The Middle Temple Library is delighted to announce a collaboration with Art Responders, a socially engaged community organisation, to present a compelling exhibition titled ‘The Bloody Code: Capital Punishment in Law and Art’ this September.
As part of the 2025 Open House Festival, this exhibition showcases volumes from the Middle Temple Library’s collection, shedding light on the history and global impact of capital punishment. Middle Temple Library’s capital punishment collection was opened by Lord Bingham in 2005 and is co-managed with Amicus. This charity works to support access to justice for people facing the death penalty in the United States. Founded using donations from generous individual members of the Inn (including Master Louis Blom-Cooper) and organisations including Amicus, Amnesty International and the Center on Wrongful Convictions, the collection consists of books, reports and other materials exploring capital punishment around the world, with the most significant number of items covering the United States.
Alongside published materials from the collection, the exhibition also features unique documents and objects gathered over the years by Middle Temple and other organisations. These items include a ‘black cap’, traditionally worn by judges in England and Wales when sentencing someone to death, and an account of the trial of Sir Roger Casement, an Irish diplomat who exposed human rights abuses in the Congo and was hanged in 1916 for his role in supplying weapons to be used in the Easter Rising.
The exhibition provides diverse perspectives on the death penalty by examining legal and social viewpoints, relevant case studies, and contemporary practices. A powerful selection of visuals from the collection of California’s Center for the Study of Political Graphics showcases artists’ interpretations of the death penalty throughout history.
The exhibition was open to the public on Sunday, 14 September, during the annual Open House Festival. Following Open House, we also hosted a panel discussion featuring experts who explored the historical, legal, and artistic facets of this complex issue. A guided exhibition viewing followed the panel discussion in the Library, and it is hoped that it has further encouraged thoughtful engagement with the subject matter. Middle Temple members are, of course, welcome to view the exhibition at leisure during the Library’s opening hours.
At this time of intense discussion around civil liberties, we believe this exhibition offers a vital opportunity for reflection and dialogue, and we sincerely hope you will be able to attend. Further details regarding the preview event and panel discussion will be shared soon.
Lauren Cummings is an Assistant Librarian. She is responsible for the library’s US law collection and capital punishment collection. She also contributes to the library’s training programme and its response to artificial intelligence.
Daryl Stenvoll-Wells is the founding director of Art Responders, a community arts organisation that develops free public exhibitions on social justice and human rights themes. Since 2014, Art Responders has produced acclaimed public exhibitions, events and learning programmes in the US and UK. She also researches creative participation through libraries in the UK and Norway.
