KARINA ARMSTRONG

KARINA ARMSTRONG

Chantey  2021
oil on canvas
34.5 x 26.5 cm
framed

In the dark times
Will there also be singing?
Yes, there will be singing,
About the dark times.

— Bertolt Brecht

A chantey is a type of traditional folk song that was commonly sung as a work song to accompany rhythmical labour aboard large sailing vessels.  

Chanties helped coordinate group muscle, kept communication going, taught about the sailors’ code and even as a kind of therapy. They had to be simple, so that sailors with different languages could all sing them together.

 — Karina Armstrong

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