So, what did you get up to in the 1980s?

New wave and synthpop sounded from boom boxes, the earth was threatened by Space Invaders on screens across the country and youngsters only looked up from their Rubik’s Cubes if it sounded as though America and Russia were beginning to argue.

At the time, Jersey was emerging from its tourism heyday and continued to ride high, buoyed by a burgeoning finance industry, while also being immortalised on TV thanks to detective Jim Bergerac.

Now, Jersey Heritage is planning a community exhibition about the Island as it was in the 1980s. The organisation wants to hear from Islanders about their memories of people, events and places in Jersey that were significant in that period.

Today the JEP is running a selection of pictures from its archive identified by Louise Downie, Jersey Heritage’s community learning director, and asking readers if they remember a few familiar scenes. She explained that the organisation wanted to build the exhibition from people’s memories, using objects and photographs, and using Bergerac as an interesting hook relating to the period.

Mrs Downie said: ‘We want to put forward the exhibition’s interpretation from an emotional point of view, and ask what were you frightened of, what were you proud of? That enables us to think and frees people to put things into their own frame of mind. It also enables them to open up a much wider discussion and take a comparative view of things.

‘In terms of education, it enables parents to say things like, “This is what I used to enjoy as a kid” to their children. It gives them the opportunity to open up family discussions, and we want to give them the raw material to do that kind of thing.’

As part of the exhibition, curators and contributors will look at what happened across the world in the 1980s, how Jersey was influenced, and how the Island was seen by others. It is hoped that individuals will also be able to identify themselves or friends or relatives from archive pictures of the decade.

Mrs Downie added: ‘We’ll be taking a lot of first-person accounts, talking to people about their experiences and memories, and are hoping that people might send in their own-mix tapes from the 80s. We are hoping to play them as part of the exhibition.

‘We’ve also got a photography project planned with the Société Jersiaise and are hoping to get people to produce photographs from the decade. The idea is, if you have a photo of yourself with friends or family that you try to recreate the scene, the setting and if possible some of the clothes. So it’s an opportunity for friends and family to relive those times. We chose the 1980s partly because it was a revolutionary decade that still has reverberations in what we are doing now.

HOW well do you remember the 1980s? Here are a few reminders ...

lThe Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 saw pro-democracy protesters demand political reform in China. The protests were crushed by the People’s Liberation Army.

lRonald Reagan was elected President of America in 1980, while Margaret Thatcher led Britain for the whole decade.

lMikhail Gorbachev became leader of the Soviet Union in 1985, and initiated major reforms to the country’s government by increasing the right to express political dissent.

lAt the end of the decade, millions watched the fall of the Berlin Wall.

lIn 1984 there was an assassination attempt on the British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, and the Conservative government by the IRA.

lTechnology continued to improve and the walkman, boom box, home computer and piano synthesizer grew in popularity.

lRock and heavy metal continued to be popular while power ballads and new-wave music also took hold.

lJedis, Indiana Jones and Marty McFly whizzed across our screens.

lIn the world of fashion, aviator sunglasses, jean jackets and Jheri curls were all the rage.

How to get in touch

IF you recognise yourself or friends or relatives in any of these pictures, please contact Louise Downie by emailing louise.downie@jerseyheritage.org.

You can also contact Mrs Downie if you have memories related to any of the scenes or events on display.

She would particularly like to hear from Islanders who had prominent roles or experiences in the following sectors: sport, finance, retail and hospitality.

The JEP will also run an extended picture gallery of images from the 1980s online. View them at jerseyeveningpost.com.