Bystander

Long before we became obsessed with Melbourne's mobsters, Sydney's criminal underworld was photographed and archived by the police – millions of shots of streets, alleyways, parlours, pubs and kitchens, all the scenes of nasty crimes and accidents. In 1987, tens of thousands of these negatives were rescued from a flooded warehouse in Lidcombe and moved to the museum. Because their case records have been lost, the crimes these mysterious images document remain lost in the shadows of time. 

Now, around 3,000 of those photos have been used to create an artwork in a new exhibition at the Justice & Police Museum. Artists Ross Gibson and Kate Richards have created Bystander, an installation that speculates on the stories behind the photos. The number of people in the room and their movements affect the frequency of images projected on the screen. Walking in the darkened Bystander space, visitors will be immersed in a bygone Sydney between the years 1945 and 1960. 

Bystander is at the Justice & Police Museum until Sat 31 Jan 2009. 

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