Work in Progress

The Voice – Vouaïe project

The Voice – Vouaïe project is an anthropological, social heritage, fine art documentary project. The aim of the project is to bring awareness and create a social, historical and documentary archival record of Guernésiais speakers. Guernsey has an ancient language with a long and distinctive history. Guernésiais, is the name of the Guernsey language; which derives from the ancient Normans.

Today, the number of the original native speakers in Guernsey is in fast decline. It is estimated that in 2019 there are possibly fewer than 200 fluent speakers of the language and these are mainly aged over 80. I feel it’s imperative to capture this critical changing situation, as an important part of Guernsey’s social heritage and for the future legacy of the Island. Furthermore, communicating this social issue to the International community. In doing so, I have captured a part of social history, which can be so fleeting.

The body of work would comprise off intimate portraits of the Guernsey speakers. All of the portraits have been taken in people’s homes, showing their private and home environments. I have also photographed the Guernsey people’s personal objects, which reminds them, of their heritage, family or of their homeland.

One of the outcomes of the project is an exhibition, which would consist of the portraits of Guernsey speakers and a number of their photographed personal objects. Alongside the photographs there will be an opportunity to listen to the participants’ audio recordings of them talking in Guernésiais, together with an English translation. The recording and editing of the audio is being supported by Guernsey Museums, who are a partner in this project. The project has also been sponsored by Art For Guernsey, Guernsey Art Commission, Specsavers and the States of Guernsey.

From the outset the Voice – Vouaïe project has reached people who would not normally take part in the arts. Through this project I have worked with the wider island community and developed relationships with people from all over the island. Furthermore, the project has brought strangers and lost relationships together, through group and individual meetings.

The majority of people who and will take part in the project, were not evacuated in WW2 and spent their childhood under the Nazi occupation. In 2020 it will be 75 years since the Liberation of Guernsey. This will be a special year for the Guernsey inhabitancies and especially for the Guernsey people who experienced this troubled period of their history.

The Voice – Vouaïe project has engaged the wider audience of Guernsey and has facilitated with wellbeing, mental health and loneliness issues which concern the older generation of Guernsey. We envisage there will be a new awareness of the plight of the Guernsey’s traditional language and in turn may spark, new learning opportunities within educational areas.

The project has already been conveyed, to the international community and has created great interest in Guernsey and the plight of the Guernésiais language. We also plan to take this exhibition to the international community to raise awareness of Guernsey and its unique culture and heritage.