The Island brought together young people from two island nations—the United Kingdom and Vanuatu—to co-create an imagined island through a series of creative exchanges. Beginning with the Vanuatu participants (working with Wan Smolbag theatre company) creating initial island designs, we worked with a group of young people in the UK to then added their own elements, followed by final additions from Vanuatu. The process built meaningful connections between the groups while exploring themes of shared responsibility and care.

Developed as part of the Erasmus+ project Codename: Seedling, the exchange evolved into a participatory workshop for adult audiences that sparked conversations about climate justice. In January 2025, the workshop was presented at Destelheide, Belgium to various groups, including Erasmus project artists and symposium participants exploring innovative approaches to youth arts and climate activism. The workshop highlighted the inequality at play in the climate crisis—with Vanuatu facing extreme climate vulnerability despite generating only 0.0016% of global carbon emissions—while demonstrating how artistic collaboration can address complex global challenges.

Performed at Shoreditch Town Hall as part of Coney’s finale, The Island is a 2-3-hour participatory experience sparking conversations around our collective responsibility for action through a climate justice international lens.  

Photos below by Ross Kernahan