This four-year research project, in partnership with the Universities of Liverpool, Leeds, Tasmania, and Liverpool John Moores University, has explored the history and legacy of Australia’s most ‘crime-plagued’ areas. Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), this research has informed a series of documentary films which offer a nuanced understanding of the complexities within these communities.
The film tells the story of Indigenous prisoners at Fremantle Prison who together created astounding internationally significant art. The artworks provide insights into Aboriginal culture, telling the stories of the land and friendships within the prison.
During this time period, Fremantle Prison ran an art programme which was used to encourage the reform of inmates. Through conversations with experts and families, Professor Barry Godfrey, University of Liverpool, and filmmaker Professor Paul Cooke, University of Leeds, demonstrate how art was used as a method to cope with struggles of prisoner's lives before, and inside, prison.
Art was seen as a ‘survival mechanism’ whilst in prison but seen as a ‘lifeline to a new future’ when inmates left the prison.
Watch a short documentary film
The Art of Fremantle Prison from Paul Cooke on Vimeo.
These films were offically launched in Australia and the United States in May 2024 and aim to raise awareness of the lived experiences of Indigenous prisoners, and the legacies left behind.
The colonial legacies of crime, racist policing, and the over-imprisonment of indigenous people were also explored in films - A Long Way to Go and Roebourne. Documentary film, 'Roebourne', received recognition from the ABC and The Guardian. The documentary was also awarded the best film on History/Social Movements at the Sydney Film Festival.
Our intention has been to explore the ways in which arts and humanities research can inform approaches to inclusive participatory decision-making, community engagement, co-production, and human rights. In all of our collaborations we have acknowledged the traditional owners of the land, paying respects to their Elders, past and present.
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