Holloway Prison stood in the heart of North London for over 160 years — a formidable institution that shaped not only the lives of the women held within its walls, but also the very fabric of the society around it. This presentation offers a fresh and critical perspective on the life and afterlife of Holloway — now a contested site of redevelopment.
We’ll explore daily life behind the walls: the routines, the hierarchies, and the quiet resistance woven into ordinary moments. More than a place of confinement, Holloway functioned as a tool of state-making, a spectacle of punishment, and a space of depersonalisation.
Through historical insights, social commentary, and visual material — including artwork created by former prisoners — this talk invites local residents, and especially those with personal ties to Holloway, to begin a community conversation. Together, we’ll uncover the many layers of meaning behind one of London’s most significant and symbolic institutions.
Host: Can Yildiz
