Workers 'grow' potatoes... but not for eating

Sunday 07 January 2018

Seasonal Polish workers have worked with a London-based artist to explore issues around labour migration in Jersey through a series of projects including a clay potato competition.

Alicja Rogalska was invited by the Morning Boat, an arts programme that aims to create work at the heart of the local community by exploring and reflecting on agricultural and fishing practices in Jersey

Produced by ArtHouse Jersey and funded by the One Foundation, the Morning Boat programme is centred around an international artist residency, with artists from around the world being invited to develop work that responds to the island’s "unique narrative." 

Alicja Rogalska, a Polish artist based in London, has worked for a range of institutions and organisations throughout the world. Her practice is interdisciplinary, with a focus on social structures and the political subtext of the everyday. She came to Jersey earlier last year for an initial period of research and collaboration. She then returned to realise a series of projects that emerged from this research. 

One of those projects is the Agri-care prize and potato pottery. The prize for the best migrant workers’ employer in the agricultural sector in Jersey was created in collaboration with the workers. The criteria for it was developed through a series of discussions exploring the manual labourers' working conditions, experiences and expectations. During each session, the workers made clay potatoes relying on their tactile memory.

Pictured: The seasonal Polish workers have been making clay potatoes with Alicja Rogalska.

The clay potatoes and the workers' stories will be presented and distributed to the public using custom-made honesty boxes and a video will be produced showing the process. One of the clay models, voted as the ideal potato, will be cast in bronze and incorporated into the trophy given as the prize to the best employer.

Ms Rogalska also wants to create a Jersey migrant workers archive, named "Alien Species." The Jersey Migrant Workers Archive aims "to fill the gap in visual representation of the migrant workforce on the island." Drawn from the private archives of the workers, images and videos showing their work, living conditions, and leisure pursuits will be gathered, catalogued and incorporated into the Jersey Photographic Archives.

The artist says that the important aspect of the archive is the self-representation of the workers' lives, allowing them to take the lead in presenting their own image. The Archive will be made available to researchers, journalists, artists and anybody interested with a public showcase planned in 2018.

The team behind the Morning Boat commented: "As an arts programme that aims to create work at the heart of the local community, we believe that it is important to recognise this often overlooked demographic as part of the social fabric and economic viability of the island, to reflect on the way they are perceived, their work, social dynamics, challenges, concerns, thoughts and ideas."