Dates:
8th - 23rd November
Venue: St Helier Town Church
Opening times:
Monday - Friday | 10:30am - 6pm
Saturday | 10:30am -7pm
Sunday | 1pm - 6pm
Free entry
www.arthousejersey.je
SPECIAL EVENT
Saturday 16th November
Double Bill Presentation of both The Sound of Colour: Origins from 2021 + The Sound of Colour: Arrivals
5:30 pm and 7:30 pm
The Sound of Colour: Origins explores the human journey on a macro/micro level from the intricate patterns found in nature, to the vast expanse of the cosmos and our sense of place within this moment in time.
Suitable for all. Children must be accompanied by a parent or responsible adult.
Booking via Eventbrite
Please scan the QR code to book tickets £5 entry
Bouônjour!
Arrivals is a new work and the second projection mapping and soundscapes to be presented in St Helier Town Church following the success of The Sound of Colour: Origins in 2021.
The Sound of Colour: Arrivals features visuals by multi talented International artist Akhila Krishan, a soundscape by the brilliant Jersey electroacoustic composer Sarah Keirle-Dos Santos and is co authored and produced by Natasha Dettman for ArtHouse Jersey.
Arrivals explores the emergence of language in Jersey; from the distant whisperings of the Magdalenian people of the late Stone Age, the Iron Age Celts of Gaul, the Romans, the Franks, the Normans, to the appearance of our native language Jèrriais. Bringing light into the darkening month of November, Arrivals contemplates how our language and culture has been woven into existence and shaped over thousands of years of settlement of this island by different peoples and cultures. We finally land in present day Jersey, where the sounds of modern English, French, Portuguese, Polish, Romanian, Swahili, Filipino and many more languages can be heard.
Visuals
Creative Direction & Design
Akhila Krishnan
Technical Lead
Maximilien Spielbichler
Animation
Lawrence Watson & Georgia Clegg
Additional Programming & Engineering
Richard Wells
Sound
Sound Design and Composition
Sarah Keirle-Dos Santos
Sound recordings
JP Le Blond
ArtHouse Jersey Team
Co Author and Producer
Natasha Dettman
Technical Manager
JP Le Blond
Programme Coordinator
Amy Baker
Special thanks to the Very Reverend Mike Keirle, Reverend James Porter, Marie Goddard, Emma Keirle and the Church wardens.at St Helier Town Church, Société Jersiaise and Professor Glyn Burgess, the Blampied Family, the States of Jersey Treasury Department, Geraint Jennings, L’Office du Jèrriais, Jersey Heritage, Chantal, Patricia and the staff at Cheval Roc Residential and Nursing Home.
What can you HEAR AND WHY?
The immersive soundscape created by Sarah Keirle-Dos Santos features the voices of many islanders speaking some of the languages which would at various times have been spoken widely or made a brief appearance in Jersey.
Chapter 1: The CAVE
Arrivals begins its journey as a torch illuminates sections of wall in a large cavernous stone structure and reveals early human mark making, symbols and imagery.
There has been human activity in Jersey for around 250,000 years, before it became an island about 7,000 years ago.
The Magdalenian peoples re-occupied Europe 17000 - 13000 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age. Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of a Magdalenian campsite at Les Varines and fragments of small stone plaquettes extensively engraved with abstract designs were found at the site. These are suspected to be the earliest examples of art found in the British Isles. The Magdalenian era saw a flourishing of early art - from cave art, the decoration of tools and weapons to the engraving of stones and bones. Beautifully detailed examples of Magdalenian cave art have most famously been be found at the cave of Lascaux in France.
Illustration: Les Varine Plaquettes
Thank You to Annigna
Kennedy, Geraint Jennings, Tom Oxenham, Richard Pedley, Marianne Sargent, Ben Spink, the team at Cheval Roc Residential and Nursing Home including Joyleen, Ella, Anna, Filipe, Eduardo, Fouda and Ruth and the Jèrriais conversation group at Jersey Pearl.
The opening chapter of Arrivals pays homage to some of the mark making, symbols and paintings created by the Magdelenians and used to communicate their lived experience. Images of the animals they hunted like red deer and wild horses adorn the walls of our imagined cave before we slide forward in time through the frozen ribcage of a
Chapter 2: The Iron Age People of Gaul
In Chapter 2, we pick up on the trail of the Iron Age peoples of Gaul, a region of modern day France between 800 BC and 800 AD. The Romans knew this part of the world as Amorica and the Celtic tribes who lived here as Gauls. We encounter the Gaulish languages likely spoken by these Celtic tribes. We hear the whispers of Latin from the Roman Empire and its influence on the modern Romance languages of France, Spain and Italy. We can also hear the Germanic language spoken by the Franks who later settled this region.
Competing for material wealth, land and influence, the languages of these peoples are woven together to reveal the complexities that sit beneath the modern cultures and languages of the countries which became the Europe we know today. Here we focus on those which would likely have made their way to Jersey.
As the golden threads of a Celtic torc are twisted together across the ceiling of the church in the manner that these items were created, we pull together some of the languages which might have been heard.
Gaulish - Evidence of Celtic tribes in Jersey can be found in coin hoards buried at Le Câtillon in Grouville. The hoards contain coins and jewellery mainly belonging to the Coriosolitae tribe but also include coins from the Osismii, Redones, Baiocasse and Abrincatui. They were made about 2,000 years ago, when Julius Caesar and his Roman legions were conquering this region and the Channel Islands were changing from a Celtic way of life to a Roman style of living.
A likely language spoken by the Celts of Gaul was Gaulish. Gaulish was supplanted in Western Europe by Vulgar Latin and various Germanic languages from around the 5th century AD onwards.
You can hear an example of Gaulish in an excerpt taken from the Chamalieres Tablet, a small lead tablet found at the Source des Roches excavation in France. It dates somewhere between 50 BC and 50 AD. The text is written in the Gaulish language but with cursive Latin letters. Found at the site of a spa, It is thought to be either a curse tablet or a prayer for healing.
ChamalièresTablet, read by Annigna Kennedy
Latin - Representing the influence of the Holy Roman Empire we hear the Latin chant Te Deum dating back to the 5th century.
Frankish - Fadra Unsa, or the Lord’s Prayer is read here in late Frankish, a Western Germanic language spoken by the Frankish tribes of Gaul. The Merovingian dynasty of the Franks succeeded in unifying most of Gaul under its rule during the 6th century following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. The subsequent Carolingian dynasty became the new emperors of Western Europe in 800 AD, when Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the Pope Leo II.
Fadar Unsa is read by Ben Spink
Chapter 3: The Arrival of the Northmen
After two or three centuries of chaos, new states began to emerge from the tribal societies of Europe.
Vikings from Norway and Denmark launched violent raids on Europe and the Channel Islands. Referred to as the ‘Northmen’ and eventually the ‘Normans’, Viking leader Rollo besieged Paris in 911 AD. In exchange for ceasing his raids, King Charles the Simple of France - a member of the Carolignian dynasty - officially gave Rollo the land around Rouen making him the first Duke of Normandy.
Rollo’s son, William Longsword, annexed the Channel Islands from Brittany and Jersey became part of the Norman world.
The Norse language has influenced many of the place names in Jersey today.
Ey means an island as in Geirr’s Ey - Geirr’s Island which later became Jersey
Haugr means mound. haugr became hougue or La Hougue Bie
Ness means a headland. Ness becomes nez like in Grosnez
Melr means sand dune. Melr becomes mielles then you get Les Mielles
Hoc means hook. Le Hocq must look like a hook from the sea.
Stakkr means high rock and is the origin of the L’Etacq
Chapter 4: The Normans
In this chapter we take inspiration from the Bayeux Tapestry which depicts a pivotal moment in the history of Britain and France, most famously the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The seventh Duke of Normandy AKA William the Conqueror defeated King Harold of England to become King William I of England. The Channel Islands therefore became part of a united England and Normandy.
Jersey born poet Robert Wace who eventually became Canon of Bayeux, in his verse chronicle, the Roman de Rou written in Norman, tells the story of Dukes of Normandy from the time of Rollo to the battle of Tinchebray in 1106. In this section we hear the words of Wace describe the moment King Harold is defeated.
The local language, Jèrriais, is a Romance language and part of the Langues d’oïl family spoken in Northern France. It is one of the dialects of western Normandy and shares the same roots as the Norman-French spoken by William the Conqueror.
In 1204 King John lost his possessions in Normandy but retained Gascony and the Channel Islands and initiated a process by which Jersey ceased to be Norman and became a territory of the English Crown.
Roman de Rou read by Geraint Jennings from Roman de Rou translated by Prof Glyn Burgess for Société Jersiaise
Mirie it is while sumer ilast. Middle English song, anon. Sung by Sarah Keirle-Dos Santos
Chapter 5: Le Pieuvre
Jersey saw waves of immigration from the 16th to 19th century. Amongst these people were religious refugees fleeing France after the Edict of Nantes was revoked, men seeking employment in the island’s lucrative cod fishing industry, English speaking, British Army officers retiring on half pay after the Napoleonic Wars, labourers - many of them Irish - coming to work on the major building projects such as the Esplanade, the harbour, Fort Regent and St Catherine’s breakwater and agricultural workers arriving from Brittany.
In 1852 a famous new resident arrived in the form of acclaimed writer Victor Hugo. Forced into exile for speaking out against Napoleon III, Hugo spent time in both Jersey and Guernsey. During his exile in Jersey, Hugo took an interest in the local language and numbered some Jèrriais writers among his circle of acquaintances..
Whilst in Guernsey, Hugo wrote two of his most famous works, Les Misérables and Les Travailleurs de la Mer
Les Travailleurs de la Mer or Toilers of the Sea was first published in 1862. The book is dedicated to the people of Guernsey, but it is thought he took inspiration from observing the local fishermen in Jersey. In the famous scene where the protagonist Gilliat does battle with an octopus; instead of using the commonly used French word for octopus, ‘poulpe’, Hugo uses the word ‘pieuvre’ which he attributes to the tongue of the Channel Islanders. Accompanied by Hugo’s own illustration of the ‘ pieuvre’, you can hear an excerpt from Toilers of the Sea. Illustration: Les Travailleurs de la
Mer by Victor Hugo
French
In a speech Actes et Paroles, written once he had returned to France, Hugo again refers to the language of the Channel Islands.
‘O, vous tous! braves Normands des îles de la Manche - sachezle - votre patois est vénérable; votre patois est sacré - car c’est de votre patois qu’est sortie, comme une fleur de la racine, cette belle langue, la langue française.’
(translation)
‘O, you brave Normans of the Channel Islands - know ye that your dialect is a venerable one - and sacred - for it is from your dialect that has sprung, as a flower from the root, that beautiful tongue, the French language.’
Toilers of the Sea and Actes et Paroles are read by Richard Pedley
Breton
The French influence in Jersey is often more Breton than Norman.
After a downturn in the cod fishing industry, between 1851 and 1950 Jersey saw an influx of French agricultural workers mainly from Brittany, many of whom made the island their home. A census showed that In 1901, 31% of children born in Jersey had fathers who were French.
As we exit this chapter you can hear the traditional Breton folk song Tri Martolod which dates to the 18th century. The lyrics tell the story of three young sailors who embark for Newfoundland to find their fortunes. It is sung in the Breton and is typical of the Breton spoken in South Cornouaille and coastal areas. Breton is one of the Brythonic or British Celtic languages and is closely related to the Celtic spoken in Cornwall and more distantly in Wales.
Tri Martolod played and sung by Tom Oxenham
Chapter 6: OCCUPATION
The Occupation of Jersey by German Forces during the Second World War commenced on 1 July 1940 and lasted for nearly five years until 9 May 1945 – Liberation Day.
At the time of the occupation, although English was the commonly used language of education, commerce and administration, up to half of the island’s population could still speak the local language of Jèrriais especially in the more rural communities. Jèrriais was often used as a way of communicating information that islanders didn’t want the German forces to understand. In a sense the language itself became an act of resistance. In this chapter you can hear the lively chatter of today’s small Jèrriais speaking community who meet regularly to keep the language alive.
You will see a depiction of banknotes designed by the artist Edmund Blampied. During the Occupation there was a shortage of coinage in Jersey, partly caused by occupying troops taking away coins as souvenirs. This led to the passing of the Currency Notes (Jersey) Law on 29 April 1941. A series of banknotes designed by Blampied was issued by the States of Jersey in denominations of 6 pence (6d), 1, 2 and 10 shillings (10/-) and 1 pound (£1). The 6d note was designed in such a way that the word six on the reverse incorporated an outsized “X” so that when the note was folded, the result was the resistance symbol “V” for victory.
Voices heard here are of those of native Jèrriais speakers in Jersey who meet regularly to converse.
Chapter 7: GROWTH AND NEW ARRIVALS
After the Liberation, there were more than 1,000 small family farms in Jersey growing Jersey Royal potatoes, mixed crops and keeping cows, pigs and poultry. Seven decades later, the agricultural industry has been transformed into two major sectors – Jersey Royal production and dairy.
In Chapter 7 you will hear local poet Marrianne Sargent remember the agricultural roots of her family in her recital of her poem ‘La Tåche’.
Le Tåch’ron, is an old Jersey farming expression meaning;”The Team”. Historically it described the ultimate potato harvesting team: three workers, each with a specific role that the others depended on.
Illustrations: Banknotes designed by Edmund Blampied courtesy of the Blampied Family and the States of Jersey Treasury and Exchequer Image by Dave Ferguson
La Tåche
by Marianne Sargent
Today he is le Tåch’ron, Standing tall, Taking the lead
Setting the pace
There’s a knack to this tåche. He’s an expert at working la frouque à chin dés, heavy in small hands turning la tèrre.
It is his brother’s turn to stoop
Following the fork, breaking his back shaking les vîngnes with green grubbed hands, to free les p’tites nutty ringnons from rich friable soil, eune riole dé Rouyales lying in his wake.
The old man completes the fork. Crawling à grappins; Climbing lé cotil, dragging bent knees bound in rubber, back buckled by fused vertebrae.
Yet, determination brims la pannelé d’patates filling up at his side.
Y’a hardi d’récolte
Pouor fathe la ta táche.
Poem written and read by
Marianne Sargent
In modern times, the Jersey Royal is Jersey’s biggest crop export, accounting for around 70% of agricultural turnover, 99% of production is exported to the United Kingdom. This lucrative crop along with flower growing until the late-20th century, has required seasonal workers to sustain it, first from France, then Portugal - largely Madeira – and Eastern Europe. Now a seasonal workforce is employed from over ten countries including Eastern Europe, Brazil, Kenya, the Philippines and Tajikistan.
Tourism - Jersey attracts in excess of 400,000 holiday makers each year.The industry is an important sector of the island’s economy with between 5,000 and 6,000 people working in tourism and hospitality each year. Jersey’s hospitality industry has attracted workers from Italy, Madeira, the UK, Kenya and most recently Anitigua and Barbuda through a government partnership.
Image by Gary Le Feuvre
Finance - Jersey is rated as one of the most successful international finance centres in the world. The financial services industry is a significant contributor to the Island’s economy and is estimated to employ almost a quarter of the local workforce, recruiting highly skilled workers from all over the world.
In this section you will hear some of the many languages spoken by people who have settled in Jersey and who make up today’s diverse workforce across different sectors: health, hospitality, finance, education, agriculture and the arts. These include Portuguese, Polish, Romanian, Swahili, Arabic, Ndebele and Filipino to name a few.
We asked the care staff working at Cheval Roc Nursing Home to record a message they would like to send home. The overwhelming sentiment was to send a message of love home to their families, especially their mothers.
Islands are unique in that they can encourage a spirit of exploration in those who are born on the Island and often need a workforce from outside to sustain their economies. This can mean pockets of language and culture are preserved whilst other aspects are continuously shaped by the coming and going of people. With each arrival, people bring their own culture and language and leave their mark in Jersey making the island a unique and diverse place to live with a rich and fascinating history.
We hope you have enjoyed taking this journey with ArtHouse Jersey. Please visit our website to learn more about our work.
www.arthousejersey.je
For more information on Jersey’s unique local language Jèrriais, please visit L’Office du Jèrriais website.
www.jerriais.org.je
Jersey Heritage www.jerseyheritage.org/learn/jerriais
Graie, ch’est vrai = Creating is truth
À bétôt
ArtHouse Jersey is a charity. We rely on donations from individuals and organisations to sustain our work.