Forensics: The anatomy of crime is the title of a free exhibition at the Wellcome Collection on Euston Road in London NW1, running until June 21. For details visit the Collection’s website: http://wellcomecollection.org/forensics.
Whether the authorities’ paperwork and newspapers of the time while Jack the Ripper was killing women in the East End of London, photos of murder scenes, pictures of morgues (a French word, so used because Parisians in the 1800s would go to the morgue to gawp at the dead, displayed if the corpse had not been identified) or academics talking about how bluebottles lay their eggs in the dead, perhaps within 12 to 24 hours, the exhibition goes over the history, science and art of forensic medicine. It goes into courtrooms, across centuries and continents, exploring the specialisms of those involved in collecting, analysing and presenting medical evidence. It offers stories of victims, suspects and investigators of violent crimes, and cultural fascination with death and detection of the criminals.
The exhibition contains original evidence, archival material, photographic documentation, film footage, forensic instruments and specimens, and artworks offering both unsettling and intimate responses to traumatic events, such as political ‘disappeared’ in Chile and victims of the genocide in Rwanda.
The exhibition is open until 6pm Tuesday to Sunday; and 10pm on Thursday. It’s also open until 10pm on the first Friday of a month.
