I was fascinated by the Chris Burden Selected Works. From the frightening and sometimes gruesome pieces depicting the artist subjecting himself to painful and sometimes extremely dangerous situations, I found myself sickly glued to the screen –feeling like I almost had to watch to make sure that he was still alive at the end of the piece.
In particular, the ‘Breathing Water’ piece in which the audience is made to actually experience via watching Chris’ wrenching what breathing water would actually feel like, I was so disturbed and pained that I felt forced to stop the video, leave the room, and return to watching several times. I came away from that piece with a mixed feeling of admiration and revolt. Watching the work made me feel like a bystander who was partly responsible for Burden’s well-being –indeed survival, and it was that quality which made me feel almost burdened by the piece –like I was to blame for not stopping him essentially committing suicide. At the same time, I couldn’t help but feel admiration for Burden. As a human, as an artist, as a professional, I left with a deep level of respect for his work and his dedication to the craft. His actions in those tapes inspired in me a desire to want to take on a project with as much passion and commitment as he did with his art.
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