FACT Liverpool Probes Into the UK Justice System With Year-Long Art Initiative
Presented by artists Melanie Crean, Katrina Palmer, Ain Bailey, and Amartey Golding.
FACT Liverpool is showcasing a year-long exhibition that raises awareness to the experiences of the UK justice system. Dubbed Resolution, the multiyear art and research project is supported by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University, which invited four artists to translate stories of incarceration into immersive film and installations.
The project was first conceived in 2014 through FACT’s interest in understanding the complexities of veterans assimilating back home. Over the past five years, FACT researchers and artists Melanie Crean, Katrina Palmer, Ain Bailey, and Amartey Golding worked with politicians, the families of inmates, prison staff, as well as criminologists across Liverpool, Rochdale and York to create four new installations that look to show how art can spark dialogues, affect public attitudes and influence policy.
Ongoing until June 2, Katrina Palmer’s On the other side probes into individual and collective identities of the prison system, prompting onlookers to reflect on the relationships between those who hold power and the people affected by it. Similarly on view until July 7, DJ Ain Bailey’s FOUR (2024) is a sonic exploration, where visitors will listen to the music and sounds that were once important to inmates — weaving together connected memories that participants can ultimately create their own compositions from. Lastly, in August, the final Resolution will take place as Amartey Golding will present a chainmail sculpture made in collaboration with imprisoned men at HMP Altcourse, which explores themes related to trauma, personal experiences and social behaviors.
Resolution is currently on view at FACT Liverpool. Learn more about the gallery’s programming here.
