The Ballad of George Barrington is a travel- and reseach project about the life of the notorious pickpocket whose career brought him from the aristocratic circles in late 18th century London to Australia, where he became chief of police in Paramatta.

The book will be an essential component of this artistic research project, featuring amongst other findings, original transcripts of the court cases against Barrington, that will be published in German for the first time. In addition to photographic testimonies, the book combines real as well as created documents and objects related to Barrington. Barrington is ahead of his time when it comes to media self-marketing, his motivation being a craving for recognition and the pleasure he takes when performing his speeches in public.

The Ballad of George Barrington is a search for stolen goods, documents, precious and mundane objects, persons and their relations to one another. Since its start in 2015 the project is being realised during research travels to Dublin, London, St. Petersburg, Paris and Sydney.

The book The Ballad of George Barrington with additional black and white photo print. 10 copies distributed via The Green Box. Every book contains a different motif:

Pickpocket, 2016

Creating the ring with hook and joints, 2017

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London 2016

St. Sepulchre Church, London 2016

St. John’s Cemetery, Sydney 2017

National Library of Australia, Canberra 2017

Barrington and the Duke of Leinster, NLA, Canberra 2017

National Gallery of Australia, Canberra 2017

Staffordshire Barrington Mug, NGA, Canberra 2017

Brush Farm Park, Barrington former estate, Sydney 2017

Sprache: Deutsch / Englisch