Twisting view of history

A NEW exhibit launched in Hobart will be showcasing convicts in photography with an unusual twist.

The Photographs of Australian and British Convicts exhibition aims to combine research, documentation and altered images of convicts to challenge preconceptions of offenders.

The team used a 19th century technique to superimpose 25 images of offenders for each of the 12 works.

University of Tasmania Professor Hamish MaxwellStewart said the process intended to alter people’s perceptions as much as it altered the images.

“The images are made from multiple offenders, at least 25 images,” he said.

“They emphasise the symmetry of the face and make images which we find very appealing.”

Dr Maxwell-Stewart said symmetry aided the audience in humanising the offenders.

He said the exhibit presented 19th century and modern-day offenders to highlight continuing issues in incarceration and social stigma.

“It’s often the same issues,” he said.

“There is an overrepresentation of offenders suffering from mental illness … and indigenous offenders.”

The exhibition’s creation spans across the globe, with National Trust Tasmania, UTAS and a UK university joining forces.

Forensic researchers at Base Lab, operating out of Liverpool’s John Moores University, aided in the process of creating the images.

The exhibit, aimed to be running on a semi-permanent basis, is in the Hobart Penitentiary Chapel.