“Expert Witness negotiates new terms for ballistics testing of an Adam’s rib uranium vase and begins by tracing its’ production history as decorative glass to the more well known utilization of uranium in the military. The project then proceeds by drawing from the expert witnesses’ protocols, exploiting what seem to be systemic loopholes, and repeating the logic of the expert witness that ultimately leads to a reversal of roles between bystander and witness. Through infiltrating this system of perceptual authority the project rapidly unpacks a complex web of seemingly improbable relationships, intertwined narratives and a body of evidence that doubles and serves to perpetuate a new set of historiographic narratives.” -David Small

Expert Witness is an artist book by photographer Daniel Small which traces the work of an expert witness who works on behalf of large banks, such as Wells Fargo and Bank of America, as a consultant specialist on bank robberies. The expert witness, who remains anonymous in the book, draws on military and police experience in his career as an expert witness, where he appears in court in addition to his role as a consultant. Small travels to the Mojave Desert, where the expert witness lives, to document his environment where the ballistic testing occurs. Expert Witness also includes a forward by Christina Linden, featuring an interview with the expert witness, the subject of Small’s photographs. This artist book is a fascinating look into the life of a rare and unique figure while simultaneously raising questions on the mystique and power of firearms and weapons in our society which exist in a system of loopholes which protect their sanctity.

Daniel Small is a photographer who lives and works in Los Angeles, California. He received his BFA from Rhode Island School of Design and his MFA from San Francisco Art Institute. Small has had numerous solo exhibitions in the United States and Europe and has collaborated with artists such as Yoko Ono and Luca Nino Antonucci and the FBI.

This book is published under Colpa’s Artist in Residency program with support from Southern Exposure and the Alternative Exposure Grant. This staple bound book is edited by Luca N. Antonucci and published in 2013 in an edition of 50. Colpa is the collaborative art practice of Luca Antonucci and David Kasprzak, who work together as publishers, designers, printers and curators.