No Seconds

Skanky Vamp

Skanky Vamp

Sniffin' the Slayer
Joined
Aug 12, 2008
Messages
26,460
Black Thorn
Artist Henry Hargreaves in his, No Seconds presentation, recreates the 'last meals' of death row inmates. Here are a few of the ones I liked (click his name to see more):

The meal itself was not spectacular, but the layout, the table cloth, I thought this was actually a really beautiful picture for some reason
no-seconds-11-650x371.jpg


no-seconds-4-650x371.jpg


no-seconds-8-650x371.jpg


And the perfect way to kill time before killing time
no-seconds-5-650x371.jpg
 
Cool pictures. It says the last guy was death by firing squad. I did not know that still exists.
 
I've seen those before, really interesting. Some of the meals that they chose, you have to wonder what was going through their minds.

What would you guys pick for a last meal? (Hopefully not under those circumstances!)
 
Also, it's scary that two of those inmates were apparently wrongly convicted.
 
Intense stuff. It's interesting how these people viciously took others' lives and yet prisons ensure they have a somewhat peaceful last few hours before their own death; a last meal of their choice, being able to bid their families farewell, and/or a last rights visit from a priest. Why? Why such privileges for what they've done?

I'm getting hooked on Bones now and I just watched an episode today about a death row inmate who was being investigated for innocence. There was a scene where he couldn't decide what his last meal would be.
The guy was totally playing the FBI, he was guilty, very unique outcome considering usually on television when they do this storyline the inmate really is innocent and at yet it couldn't be proven soon enough so they still get the needle or the chair. I'm sure this has tragically happened more than it should in real life, how scary.
 
Cordy_Chase said:
Intense stuff. It's interesting how these people viciously took others' lives and yet prisons ensure they have a somewhat peaceful last few hours before their own death; a last meal of their choice, being able to bid their families farewell, and/or a last rights visit from a priest. Why? Why such privileges for what they've done?
Click to expand...
Probably because they want the prisoners to be a bit more relaxed right before their own deaths 😛
 
This rubs me the wrong way. It's just another way of feeding more to the odd fascination our society has with murderers/serial killers (I'm not excluding myself from this group, I am a Criminal Minds fan after all) and ignoring their victims.

Maybe it would have been said to be morbid to have re-created the last meals of the people these guys/lady killed but I would have preferred that by a long shot.

It should be said that I'm not saying that killers aren't people as well, have reason/diagnoses/some may even be innocent whatever... I'm just saying that take John Wayne Gacy. He is incredibly well-known, but how many people can name even one of his victims? (without googling it!)

These people should get their last meal, but to make art out of it is offensive to me because it puts the attention in the wrong place and just adds to the myth of them.
 
brinkster130
brinkster130
Good point.
Blaze
Blaze
Interesting, I hadn't thought about it this way, but you make a valid point
Taake said:
These people should get their last meal
Click to expand...
Why do you think they should get their last meal?

That was the whole inspiration of the project- to document their last meals. Many states (that support capital punishment) are now taking away the last meal tradition. This is a tradition that has lasted for several hundred years. After an inmate in Texas ordered a meal and could not eat it, legislators began to say that the last meal is unjust and is a 'perk' and are actively petitioning to deny it. Texas has already done away with last meal requests.
 
Mr. Pole said:
Why do you think they should get their last meal?

That was the whole inspiration of the project- to document their last meals. Many states (that support capital punishment) are now taking away the last meal tradition. This is a tradition that has lasted for several hundred years. After an inmate in Texas ordered a meal and could not eat it, legislators began to say that the last meal is unjust and is a 'perk' and are actively petitioning to deny it. Texas has already done away with last meal requeststhat the .
Click to expand...

I just don't mind the idea of a last meal I guess. It's not something that fires me up one way or the other. I can see both sides and I think that the people wanting to do away with it certainly have a point but personally I couldn't care either way if they get it or not. I don't like seeing it used to give more attention to killers however so I don't care for an art project documenting it.
 
Taake said:
This rubs me the wrong way. It's just another way of feeding more to the odd fascination our society has with murderers/serial killers (I'm not excluding myself from this group, I am a Criminal Minds fan after all) and ignoring their victims.

Maybe it would have been said to be morbid to have re-created the last meals of the people these guys/lady killed but I would have preferred that by a long shot.

It should be said that I'm not saying that killers aren't people as well, have reason/diagnoses/some may even be innocent whatever... I'm just saying that take John Wayne Gacy. He is incredibly well-known, but how many people can name even one of his victims? (without googling it!)

These people should get their last meal, but to make art out of it is offensive to me because it puts the attention in the wrong place and just adds to the myth of them.
Click to expand...

I concur with the point being made here; it didn't cross my mind to mention it before, but this art is unsettling to me because it gives the memory of these people the wrong image, a single sentence stating their conviction is not enough to embed what they did into our minds.

These feel like more of a memorial, the bright colors and in some, images or patterns associated with peace and have whimsy paired with the fact that the inmate but not the victims were named ask for sympathy for the prisoner rather than for those who lost loved ones to them. Not only are the victims ignored while the name of their killer is being glorified, but there is a disrespect here for the dead who are innocent.

Now had they not named the inmate, but rather just stated the conviction as well as used darker, more morbid colors and maybe images of chains or a needle and the murder weapon to represent the victims, the loss and the justice than this would have been darkly beautiful art.
 
Last edited:
I like the art actually. I don't care much for the names of the inmate, I totally agree that this stuff should had been removed. But the art itself, the meal, I think it's fascinating. I just think it really talks about the human condition and who we are as a race. To me anyway it doesn't glorify the murderer, but it explores a small part of who those people were.

As for the meal itself, I think even the most despicable of humans deserve to be treated in that way if only for our own sake. It's more about doing what is right for our sake than it is about the convict. Just like letting them say their goodbyes to their family is more about the family than it is about the convict. It's all about trying to maintain our own humanity when deciding on taking the life of another human, no matter how despicable that person is.
 
I really find these pictures intriguing, especially with the side dish included, if you will. But I understand why people could feel like it should be left out. To me, it shows something about human nature and how similar we all are, yet a few thoughts turn into action and you're a monster. I'm not defending these people, quite the opposite, but I find it interesting that after all their horrible acts, we all like friend chicken and strawberries! (well most of us.)

What I choose to focus on is not them, their families, the victims or some political debate, but what defines us as humans. I look at these pictures and think, what does a rapist serial killer and a child have in common? If they got to choose, their last meal would be mint and chocolate chip ice-cream! It's like what defines us as good humans is how well we restrain ourselves and deny our very nature, yet this shows that on both sides of the fence, there are fundamental similarities between the "innocent" and the "wicked".

You know what...I'm gonna stop myself before I start something that probably shouldn't be started. I really find this interesting though so if someone wanna discuss this with me feel free to PM me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom