Throughout 2024, FACT presents the outcomes of Resolution, a major multi-year art and research project launched with support from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University. The project invites four artists to collaborate with participants who have experiences within the justice system, presenting art as a space for dialogue and representation and exploring how art can affect public attitudes and influence decision-making.
FACT’s work within the justice system traces back to 2014, with a significant emphasis on exploring the complexities of veteran identity and their experiences within the system. Since 2019, FACT’s Learning team has worked with artists Melanie Crean, Katrina Palmer, Ain Bailey, and Amartey Golding in prisons across Liverpool, Rochdale, and York. Incarcerated individuals and their families, prison staff, policymakers, and criminology researchers took part in the project, which now culminates in the presentation of four new artworks across a series of exhibitions at FACT. Three of the four commissions are currently on display, with the final commission to be revealed in August 2024.
From 1 March until 2 June 2024, FACT presents artworks by Melanie Crean and Katrina Palmer as part of the group exhibition, On the other side. The works make visible the complex formation of individual and collective identities shaped by the landscapes of prison and incarceration, and encourages visitors to reconsider the relationships between those who hold power and those who are affected by it.
From 19 April – 7 July 2024, FACT welcomes a new commission by artist, composer and DJ Ain Bailey titled, FOUR (2024). The immersive installation and audio work explores the concept of ‘sonic autobiographies’ through collaboration with imprisoned men and their families at HMP Buckley Hall in Rochdale. Through several workshops, the participants listened to music and sounds that were significant to them, sharing their individual and connected memories, to ultimately create their own compositions.
In summer 2024, FACT will present the final Resolution outcome by artist Amartey Golding. Collaborating with imprisoned men at HMP Altcourse, Golding constructs with chainmail to explore stories of trauma, lived experiences, and societal behaviours. The installation at FACT features a new chainmail sculpture crafted by Golding and the participants, accompanied by a film documenting the men’s journey carrying the sculpture through HMP Altcourse, where it will be presented until going on display in the gallery.
Resolution‘s impact extends beyond the four major exhibitions, with vital resources, events, and documents produced to amplify the project’s reach. In addition to online and in-person events, FACT plans to release several free audio resources recorded with project participants and artists. Publications, including Katrina Palmer’s Sentences (2023) and Melanie Crean’s exhibition catalogue, will be distributed to participants, associated prisons, and made available to the public.
Collaboration with Liverpool John Moores University continues, with the project’s long-term collaborator, Dr. Emma Murray (Reader in Military Veteran Studies and Criminologist-in-Residence at FACT), set to produce a paper on the intersection of social science and art, as well as the project’s findings. Together, FACT and Dr. Murray redefined the role of an embedded researcher, with Dr. Murray being pivotal in the development of the programme and disseminating research across penal reform campaigners, criminology researchers and decision-makers. The next edition of FACT’s journal will feature essays and long-form articles from Dr. Murray and FACT’s Learning team, focusing on the project’s insights, methodologies, and outcomes.