ArtHouse Jersey has announced the Lullaby Project, an initiative that hopes to create a diverse portrait of Jersey’s lullabies by capturing the many much-loved bedtime songs that are sung around Island homes.
The project, conceived and executed by artists Susanne Kudielka and Esther Rose Parkes Heinrichs, has been commissioned by ArtHouse Jersey with funding support from the States of Jersey Connect Me grant fund and will take place over the next two years, culminating in a special as-yet-to-be-announced series of events in 2024.
In the meantime, the artists are asking Islanders to come forward and share their lullabies with them. They will be holding a series of ‘Lullaby Corner’ pop-ups at Jersey Library, which will provide an inviting space to share and contribute to the project.
Overall, the Lullaby Project aims to create an opportunity for a diverse range of people in Jersey to share in the making of a creative community endeavour. Current dates for the mobile lullaby pop-ups at Jersey Library are:
- Wednesday 1 March – 10am to 1.30pm
- Friday 3 March – 10am to 12pm
- Wednesday 8 March – 10am to 1.30pm & 5pm to 8pm
- Friday 10 March – 10am to 12pm & 2pm to 5pm
- Wednesday 15 March – 10am to 12pm
- Friday 17 March – 10am to 12pm & 2pm to 5pm
Artist Esther Rose Parkes Heinrichs said: “Lullabies have been part of our sleep rituals since ancient times. They often stay with us all our lives and are passed on orally through the generations. Lullabies are woven into the fabric of family life across different cultures.
“With the public’s help we will create a lullaby portrait of Jersey. This project is an opportunity for a diversity of people to share in a creative community endeavour. Keep an eye out for our new webpage where the collected lullabies can then be used as a free resource by parents, practitioners and community organisations, and come spring, we will host a variety of pop-ups with our mobile lullaby archive.”
Pictured: Esther Rose Parkes Hein and Susanne Kudielka
