RGU News Article Date Posted: 25-Aug-2006 Valid Until: 25-Sep-2006
CITY PUPILS CREATE A CRIME SCENE AT ABERDEEN ART GALLERY
Visitors to Aberdeen Art Gallery will stumble upon a Crime Scene from tomorrow – the body of a young man lies on the ground below a balcony.
The question is: did he fall………or was he pushed?
This atmospheric scene of crime is the culmination of an innovative six-month art and science project run by Aberdeen City Council's Arts Development team.
Funded by a £10,000 grant from the Wellcome Trust, the innovative Crime Scene partnership project is the first of its kind in the North-east, focusing on forensic science with the aim of relating science to real life.
Two groups of teenagers from Harlaw Academy – including pupils who attend the school's Arts Based Support Group – were given the chance to examine how individuals have a unique make up and how specialist forensic techniques can be used to identify victims or criminals.
They worked closely with artist Helen Partridge, in the studio at Whitespace, with the support of Harlaw Academy teacher Tina Stockman.
The end result is the art installation, which will be officially unveiled at the Aberdeen Art Gallery studio tomorrow afternoon (FRIDAY).
The piece is accompanied by an original audio soundtrack, to enhance the atmosphere in the exhibition space.
As visitors enter the darkened room, through sheets of polythene, they are faced with a glass body cast covered in enlarged fingerprints, surrounded by 'crime scene – do not cross' tape.
In the corner, a TV screen shows CCTV footage of Aberdeen, and every so often the last movements of the 'victim' can be seen as he walks through the city centre.
Photos of some of the pupils, who are posing as suspects, have been hung on the wall, while a glass case displays some of the key evidence – from a 'bloodstained' t-shirt to replicas of possible weapons, which the young people created using resin.
Chris Ganley, Community Arts Officer with the Arts Development team, said the project had been a huge success.
"It's been a fantastic project and the young people have all really enjoyed it. Crime Scene had a unique approach and it addressed controversial issues.
"Not only have they the two groups learnt practical skills such as filmmaking and photography, they have developed a fascination for human and social dimensions of science and really enjoyed having the opportunity to engage with the topic in a creative way while working with an artist.
"We are extremely grateful to the Wellcome Trust for funding this project, as well as all our partners, including the School of Life Sciences at RGU, the University of Aberdeen, the artist Helen Partridge and the archaeology team."
The groups, which included pupils who signed up for Crime Scene as part of their school activities weeks, also visited the archaeological dig at the Kirk of St Nicholas.
They worked alongside the team of experts to document and record their findings as they unearthed ancient burials.
They also worked with Dr Andrew Morrisson from RGU to investigate mocked-up crime scenes using basic forensic science, and looked at items from the scientific collection at the University of Aberdeen, including a skull with entry and exit wounds from a gunshot.
The partners have been invited to attend tomorrow's launch, which will also be attended by Council officials, John Murray, headteacher at Harlaw Academy and Councillor John Stewart, vice-convener of the Education and Leisure Committee.
He said: "This is a hugely exciting and interesting project which has very successfully built up the pupils' enthusiasm for all the subjects. It is merged art and science to give the pupils a great experience and opened up new opportunities for them."
The Crime Scene exhibition can be seen at Aberdeen Art Gallery until September 16.
Press ReleaseCITY PUPILS CREATE A CRIME SCENE AT ABERDEEN ART GALLERY
