Preservation Measures

At the very latest since the 1970s, with the German terrorist group RAF and the rise of police true–crime programmes such as Crimewatch UK or the German version Aktenzeichen XY ungelöst, police photos of suspects, photos of pieces of evidence, and videos of suspicious individuals recorded by security cameras have become public documents.

This type of aesthetic and of visual communication became an everyday sight with the far–reaching investigations after 9/11. From copies of bugging devices, getaway cars, and photofit mugshots to transient, out–of–focus observation photos—to what extent are images such as these objective, or are they subject to any particular aesthetics in their construction?