Hundreds of shirts special to islanders go on show

Hundreds of people have donated shirts for the project

Hundreds of shirts have been hung up as part of an art project in Jersey.

More than 600 shirts were donated after islanders were asked to give clothes that have a special memory or connection.

The Dancing Together exhibition went up over Charing Cross in St Helier on Tuesday.

They are due to be there until the end of October when the shirts will be turned into a exhibition that will go on show at Capital House.

Kaarina Kaikkonen is the artist who came up with the idea for Dancing Together

Kaarina Kaikkonen - a Finnish contemporary artist - came up with the idea for the exhibition.

She said "my father died in front of my eyes from a heart attack" and after his death she "wanted to wear his shirts around me to feel his love around me".

Ms Kaikkonen said: "It is wonderful how people in Jersey are involved in this and want to participate with their own stories and in every shirt, there has been a loving heart inside."

She helped launch the display along with Minister for Sustainable Economic Development, Deputy Kirsten Morel.

Brenan Lalor and his son, Ultan, were impressed by the display

Brenan Lalor and his son Ultan, 10, were visiting Jersey from Ireland when they noticed the display.

Mr Lalor said it reminded him of "Tibetan flags" and he felt compelled "to take out my camera and I found out how special these shirts are".

He added: "I haven’t had a chance to see every one but I think it is a lovely idea that we reflect these moving and sometimes sad memories."

Ultan said "there’s a lot of colour" and he first thought "people were hanging their washing on the line".

Alix Wiles from Jersey Mencap and client Andrew have been part of the project

Jersey Mencap has been one of the charities that has been involved in the project.

Client Andrew was one of the artists involved and said he was "really pleased" with how it came out and he thinks "it looks really good".

Alix Wiles from the charity said "it is great for us" to be involved and it is important "to showcase our artists' talents in projects like this".

She added: "We’re delighted with how it looks and it’s a really inclusive exhibition where you can see the shirts we’ve designed."

ArtHouse Jersey's Tom Dingle praised everyone who helped with the project

There has been some criticism of the Dancing Together project on social media - some people have complained the work is untidy and just looks like washing that has been left out to dry.

Tom Dingle, from ArtHouse Jersey, said it was about "looking a bit deeper" and when you "look at what the shirts represents" people will see the meaning behind the display.

"I think the key thing is you reflect on how each one of these shirts represents someone and their story," he added.