From Orkney International Science Festival……From ‘Freedom From Torture’……
by Bernie Bell - 09:09 on 07 August 2025
From Orkney International Science Festival.....
“Hello from the Festival!
Things are moving at speed – tickets are on sale, the programme is online with a downloadable programme brochure, and a printed version will soon be available.
The events on native sheep are varied. We’ll see how Faroe is reviving traditional jumpers, how Icelanders cook native lamb, and how computer-aided knitting is opening up opportunities for young Aran Islanders. We’ll also see a traditional Norse cloak made in Berneray, the kind that might have seen at Kirkwall harbour over a millennium ago. And on one wonderful afternoon in the Old Library on Thursday 4 September the various visitors will all come together with Orkney knitters, weavers and designers. Tickets are limited, so it’s worth booking now.
https://oisf.org/fest-event/wools-new-horizons/
The Fox was a ship that made a long voyage searching for the Franklin expedition’s lost ships. The story is the theme of a concert on the evening of Tuesday 9 September, weaving together music, poetry and visual images. It brings in too another kind of past Arctic quest – the hunt for Greenland whales. The music ranges from traditional Shetland to modern improvisation, with a beautiful underwater film of the life of whales: they move together in the water as gracefully as ballet dancers, with a soundtrack of whalesong.
https://oisf.org/fest-event/concert-the-voyage-of-the-fox/
We tackle some big issues this year. The first Orkney Climate COP will look realistically at practical actions to cope with consequences of climate change already facing us. The Beyond Helgoland events tell the quantum theory story and seeks to make it clear and understandable. And on Saturday 6 September, we’ll hear a case for science and religion to be seen not as opposites, but linked in a common quest. Prof. Andrew Briggs – trained in both disciplines – says that science and religion share a deep curiosity about the world we live in. It may be religion that opens the questions, he says, which draw science along in their slipstream, in a search for solutions. There will be a tea break as well, with additional time to ask questions.
https://oisf.org/fest-event/tea-and-philosophy-science-in-the-slipstream/
The workshops give an opportunity to take time to go deeper. You can learn how to recycle ocean plastic with tabletop equipment and create something new for permanent use. You can find out the best options for protecting garden crops or plan autumn activity in the garden and hear what seed varieties particularly suit Orkney conditions. You can taste carrots grown with different types of rock dust and see if you notice the difference. You can find out about seagrass in Orkney waters. You can hear how to bring science into poetry. And you can sing with a choir for health and wellbeing!
But there is so much more to speak about and explore, as you can see from the Festival website, and we'll keep updating, with more depth on individual events, on the Festival Facebook page.
The Festival Team is looking forward to welcoming you!”
Further info….
https://oisf.org/oisf/festival-programme-2025/
https://oisf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/OISF-Brochure-2025-download-final1.pdf
https://oisf.org/oisf/festival-tickets-2025/
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From ‘Freedom From Torture’…..
“The recent appalling scenes outside hotels have made torture survivors and refugees fear for their safety in the UK.
From conversations in our therapy rooms, we know that survivors, many of whom are placed in hotels, are feeling scared, unwelcome and at risk of harm.
That’s why we continue to speak out against hostility, hate and division, which unfairly targets people in need of sanctuary.
And people across our movement are taking action already. Checking on neighbours, supporting people who are afraid.
But now is the time to make our solidarity even more visible.
Download and print your poster right now – to put up in your home, workplace, or community spaces and make it clear that in the UK, compassionate people outnumber those who stand for hate.
https://actionnetwork.org/forms/print-your-poster/?source=fft
Displaying your posters is a simple act that sends a big message.
This time last year, thousands of us stood in solidarity with refugees following the far-right riots.
One year on, politicians need to be reminded that the majority of the UK stands with refugees, and we expect them to do the same.
So, as part of the Together with Refugees coalition, let’s make that message impossible to miss.
In solidarity,
Natasha
Associate Director of Advocacy”
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