Captured: Freo Prison 1991

16 June 2009 - 6 September 2009

An exhibition of black & white photographs by Karin Calvert-Borshoff, taken inside Fremantle Prison. The photographs were taken over several weeks in June 1991, five months before Fremantle Prison closed its gates as WA’s maximum security prison.

The photographer’s brief was to document everyday life inside the Prison. The Fremantle Prison Photographic Project was born out of the need to document the facility and the routines before it ceased to operate as a place of incarceration. These arresting images show more than everyday life, they offer a rare glimpse into the actual conditions and people inside Fremantle Prison.

New prison publication

Captured: Freo Prison 1991 is a substantial 64 page catalogue. It features over 50 of the prison images by Calvert-Borshoff, a complete list of works, photographer’s statement and introduction by Head Curator, Sandra Murray. It is available from the Gift Shop for $17.50.

Curator's Statement

From convict times to the present Fremantle Prison has played an important role in the history of Western Australia. Open for almost for almost 140 years, Fremantle Prison was the longest operating convict built prison in Australia. It is a site of exceptional cultural heritage and is registered on both the State and National Heritage Lists.

Captured: Freo Prison 1991 features black and white photographs by Karin Calvert-Borshoff, shot inside Fremantle Prison five months before its closure. The photos were taken over several weeks in June 1991, when the photographer had unprecedented access to restricted locations and prisoners inside Western Australia’s maximum security prison.

The photographer’s brief was to document everyday life inside the prison. Calvert-Borshoff was contracted by the State Government to record the facility and its customs before it ceased to operate as a place of incarceration. These arresting images show more than everyday prison life; they offer a rare look into the stark conditions of Fremantle Prison, an archaic institution long overdue for closure. Calvert-Borshoff captures inmates, prison officers and non uniformed staff in their daily routines.

Featuring some 100 images from the Fremantle Prison Collection, Captured presents a powerful record of the social history of the prison. Topics include work and education, daily routine, religion and recreation. While the photos were briefly displayed in Fremantle and Perth in 1992, this new exhibition includes a number of works never exhibited, photographer’s proof sheets and a special ABC 7.30 Report from 1991 spotlighting the prison before it closed. This exhibition offers a fascinating glimpse into the prisoners’ world.

Sandra Murray, June 2009
Head Curator
Fremantle Prison

Photographer's Statement

The Fremantle Prison Photographic Project was borne out of the need to document the facility and the routines before progress closed it to the inmates and opened it to the public. My brief was essentially to capture on film the antiquated rituals of the facility, rituals that had been in place since the Prison’s opening and which would disappear forever when the facility closed.

The project presented a unique set of constraints – both challenging and frustrating.

Firstly, how to produce a true and valid image of a Victorian maximum security prison whilst satisfying the requests of the Corrective Services Department. (Permission and a signed release form had to be obtained BEFORE any pictures were taken from all persons photographed, thereby eliminating any opportunity for candid photographs).

Secondly, how to photograph inmates in very confined, dark spaces using only the available light, in order to preserve the true atmosphere.

Thirdly, how to overcome the “us and them” attitude of the inmates whilst moving through the prison in the company of Prison Officers.

And lastly, the fact that I was a woman, in very much a man’s domain.

What became evident in a short space of time was that the rituals that I was there to capture formed the very substance of the Prison’s social structure.

Therefore I was faced with the onerous task of entering into these rituals and recording without disturbing or destroying them when in fact my very presence was a trespass.

Furthermore, being part of the process of the move to the new facility, my presence only heightened the fracturing of the ritual system which had already begun with the uncertainty of the move to Casuarina.

Obviously the success or failure of the documentary depended very much on the nature and effectiveness of my approach – this being to disassociate myself from what essentially represented the Prison system.

I avoided whenever possible being told what the offences of the men being photographed were and therefore avoided having to deal with my own moral judgements.

By doing this I attempted to treat the men as individuals, rather than criminals and therefore on a more normal or natural platform.

This promoted the opportunity of establishing a more effective rapport and ultimately resulted in my achieving a more true or real picture of what was happening at the time.

When the moments of confrontation occurred between those prisoners that were willing to participate and those that resented my intrusion, it was essential to cut the negative behaviour short as the unrest travelled quickly and was effective in destroying the tenuous threads of trust that had already been established.

Whilst these scenes were few it was still very difficult entering areas and concentrating on achieving an accurate final result whilst being very aware of the almost palpable feelings of distrust and resentment.

In summary, the Building Management Authority brief was to produce an objective almost functional record of prison life. The reality was that any effort to do this could not avoid the emotive nature of the rituals and the men involved.

Karin Calvert-Borshoff, April 1992
Photographer