THE WITNESS AND THE WITNESS APPEAL

A serial of three parts, ’The Witness’, ’The Witness Appeal I’ and ’The Witness Appeal II’ address the omnipresence of crime in urban life today. ’The Witness’ portrays a woman standing in green urban spaces, wearing a hooded coat and scarf that partially conceal her face. The camera circles her, passes her and zooms in on her face. Mostly, we see only a figure, her identity hidden by the distance, by her clothing, by the camera angle or by other obstructions such as a tree. Through brief glimpses of her nose, mouth and eyes, the viewer gradually achieves a sense of the performer’s appearance, but she never looks directly at the camera. Who is the witness – the performer or the viewer? And to what crime or event? ’The Witness Appeal [Parts I & II]’ show a catalogue of scenes in London, featuring signs warning of crime or calling for witnesses mingled with scenes of building sites, of firemen climbing through windows, of marches and crowds, puddles, empty tube trains, mummified corpses, street performers, satellite dishes, maps and abandoned supermarket trollies. This blend of acknowledgment of crime with everyday scenes challenges the assumption that crime is rare, or localised, or that anyone can assume to be safe. Every broken window is a potential past or future crime, every window is a potential broken window.