Jeannette Ehlers, Worksongs

As part of the current exhibition, Archives in the Tongue: A Litany of Freedoms, Kunsthal Charlottenborg presents the performance work Worksongs. 

Worksongs is an interactive performance that addresses the conditions of working life with stress and burnout caused by an ever-increasing work pressure that poses a growing public health problem.

The performance references the song of enslaved Africans as they worked to keep the rhythm and courage up, in line with African tradition. The music was often improvised during the work, and the way of singing was closely linked to the spoken language.
To a playlist that consists exclusively of songs from the Black music culture, where the word “work” is included, we invite you to join the dance before the working day begins.

Between each song, the artist reads texts that problematize the conditions of the labor market, institutional racism and the destructive effects of capitalism on people.

Everyone is welcome to come by and start the day with dancing!