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Last week's shining heatwave seems to have brought with it an array of art celebrating the sun and sea... but for those wishing to take shelter, there are also a few upcoming theatre performances - one of which is even held inside an underground bunker.
Each week, Express presents a selection of online and offline exhibitions, performances, workshops, events and other historic, creative and delicious content to help islanders get their weekly dose of culture.
Here's this week's offering...
One of Jersey’s most iconic Occupation sites throws open its doors for a breath-taking hour of song and remembrance from two world-class Jersey musicians.
Ballads from Bunker Island will see internationally-acclaimed singer and scholar Dr Adam Perchard and virtuoso violinist Alexander Lee-Briard take viewers on a journey through song – across Europe, North Africa, and the former Soviet Union – as they unpick the complex histories of the thousands of people brought to Jersey as slave workers and forced workers during the Second World War.
Set deep in the bowels of one of the vast structures the workers built, this piece bears witness to the darknesses they faced, but also to luminous acts of kindness and courage. Featuring songs from their homelands – sung in their mother tongues – about laughter as well as despair, springtime as well as sadness, Ballads from Bunker Island remembers Jersey’s slave workers as complex human beings who suffered, but also triumphed.
The performance will be held on 25 and 26 of June at M132 Underground Command Bunker, Noirmont Point. There will be three performances each day taking place at 14:00, 16:00 and 18:00.
Synthesis of Colour is a joint exhibition by the internationally acclaimed artists Jason Martin and Misha Milovanovich, in conjunction with local artist Nicole Smith at Private & Public Gallery.
Gallery Director, Chris Clifford, says: “Entire movements in art history have devoted themselves to the study of colour. Artists like Wassily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian, Henri Matisse and Carlos Cruz-Diez contributed to the field through their experimentations with warm and cool palettes, complementary colours and chromo-saturations so this exhibition builds upon that understanding and is perfectly timed at the height of summer when sunlight illuminates every aspect of nature”.
The exhibition, which was launched at a preview event on Friday 17 June, runs until Saturday 9th July. It is open weekdays from 12:00 to 18:00 and on Saturdays from 10:00 until 14:00.
Six stamps celebrating iconic statues and sculptures located around Jersey are to be issued by Jersey Post on Thursday 16 June.
Featured on the stamps are: Le Traveilleux d’Cauchie, which depicts a dockworker pulling a rope, paying tribute to Jersey’s maritime heritage; King George II, one of the best surviving examples of lead sculpture in the British Isles; Centaur & Cupid, a copy of a Greco-Roman antiquity which was found on the grounds of a chateau in the western parish of St Brelade; Saint-Malo, a memorial unveiled in 1997, two years after the courageous rescue of the French catamaran of the same name; Le Crapaud, a giant toad sat atop a plinth sculpted by renowned artist Gordon Young, and Swimmers II, created by famed sculptor Philip Jackson, also known for the Liberation sculpture in Jersey’s Liberation Square.
The stamps can be purchased in all branches of Jersey Post or online.
Year 6 pupils from Jersey College Preparatory School will be taking to the stage this week with Hoodwinked, a play inspired by the tale of Robin Hood.
This will mark the first time in three years that the children are able to perform in front of a live audience, after last year’s production had to be live streamed due to covid.
The children are understandably excited to perform in front of the school and their parents. Teacher, Angie Pateman said: “They have had unwavering enthusiasm throughout the preparation of this show. We have even seen them teaching other children songs and dance routines on the playground at breaks and lunchtimes!
“They are fully invested in the whole production. We have a particularly talented group of dancers who have led the choreography and supported all children with routines.
“All of the girls have been a real joy and privilege to work with on this production. We can’t wait to get on the stage and perform now.”
44 students are involved in the musical performance, each showcasing their own unique talents.
Dusk and Dawn is a collection of seascapes by artist Danny Booth inspired by the movement of water before and after the sun has risen and set.
This moment is replicated using layered impasto oil paint giving the work texture and mirroring the reflections found on water. The line between abstraction and figuration is blurred with recognisable forms transforming into expressive marks. Deep blue and purple hues give the work a meditative and calming feel, capturing the stillness and calm of first and last light.
Danny is a fine art graduate whose practice embraces an extensive range of materials and techniques including mixed media, painting, drawing and sculpture. As well as his fine art practise, Danny also has been involved in many community-based arts projects including set design, murals, public art installations and workshops.
The open evening will be at The Space Art Gallery on Pitt Street on Thursday 23 June 2022 at 17:30.
Jersey Arts Centre's YouTheatre are taking to the stage this week as they present their latest production: THE CHANGING ROOM.
Performing from 23 to 25 June, this honest, witty, and touching piece written by Chris Bush will be presented by 13 local young actors.
Set in and around a swimming pool, this important and innovative play follows a group of young people as they explore existing on the cusp of adulthood and all the excitements, frustrations and worries that come along for the ride.
You can find out more about THE CHANGING ROOM and book tickets online.
Liminal Jersey is an exhibition of paintings by Rian Hotton and jewellery by Ellica Kaliff. The exhibition opens on the evening of 23 June, and then continues until the 17th July at the Harbour Gallery. It will be open seven days a week, from 10:00 to 17:00.
Rian and Ellica have also donated artworks to be auctioned by silent auction which will accept bids for the entirety of the exhibition. A raffle will be held on the opening evening, and monies from both of these events will go towards the future relocation of The Harbour Gallery Jersey.
Robert Alan will be exhibiting a selection of new artwork, entitled Distant Shores at Le Hocq Tower on 9th and 10th July from 10am until 6pm.
The artwork is based on drawing and painting the coastline of Jersey in the outdoors. Robert said: “The use of my immediate landscape as inspiration for my work has been an ever-evolving subject. My aim is to create artwork that describes not just the physical aspects of a place but the sensation of being there. Sometimes the paint is affected by the rain or sand that has been blown on to the surface of the artwork.
“I often intentionally add materials from the environment into the work including painting with seawater or thickening the paint with sand. I will constantly add marks, layers and textures and pull them back and extract areas to slowly reveal the artwork and help it portray a constantly changing shoreline or an ancient feeling harbour.
“This is the fifth exhibition I have put on at Le Hocq Tower and the setting has continued to be perfect for my artwork as it encompasses the ever-changing tidal landscape, busy fishing boat moorings and layers of history that my artwork aspires to imply.”
JCG hosted a Festival of Cultures on Friday 17 June. The day’s event consisted of a mix of teacher and student led workshops centred around cultures from around the world. Students had the opportunity to experience a varied world of literary works, art, music, language, and academics.
The day also included an ‘International Food Festival’ at lunchtime with an array of dishes, prepared by staff and students, on offer.
Read more about it HERE.
Last week saw the launch of one of Europe's largest murals at Normans in Jersey... but it has got a bit muddled up. Can you help? If so, click HERE.
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