Parallel
Parallel weaves together the songs of Flemish, Northern French, and English workers. From lacemaking to farm life, from struggle to celebration: three countries sound as one. Centuries-old melodies reveal the surprising similarities of daily life across the border.
More about this project
In the 19th century, workers from Vlaanderen crossed the border in droves to work in the lace industry of Bailleul. Despite the 300-year-old border, daily life on both sides remained surprisingly parallel: the same hopes, the same fears, the same songs of work, struggle, and celebration.
Parallel gives voice to those shared stories through lacemaking songs, farming and labor songs from Vlaanderen, French Flanders, and even England. Brutal encounters along the way, moments of poverty and hard labor, but also songs about drinking and celebrating: traditional melodies connect three countries in a single story.
The production is led by the English a cappella group Coope, Boyes & Simpson, the Vlaanderen choir Belladonna, and Northern French musicians from Smitlap. A lighthearted, musical look at history, full of echoes of the lives of workers and their songs.
This project is part of the cultural Interreg Project “300 years of border” and is made possible thanks to the support of Interreg and Europe.