Art & Surveillance

As I'm in the process of drafting a paper "The artist as voyeur" that probes how surveillance is appropriated by artists both as a methodology and canvas, it was great to come across this issue (how did I miss it?!):

http://www.artlink.com.au/issues/3130/art-26-surveillance/

Luckily,  a back issue was available and has just arrived in my PO box. Now, off to read ...

The Choir: story from a South African Prison

Currently on SBS TV is The Choir directed by Michael Davie. Apparently shot over several years, the film shows the story of Jabulani Shabangu, both a victim and perpetrator of crime and now incarcerated in Leeukwop Prison, South Africa. He is recruited into the prison choir that goes on to compete at the National Prisoner Choir Competition. The story tells of the transformative possibilities of music and immersion in a new community, even within the closed environment of prison.

http://www.sbs.com.au/films/movie/3304/The_Choir
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0929735/plotsummary

Watch the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g59RZCsxEkA

Prison ethnography continued

With thanks to various online friends (Fabio and Maggie via crimspace, facebook and mendeley) who are also researching prisons, here are some more references:

Ben Crewe, The Prisoner Society: Power, Adaptation and Social Life in an English Prison
http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Prisoner-Society-Ben-Crewe/9780199653546

Patenaude, A.L., 2004.No promises, but I’m willing to listen and tell what I hear: Conducting qualitative research among prison inmates and staff. The Prison Journal, 84(4 suppl), p.69S–91S.

Crewe, B. & Maruna, S., 2006. Self-narratives and ethnographic fieldwork. The Sage handbook of fieldwork, pp.109–123.

Alison Liebling's idea of "appreciative inquiry" a bit, and Dot Golding's work in WA is interesting. Other prison researchers like Ben Crewe are also a great help and I found Mark Halsey's work with juveniles in WA great. 

More reading ... just what I like!