Representations and Remediations: new modes of thinking and doing forensic identification.

Written by Kathryn Smith (PhD) 

Presented by Kathryn Smith (Stellenbosch University)

Dr Kathryn Smith (Department of Visual Arts) will introduce her work as a forensic facial imaging specialist (or, forensic artist) alongside her multimodal, interdisciplinary research into global forensic cultures. She considers Forensic Art as an essential but underutilized and under-theorized mode of science communication, particularly in the context of South Africa’s ‘silent mass disaster’ of unidentified people in our medico-legal system. She argues that the transdisciplinary nature of Forensic Art offers critical challenges as well as affordances relative to current international standards and organization of forensic science disciplines, and shares recent work that shows how intersectional approaches are shaping new ways of thinking and doing forensic identification.

This colloquium took place at the Department of Journalism, located at 26 Crozier Road, Stellenbosch Central. You can watch a recap of the colloquium on our YouTube page.

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