Abundant Futures: When children name the sea – Native Tongues launch

Join us to celebrate the launch of Native Tongues, a collaborative project that is part of ArtHouse Jersey’s long-term, socially engaged project Abundant Futures. Native Tongues is by artist and researcher Kaajal Modi, with multilingual children, native Jèrriais speakers, and the wider community.

In 2024, six young learners of Jèrriais explored the connections between language, migration, climate, and belonging through poetry, foraging, storytelling, and conversation. Together, they created new Jèrriais names for seaweeds found along Jersey’s shores – eight of which have now been officially recognised by the Académie du Jèrriais and added to the Jèrriais dictionary.

At this special launch event, you can:

• Celebrate the children’s creativity as they share their reflections.
• Hear from Kaajal Modi, native Jèrriais speakers, and Ben Spink, Head of Service at L’Office du Jèrriais, alongside other contributors.
• Discover Kaajal’s multilingual zine, filled with seaweed identification tips and recipes.
• Experience a rare open meeting of the Académie du Jèrriais, offering insight into how new Jèrriais words are debated and agreed upon.

This gathering is both a joyful celebration of young voices and a reminder that languages are living, evolving, and deeply tied to place – just like the seaweeds that inspired them.

Event Format:

The event will run for around two hours. We’ll begin with a series of short presentations and reflections, followed by a live Académie du Jèrriais session. Afterwards, you’re warmly invited to stay for light refreshments – teas, coffees, biscuits and fresh fruit – and informal conversation.