_Forensic Landscapes

Forensic Landscapes is an innovative web documentary that invites visitors to explore the territories shaped by the enforced disappearances and what the author conceives of as ‘forensic resistance’ in Latin America. Thousands of victims of military juntas, civil wars, and brutal crime in Latin America have disappeared without a trace. In various countries, forensic organizations have been formed to investigate the human remains and even mass graves that have been discovered.

Forensic Landscapes is an interactive web documentary in which the work of these forensic organizations is aptly visualized. Consisting of a series of animated landscapes and over 20 short video essays, portraits of activists, and other resources, it brings together in one narrative space three different spaces and temporalities: Argentina’s post-dictatorship period, Guatemala’s post-war period, and a special focus on Mexico’s current crisis of violence.

Relatives talk about the disappearance of their loved ones, the perpetual uncertainty, and the impact this has on their lives. Over 20 years, thousands of bodies have been exhumed—and according to one of the experts, at least another 40 years of forensic work still awaits. This hybrid, interactive narrative is the final destination of an audiovisual research journey that Anne Huffschmid started in 2013.