To coincide with Separation & Silence, Wandsworth Museum’s new temporary exhibition charting the 160-year history of Wandsworth Prison, Jason Shenai and Marc Schlossman of the Inside Eye photography collective will be discussing their groundbreaking prisoners’ photography project, which took place at HMP Wandsworth in the mid 1990s. Stark images from the project are on display as part of the Separation & Silence exhibition.

Separation & Silence is a new temporary exhibition at the new Wandsworth Museum, to commemorate Wandsworth  Prison’s 160th anniversary. The exhibition focuses on the harsh corrective measures used in the 19th century, the Separate System and the Silent System. The former drove inmates mad through solitary confinement, while the latter broke the will of prisoners through needless hard labour. Capital punishment is highlighted and visitors will be able to view the prison’s noose and executioner’ tools.

The exhibition offers insight into the lives of famous inmates such as Oscar Wilde and Ronnie Biggs and showcases the Museum’s recently acquired Inside Eye photography collection of stark images captured by prisoners in the early 1990s. Artworks by recent inmates will also be on display.

Admission includes entry to the Museum’s permanent gallery, which tells the fascinating story of the Wandsworth region from the Ice Age to the present. Visitors purchasing tickets also receive £1 off entry to the De Morgan Centre (www.demorgan.org.uk), located in the Museum building – an unparalleled collection of paintings, drawings and ceramics by Arts and Crafts artists William and Evelyn De Morgan.

 

September 22, 2011