sophie Hunter asked me what did the time travellers share about the future:
have a great week.
In 2040 people walked around with different postures no one looked at the ground. Oh and we had access to a tool belt where we had tools that helped us live like if we needed more empathy we’d nibble an empathy card (felt like it could have been a vitamin or snack).
Audience invitation: I invited everyone to stretch and embody 2040, crack open our hearts to fully feel into their whole hearted self.
In 2075 we recognised fluidity among ourselves there were no little boys or girls just children. In 2070 it was weird to people that history had divided people by gender and gendered roles.
Audience invitation: to meet each other in silence, look into each others eyes see them for who they are, acknowledge each other and meet someone else.
In 2100 we were more deeply connected to the land, food grew everywhere and we could drink from rivers. We could go for walks and find carrots just growing and eat them.
Serious fun was had with the ease of the improv, a highly recommended bit of fun.
Some at the Irish Environmental Network Biodiversity tent thought it very odd but with encouragement they joined in. I think being invitational, it being fun and having a tone of conviction is good.
I was asked about when I normally do that… I did probably say too quickly I’ve never done that before. The person asking buffered a bit, a bit surprised.
I think my facilitation skills and experience really allow me to just go for it with improv.
Funnily enough Diane O’Connor the comedian was on stage at the Elements of Change tent before the panel discussion I was hosting. We bumped into each other a while before and I mentioned to her that she had been there in April 2023 when I did my Brightclub comedy set in Whelans – How much do your Knickers cost? She told me it was brilliant, I’ll take that.
I continue my deep dive on Le Guin reading The Disposed Curiously I can now see the interweaving of my research and learning across my quest.
A question for you
Do you consider yourself an activist?
Resources
Arkansas’s timber university building could revolutionise architecture, from The Guardian.
Data sharing restrictions as a barrier to addressing property vacancy in Ireland Paper: Barriers to data sharing impact the design and effective delivery of policy in many sectors including housing, healthcare, planning and energy efficiency. Using the example of geospatial data related to the built environment, and specifically to property vacancy, we argue that nurturing a positive data culture, informing and supporting data governance policy, and building increased capacity and resources to enable data sharing for the public good would lead to positive transformational change in addressing environmental and societal challenges.
I’ve begun sharing with people about AI and the work of Hopicing Modernity author Vanessa Machado de Oliveira in this field. Developing an AI with Chat GPT Vanessa and her crew have developed a critical human and technology lens that is relational. If you have not seen it Burnout from humans, it’s serious playground and the AI agent Aideen Cinnamon Tea are worth exploring. I have used it to train a version of Gemini the google AI companion.
I’ve really mixed feeling about AI. Images in AI look like visual throwing up to me now, the blanket intelligent post a form of intellectual conformity that tells “I did not write this”. After all in December 2022 after spending over a year hyping and researching AI I rejected it and stopped using it until I came across burnout from humans.
There is an equally horrifying and interesting use of AI in metal health, self-help and coaching. Thought this was an interesting article from Forbes on AI as a pocket coach.
Daybreak is a co-operative game about climate action. Each player controls a world power, deploying policies and technologies to both dismantle the engine of global heating and to build resilient societies that protect people from life-threatening crises. You can play online without downloading it.
WEALL Wellbeing Economy Alliance Ireland Hub Cultural Creative s have created a great resource a collection of tools and frameworks in one place.
A view to the week ahead
As September begins I look forward to a change of pace in work and the steady rhythm of Autumn.
this week research continues on Social Farming Ireland project, I’ve some interesting meetings in my diary let’s see where those conversations flow.
I’ve full on prep for the Healthy Ireland talk, panel discussion and workshop.
I’m looking forward to Thursday when IMMA and NWCI Feminist Communities for Climate Justice Network visit the Staying with the Trouble Exhibition, inspired by Donna Haraway’s book of the same title. When I saw it during the summer I wanted a critical eco-femnist lens discussion on the exhibition and artists work. I’ve being doing a deep dive on her work. I’m curious that she is challenged by the origination of her term “speculative fabulation’ getting narrowed from its french origin translated into English. Degrowth suffers the same, English not as a first language, the original term décroissance. This is a reminder that we understand still through an English first mindset and a western education that needs awareness of decolonisation.
The original word and concept of décroissance was routed in nature. Translated more accurately describes a river after flooding, after bursting its banks, flooding extending past its path, décroissance describes the flood waters returning, reducing back to the size of the river to it contained within it natural water course of the river.
Let me know what resonated with you this week, and if you see pathways where we might collaborate, do good work together.
Have a great week.
Roisin Markham 
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