Counter-Forensics
Lezing / Debat
This Research Night will focus on the case of Sammy Baker, who was killed by the Amsterdam Police on 13 August 2020. The London-based research group Forensic Architecture (FA) and its Berlin-based sister organisation Forensis continue their collaboration with the Nieuwe Instituut, building on their previous publication with investigative journalism platform Argos.
Counter-forensics is a mode of investigative research employed by organisations in civil society, which seeks to respond to human rights violations and acts of police and state violence. It constitutes socialised research, knowledge production, and design-led storytelling in which interdisciplinary coalitions of citizens and civil society organisations come together to challenge the results of official investigations, presenting their findings in courtroom, political processes, but also in media and cultural forums.
On 24 April, invited speakers from FA, Forensis, INDEX, and Controle Alt Delete will share their expert perspectives on the case of the killing of Sammy Baker, alongside members of Sammy’s family. Through reference to Sammy’s case and other cases of police violence across Europe, they will discuss technical investigative practices, activism, advocacy, and the pursuit of accountability. How can we make police violence visible, and address it? How can technical research and lived experience complement one another? How can designers and spatial researchers contribute to exposing systemic injustice?