Unlike many Creative Climate Action projects that work directly with local communities, Immersion focuses on a community of practice: immersive storytellers working across disciplines and across the island. Through the Climate Immersion Fellowship (CIF), the project supports ten selected fellows as they develop climate-informed concepts that may later be shared with wider audiences.

A Targeted Approach to Creative Climate Practice

The Immersion project is built on a clear goal: to utilise Ireland’s creative capital to capture the public imagination through immersive storytelling. In its own words, the project seeks to create narrative experiences that “communicate impactful messages around climate change and biodiversity loss”, and to accelerate the development of these ideas by providing fellows with workshops, working retreats and expert guidance.

This approach makes Immersion unique within the Creative Climate Action programme. Rather than focusing on direct public-facing activity at this stage, it strengthens the capacity of creative practitioners whose future work has the potential to influence how climate issues are understood across Ireland.

Collaboration Across Local Authorities and Creative Partners

A wide range of stakeholders is involved in enabling this work.

Local authorities have been particularly supportive, offering opportunities to share the project’s development and facilitating connections with relevant networks. Galway City Council, for example, has provided support through the 2025 Climate Inspirations Festival, helping to situate the fellowship within broader climate-focused cultural programming.

Culture Works, acting as an ecosystem partner, has supported both the project team and the fellows in aligning with Creative Climate Action objectives. Through links to creative-technology events such as Beta and Rendr, the project has also benefited from platforms that encourage exchange, exploration and expanded professional connections.

Activities to Date

Since the ten fellows were selected through an open call, the project has focused on providing developmental supports aimed at strengthening their climate literacy, deepening their thematic understanding and refining their creative concepts. Workshops and working retreats have created structured opportunities for learning, reflection and collaboration, helping participants to engage meaningfully with climate change and biodiversity loss as creative themes.

Emerging Impacts

Although the project continues to progress toward later stages when public demonstrators may be developed, early indications point to a range of meaningful impacts on individuals and the wider sector:

Direct Impacts

• Fellows report feeling more confident and capable in integrating climate and biodiversity themes into their work.
• Improved climate literacy and clearer understanding of key issues.
• Increased awareness of the factors driving climate inaction.

Indirect Impacts

• Growth in creative output that engages with climate and biodiversity themes.
• Strengthened interactions between climate experts, creatives and community groups.

These impacts reflect the project’s intention to build long-term capacity within Ireland’s creative sector, supporting practitioners whose future work can contribute to public engagement with climate issues.

Creative Ireland’s Role

Support from Creative Ireland has been instrumental in enabling Immersion to develop its fellowship model, convene expert collaborators and advance its focus on climate-engaged storytelling. This support underpins the project’s ability to work with immersive practitioners and align the initiative with national Creative Climate Action objectives.

Looking Ahead

By focusing on creative practitioners themselves, Immersion: Experience Climate Action is laying foundations for future public engagement that is informed, imaginative and grounded in strong climate understanding. As the project continues, the work of the ten fellows, supported by partners across culture, research and local government, is expected to contribute to new forms of climate storytelling and wider sectoral collaboration in the years to come.