Today's newsletter is a follow-up to one I sent in the Fall about an art project highlighting the final meals of death row inmates (see Strategic CSR – Obituaries):
"Six tacos, six glazed doughnuts and a Cherry Coke: That was the last meal of a man executed in Oklahoma in July 1999. Rendered in cobalt blue glaze on a white china plate the next year, it was the first in Julie Green's decades-long art project, 'The Last Supper,' which documented the final meals of death row prisoners around the country."
The link below is related, in that it is a series of photographs by a photographer who seeks to recreate the last meals (more visceral, I think, than an artistic representation or written description). The title of the series is "No Seconds":
To be clear, the photographer recreates the last meals (these are not photos of actual last meals). He has been described as a "food stylist," so his shoots involve food he manipulates for artistic effect. This approach, of course, introduces the artist's interpretation into the finished piece, which naturally affects the audience's reaction.
Nevertheless, I found that seeing the actual food alters my perception of the 'ritual.' It is more real and immediate, and the implications seem more profound. I have always been struck by the stark contrast between the apparent humanity of offering someone who is condemned the dignity of a final meal request and the barbarity of the actual act of execution. The photographs seem to make this contrast more tangible.
Take care
David
David Chandler
© Sage Publications, 2020
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