The following excerpts have been taken from the excellent project page hosted on the Brink! website, explore the full page here. All images © Brink!
In Belfast city centre and the fields of the Ruhr Valley in Germany, a quiet revolution is growing—one flax seed at a time. It begins with soil on the hands, music in the air, and a shared belief that making things together—whether through dance, conversation, or the rhythm of spinning threads—can reconnect us to the land and to one another.
This is the Flax-to-Linen Project—an evolution of our Colour Stories Culture Bridge project, from 2024, expanding from natural dyeing into the full journey of flax from seed to fabric. Here, heritage meets high tech; ancient craft meets open-source robotics. And through it all runs a thread of creativity, joy, and cross-cultural collaboration.
This partnership between Brink! and Artpark was the beginning of a journey building connections across Europe. What resulted was a recognition of a Europe-wide natural fibres craft movement.
Working across Northern Ireland and Germany, the project linked farmers, artisans, artists, and academics from both regions. During the project Brink! and Artpark Hoherberg developed friendships and relationships with Fibreshed Ireland, Mallon Farm, and Linen Biennale combining our collective efforts, across different events, to make a bigger impact.
The collaboration unfolded through a hybrid format of in-person and virtual workshops, discussions, and creative experiments. The experience was shared at every stage—from sowing seeds in April, to spinning and dyeing linen in late summer, to exhibitions that shared the processes with the public in Autumn, for harvest.
Each activity celebrated the rhythm of making: planting, harvesting, dyeing, weaving. And in between, there was always room for conversation, laughter, music, and the simple joy of doing things together.
Highlights included:
Summer Solstice Festival – Belfast (June)
In June, we gathered at the Brink! Belfast Stories site—a once-derelict patch of the city now alive with culture and conversation. There were workshops and panels, music and movement, and shared meals that explored how climate, craft, and creativity can coexist. You can check out the program from the day here.
The Flax Meitheal – An Creagan, N.Ireland (August)
A weekend of talks, demonstrations, music, and poetry with Fibreshed Ireland and Mallon Linen. Farmers, weavers, and artists came together to celebrate the harvest, share stories, and imagine a “flaxen future”—a regenerative, equitable, and joyful vision for sustainable textiles. At its core is the spirit of meitheal (pronounced meh-hal), an ancient Irish tradition of cooperative work, where neighbours come together to support one another during labor-intensive seasonal tasks. More than a method of working, meitheal embodies a broader ethos of collective care, shared knowledge, and mutual aid. You can read a lovely article about the weekend at the Linen Biennale website.
The Flax Symposium – Online (September)
Participants from across Europe connected virtually to reflect on “One Square Metre of Flax,” exploring how even small community plots can spark big conversations about sustainability and belonging. Each event blended learning with celebration—proof that sustainability isn’t just about responsibility; it’s about joy, music, and shared human experience.
Reflecting on the impact and looking ahead
This project is about much more than fabric. It’s about revitalising post-industrial communities and re-energising places once shaped by industry but left without its heartbeat. By reintroducing flax cultivation and natural fibre processing, we’re creating eco-friendly economic opportunities and re-centering culture in everyday life.
It’s also about increasing cultural engagement in regions where opportunities are often scarce. Through workshops, storytelling, and hands-on making, people of all ages and backgrounds are reconnecting with their heritage and reimagining the future together.
While this is just the first phase, we see it as the foundation of a European flax network—a growing community of makers, growers, and thinkers committed to sustainable textiles. Together, we’re proving that the threads of history can still weave a future full of creativity, connection, and care for the planet.
In the press
The partnership and project was featured in a BBC news article, written by Louise Cullen - BBC News NI agriculture and environment correspondent
Read the article