Worksongs. Performance,Kunsthal Charlottenborg, 2022. Photos by Marlene Anne Lough.

The performance Worksongs will take place in the Kgs. Nytorv Square during the morning rush hour, where many Copenhagen residents are on the way to work, study, school, etc. The interactive performance addresses the conditions of present-day working life, where stress and burnout caused by ever-increasing pressures at work constitute a growing threat to public health.

To the sounds of a playlist consisting exclusively of songs from Black music culture which feature the word ‘work’, the performance offers a chance to dance before the working day begins. Between each song, the artist recites texts that address problematic issues concerning labour market conditions, institutional racism, and the destructive impact of capitalism on humankind. The performance references the songs sung by enslaved Africans, which served to set a rhythm and keep the workers’ courage up during the physically strenuous work, in line with African tradition. The music was often improvised, and the mode of singing veered close to spoken language.

Worksongs was originally commissioned by Den Frie Morgen and first performed in June 2021.