Response 1

Chris Burden uses video as a way to explain and publicize his art. In the introduction, Burden takes the time to justify the selection of works that he has chosen, and also ensures the viewer that only a portion of his work can be viewed on video. He claims that some of his work is too private to be on video or too dangerous to shoot. His opening narrative made me uneasy about what exactly I was going to be watching. At first, I found Burden’s work rather disturbing and some of the pieces seemed cruel and a little disgusting. I wondered why anyone would subject himself to such pain in the name of art; however, the use of video narrative allowed me to see Burden’s reasoning behind his art. He is able to explain exactly why he constructs each piece and the reaction that he is trying to invoke. In the work “Icarus,” he even replays the film in slow motion so that his reaction to the flames is clearly visible. Burden uses video as an extension of his art; he makes it clear exactly what he wants the audience to see. Video technology made Burden’s art available to a larger audience.
In general even with Burden’s serene and thoughtful explanations of each piece, I found many of them very emotionally disturbing. The final chapter in this video left the greatest impression on me. I could barely even watch as Chris Burden proceeded to almost drown himself by attempting to breath water. The video abruptly ends with Burden choking and straining for air. I was clearly uncomfortable watching Chris Burden’s video, but that may have been the emotion that he was trying to invoke.
Unlike Chris Burden’s technique of shock and repulsion, Terry Fox captures the audience through surprise and anticipation. At first, I was bored watching the hands set up the flytrap, and I did not believe that I could watch inanimate objects for thirty minutes. It was hard to get used to a video that is not as action packed as movies I usually watch. After a few different experiments, I found myself staring at the screen in anticipation. Each new project left me waiting for something fun and interesting to happen. Fox creates emotions similar to a young child; I felt anticipation and thrill just watching the simplest objects. Each new trick takes time and effort to construct; however, the experiments were still very simple and use common objects such as forks and spoons. Children’s Tapes is far less emotional than Chris Burden’s video. The video is still interesting and kept me engaged. I found myself wondering why I was still watching something that seemed so simple and juvenile. In a gallery or art festival, the simplicity of this work would surely have made me stop to watch it. Terry Fox’s video definitely succeeded in entertaining me, and even made me want to try some of the experiments on my own.