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                    Rhys Ryan and Emily Boutard

                    2021: Round 1

                    Street view showing court building

                    Street view of WITNESS (in development) at the corner of Lonsdale and William streets

                    Dance artist Rhys Ryan and miniaturist Emily Boutard aim to challenge the public’s perception of legal institutions through their interdisciplinary creation.

                    ​Rhys Ryan’s practice encompasses performance, choreography and critical writing. He trained at the VCA and has worked with leading Australian choreographers Stephanie Lake, Russell Dumas and Anouk van Dijk. His own works have been presented at Dancehouse, Melbourne Fringe and Adelaide FringeVIEW. Rhys is a lawyer and writes on dance for Limelight and Dance Australia.

                    Emily Boutard’s work explores worlds on a tiny scale. She has been commissioned by ACMI, National Trust, Microsoft and Lenovo. Emily’s artistic practice uses historical ideas as a way to explore the built forms around her and our civic identity. She studied architecture at RMIT, works as a lawyer and sits on the advocacy committee for National Trust, Victoria. 

                    WITNESS

                    Courts represent the heart of the Australian judicial system – arenas where disputes are adjudicated and laws are enforced. But public attendance at hearings is uncommon and, because photography and filming inside a courtroom is not allowed, there is little public understanding of these spaces. In response, WITNESS creates an ultra-realistic ‘window’ into the courthouse by broadcasting replicas and re-enactments of its interior on a large digital screen fixed to the outside of the building.  

                    Three interiors of the Supreme Court of Victoria – a court room, judge’s chambers and registry – are replicated in miniature form (1:12 scale) and filmed at close range. Live action performances of court personnel are superimposed onto the footage, creating the illusion of a surveillance camera. Those who encounter the temporary installation in the heart of the city’s legal district are met with a peculiar scene: a direct line of sight into the machinations of justice. 

                    The law’s principles of openness and transparency contradict the notoriously ‘closed’ physical spaces where justice is administered. By revealing images of these rarely seen spaces, WITNESS removes visual and metaphorical barriers to the legal system. The work challenges public perceptions of legal institutions and contributes to ongoing conversations about access to justice.

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