Origins of the “Eigg Hoard” exhibit

The Eigg Hoard has been created out of objects found on beaches on the Isle of Eigg on Sunday 12th February 2023. The museum has been set 100 years in the future at the request of the pupils of Eigg Primary School. They envisage this future as one in which certain things have changed:

  • Boats are powered by solar cells and the wind. Solar panels are now really light, so its easy for boats to carry them. Some boats have decks made of solar panels. Some have sails, and some have wind turbines on board. People use oars as well, of course. Advances in technology also allow some boats to be steered using a keyboard, instead of a wheel or a rudder.
  • Farmers use ploughs pulled by horses, and tractors are powered by poo. Poo is also used to fertilise the land, so there are tractors that are fitted with hoses and sprays.
  • Plastic bottles are used as construction materials: there are fences and even houses built out of them.
  • Some houses are underground, like hobbit houses, to keep them safe from violent storms, make them easy to keep warm, and give more space for the sheep.
  • Some houses have horns to scare away ghosts and evil spirits. Some houses also make more use of technology, for example having tables with carpet on top that are lowered into the floor when they’re not in use, to make more space inside.
  • People don’t use money and instead get what they need and want by bartering and trading. For example, they might swap beer for beef, or apples for wool. Apples are worth more when they are out of season, so you can get more in exchange for an apple in April than you can in August.
  • There are different kinds of animal on Eigg, compared to 2022. There are squirrels and vultures.
  • There have been some changes to the weather, too, so that it is warmer and sunnier in summer and colder in winter – in fact, it snows a lot in winter now and every Christmas is a white Christmas. The tides have also got bigger, with higher high tides and lower low tides.

The children also drew pictures to illustrate the future. You can see these below.

Eigg in 2123: there's no more petrol/fuel so people use sailing boats.
Eigg in 2123: there’s no more petrol/fuel so people use sailing boats.
Eigg in 2123: Ali's house, four sheep in a field and a boat with wind turbines on the deck and a laptop instead of a wheel/tiller.
Eigg in 2123: Ali’s house, four sheep in a field and a boat with wind turbines on the deck and a laptop instead of a wheel/tiller.
Eigg in 2123: the sea is still full of plastic bottles and bottle tops, and there are mermaids.
Eigg in 2123: the sea is still full of plastic bottles and bottle tops, and there are mermaids.
Eigg in 2123: houses are made of plsatic bottles and are in the shape of a bottle - and mostly undergrond. The tractors are powered by poo and spray poo on the fields. There's still a lot of plastic bottles and stuff to pick up on the beaches. There is more space for the sheep, and there are mermaids.
Eigg in 2123: houses are made of plsatic bottles and are in the shape of a bottle – and mostly undergrond. The tractors are powered by poo and spray poo on the fields. There’s still a lot of plastic bottles and stuff to pick up on the beaches. There is more space for the sheep, and there are mermaids.
Eigg in 2123: the animals have changed and evolved, and the weather is hotter in summer and colder in winter.
Eigg in 2123: the animals have changed and evolved, and the weather is hotter in summer and colder in winter.