Scaffold model

Caption

A model of a scaffold that the artist imagined might once have existed at HMP/YOI Lincoln for the hanging of the last person executed there, in 1961.

Medium

Cardboard, string and matchsticks

Form

Sculpture

Artist / Maker

Simon, HMP Lincoln

Why have we collected this work?

We want to understand what these prisons are like to live and work in, and how has this changed over time. We are examining the ways that these prison buildings carry traces of the past, while operating in the present day.

The project considers how and why these buildings have survived for so long, and asks how we will know when they have reached the end of their operational lives. We consider the significance of the Victorian prison in shaping public and professional ideas of what prison should be like. Crucially, this project explores the implications of the continued operation of Victorian-era prisons for the contemporary prison service, and aims to inform policy development.

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