Justice in the hands of everyday people

WE, THE JURY

‘We the Jury’ at Sir Harry Gibbs Legal Centre, in the Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts, explores the different aspects of jury service and how it contributes directly to the delivery of justice.

From concept to design and installation, every detail of this exhibition has been carefully crafted to create a meaningful and immersive experience for visitors, offering visitors a thoughtful and engaging exploration of the democratic process.

The design concept centres on the idea that justice is everyone’s responsibility and is a process of hearing arguments, listening to evidence, and reaching a verdict.

The Queen Elizabeth Courts building has a distinctive black, concrete and honey-coloured timber aesthetic throughout the foyer and court interiors. These elements were the inspiration for the exhibition’s colour palette and layout, grounding the content in place, imitating a court room arrangement and incorporating building furniture within the gallery space such as bench seating.

Stylised graphic imagery emphasises the different levels of anonymity of the roles of people within court and the diversity of participants, while bold typography emphasises the importance of the jury contribution and process.

Through the use of speech and thought bubbles and oversized punctuation, the design highlights the jury process of listening, questioning and deliberating, and has a dual benefit of breaking down a somewhat unknown civic process with simple questions and answers.

Highlighting a case study of women’s journeys to greater equality in this civic forum for the past 100 years, and encouraging visitors to consider the future of representation and democracy for jury systems, specifically representation for First Nations and people living with disability.

The exhibition directly links to the Australian curriculum Legal Studies syllabus for secondary school students that visit the exhibition space. It also engages the wider community with understanding the community’s responsibility to participate in the important civic duty of serving on a jury.