Islands in Islands is a project which reimagines the vulnerable, vernacular landscape of the Fajã da Caldeira de Santo Cristo on the north coast of the island of São Jorge in the Azores.
The fajã is a small piece of land formed over two centuries ago when a violent earthquake caused the land to slip into the ocean. It is constantly changing, both physically, due to erosion, and culturally - recently the inhabitants of the small village have started to abandon their pastures, and production on the fajã's once fertile soils has been in decline.
Islands in Islands introduces a bold programme for protecting the landscape, testing new agricultural techniques and construction materials, reusing waste materials, and creating habitat and connections, which promises to stimulate a new phase of economic and ecological progress. Its emphasis on adding nutrition back into the soil ensures that the fajã’s historical role as a place to plant, sow, and harvest, and the seasonal congregation of families and wildlife which this supports, can continue and thrive for as long as the land itself does. New paths, some making use of waste materials, improve connectivity along the coast and across the unique ecosystem of the lagoon, itself monitored by new testing equipment which will improve understanding of the effects of sea level rise, acidification, contamination, and temperature change. The ocean further supports and connects to the land through a marine permaculture site which produces natural fertiliser, animal feed, biofuel, jobs, and habitat.
