A Crown Dependency is defined as being not a part of the UK, but are owned by the British Crown as self-governing islands. The crown dependencies include Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Being self-governing, each island has its own laws, parliament and currencies, giving them an independence while being connected to the British crown.
Jersey as a Crown Dependency
In 1066, Duke William of Normandy had become King William I following his conquest of England, meaning the Channel Islands became a part of the Duchy of Normandy. In 1205, following the Battle of Rouen involving English King John and French King Philippe-Auguste, Normandy was lost to England, as well as the Duchy of Normandy.
As a result, Jersey was persuaded to align themselves with English rule, as opposed to the French whom had been ruling them for over 100 years. The English King granted them the right to be self-governed, making their own laws and having their own court. Since, a governor, or warden, was appointed by the Kings/Queens to represent them in Jersey.
The royal court would consult with the Constables (Connétables) of each parish to connect with the people living in Jersey, as well as the church. This led to the States of Jersey being formalised due to the connection with the people, church and courts of Jersey. Eventually, Deputies and Senators were introduced to the states in favour of Jurats and rectors.
Response to Crown Dependencies: Binary Opposites
In response to the idea of crown dependencies, that seem to oppose (or be opposite to) some things from the mainland, we were tasked with the prompt of taking pictures to do with Binary Opposites. A binary opposite is are terms/things that are a direct opposite to each other. To get some ideas for the themes I could take pictures of, I will list some binary opposites below:
- Good vs. Evil
- Nature vs. Culture
- Rural vs. Urban
- Inside vs. Outside
- Day vs. Night
- Cold vs. Warm
- Public vs. Personal
- Up vs. Down
- New/Young vs. Old
- Male vs. Female
- Body vs. Mind
- e.t.c…
Here are some photographs I have found that I can use to give me ideas for the idea of binary opposites. I looked for images that are opposite in colour and tone, as well as themes such as urban vs. rural and day vs. night. I think these are the types of images I want to take for this photoshoot, as they are simple opposites to understand, while allowing for creativity in the photos themselves. In particular, I think an urban vs rural theme would fit into the idea of ‘Islandness’ and Jersey as a Crown dependency and its relationship with the UK.