Prison is a multilateral project, organised by three European institutions: The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum in Geneva (MICR) in partnership with the Musée des Confluences in Lyon (MDC) and the Deutsches Hygiene-Museum in Dresden (DHMD). The exhibition deals with the themes of confinement, detention conditions, exclusion, but also reintegration and the role of the judiciary. Each of these equally compelling notions serves as a reminder that incarceration is a complex and multidisciplinary issue – subjected to the particular current societal conditions.
The manifold and unconventional scenography explores this complex theme and reflects the inside of prisons – the situation behind bars – as well as the outside – the freedom and autonomy – in a colourful and positivistic manner. Architecturally, the exhibition is divided into five sections. The introduction and the conclusion are created as open zones, dedicated to historical and socio-political issues. They form the visual and contextual bond. The main three sections comprise imprisonment, life in prison, and breach of rule. Historical, philosophical, and sociological aspects of incarceration reveal the ambiguous reality of detention. They break down stereotypes and raise the possibility of alternatives to authoritarian and antiquated punitive systems – calling the visitors for actively getting involved with the questions of incarceration, to become aware of individual agency and to assume responsibility.