Visual artist Fiona Dowling and composer George Higgs are calling for five South Dublin County businesses and workplaces to collaborate on Work Songs. 

The artists will revisit the traditional genre of work-songs and explore the contemporary relevance of singing at work across a range of South Dublin businesses and places of work. They will design a work-song for each of the chosen businesses in collaboration with the staff and management. The work-songs will be performed and filmed in the workplace itself and in a concert hall or theatre, at a later stage.

The artists will bring music into the workplace, highlighting the working rhythms of the County. The workplace together with the artists will explore the possibilities and potential of work-songs in the modern world as they co-create their song. Will songs in the workplace enhance productivity? Draw people together? Lift workers’ spirits?

Time commitment: Between October 2017 and December 2018, there will be 2 short meetings (one with HR and one with staff), two days of observation and conversations (with minimal disruption to the working day), one workshop, six rehearsals and two performances.

Benefits: In recent years, TV programmes such as The Choir and competitions such as Workplace Choir of the Year have brought the workplace song into the spotlight. Recent research has detailed the manifest benefits of singing to workers’ morale, cohesion, reduced stress levels, as well as improved productivity.

Do you work in a bakery, a tech company, a hospital or garage? If your business had a work song what would it be?

Interested in getting involved? Download more information below and email Fiona Dowling and George Higgs at southdublinworksongs@gmail.com to register your interest.

Download Further Information

Work Songs is commissioned under IN CONTEXT 4 - IN OUR TIME, South Dublin County Council’s Public Art Programme 2016-2019 under the Per Cent for Art scheme.