From crime scenes to digital spaces

A mundane object’s journey through forensics

Abstract

Ordinary objects can assume exceptional significance when discovered at crime scenes, providing valuable information for investigations while also offering insights into the routines of daily life and human behaviour – aspects that may contrast with the extraordinary circumstance of the crime itself. In this article, I follow the forensic journey of one such mundane object – a sock – that does not fit the pattern of other evidence in an investigation. The article zooms in on the moments in which the sock transmutes from ordinary to forensically informative through technological interactions that capture, document, and encapsulate
its meanings. I argue that in forensic contexts, meaningful information necessitates a transcendence from material to digital spaces, in which a singular object is represented as multiple entities. This shift presents a unique lens through which to observe and understand process of knowledge production in investigatory police work.