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John,
Earlier this month, MoMA PS1 in New York City hosted a special evening to commemorate the Innocence Project's 30th anniversary and the publication of an expanded 20th anniversary edition of Taryn Simon’s The Innocents. First published in 2003 and exhibited at PS1 that same year, The Innocents features bold and powerful photographs of more than 40 exonerees at sites that assumed particular significance for each of them following their wrongful conviction.
Herman Atkins, Calvin Johnson, Chris Ochoa, and Tyra Patterson — whose stories are detailed in The Innocents — told live, unscripted stories to an audience of nearly 200, about what they see more than 20 years later, when they look at the photos in which they’re featured.
Read more about the event and stories of the wrongly convicted and take a look at the powerful photographs by Taryn here — then share it with your friends and family online.
Frederick Daye, Alibi location, American Legion Post 310, San Diego, California. Where 13 witnesses placed Mr. Daye at the time of the crime. (Image: “The Innocents" by Taryn Simon)
“The photographs and testimonials I gathered 20 years ago document the earliest exonerations through DNA evidence in the United States,” Taryn said. “For the individuals I interviewed, the primary cause of their wrongful conviction was mistaken identification, often through law enforcement’s use of photographs and lineups. These identifications rely on the assumption of precise visual memory but don’t account for the ways in which memory can change through exposure to composite sketches, mug shots, Polaroids, and lineups.”
Please, take a moment today to read more about the new edition of The Innocents and see some of the striking photographs taken by Tayrn.
Thank you for your support,
— The Innocence Project Team |
