Proof was an exhibition of prints and installations inspired by artist Beatrice Haines’ residency at the University of Abertay Dundee’s forensics lab. The residency was conceived and delivered by the Hannah Maclure Centre and Yuck ’n Yum, with the support of the School of Contemporary Sciences. It was presented as part of the 2013 Print Festival Scotland, in parallel with the Impact 8 Conference.

When Haines’ grandmother died in 2006, she became fascinated by the many cherished possessions left behind. Each object acquired a poignancy and meaning that had previously not existed. Although void of life, her grandmother’s house took on the role of a museum of personal antiquities and a proof of her existence. Haines wished to hold onto the memory of her grandmother by recording as many objects and traces as she could; scuffs on the carpet, tea stains, strands of hair left in her comb. Since this experience, her artwork has been heavily influenced by traces. Although the human is often absent in her work, the object left behind acts an anthropomorphic portrait that, like forensic evidence, tells its own story.

This obsessive need to record traces and seek meaning in them coincides with the very nature of forensics where every detail is important and rich with underlying narrative. Using found objects from the local area and materials commonly used in the forensics lab, Haines wanted the viewer to share the same curiosity and intrigue she felt when watching a fingerprint magically appear under a UV light; that a secret has suddenly been exposed. Working with Dr.Kevin Farrugia, Abertay University, Haines learned how to best visualise minute pieces of evidence using dyes and fluorescent lighting which react with blood and grease from human skin. Artworks appeared to undergo a physical change as a result of scientific alteration.