I mentioned in the last post the idea of power- the power one would need over their mental and emotional responses to situations. In this case Chris Burden had to exert extreme measures of will power to deal with his self-imposed ‘stress tests.’ Power over self. Power over situations. Power over others. By and large, this is what Chris Burden’s work centers around- although now he does it by less violent means. So to wrap up my discourse on him I’ll share with you a couple of generally ‘non-participatory’ pieces. I say generally because many of them still contain some element of an action that needs to be performed, or the pieces are somewhat kinetic. But they’re not ‘Performance Art’ in the classical sense.
The first piece is called ‘Big Wheel.’ It has this huge wheel (probably about 6’ in diameter). Next to it is a motorcycle.
Somebody (it could be the artist, a museum guard, somebody) starts the motorcycle and backs it up to where the back wheel (the ‘drive’ wheel) is placed against the Big Wheel and sets it spinning. Then the ‘natural powers’ of momentum and friction take over (who ever said science and art are opposites?). The weight and speed of the wheel are such that it will spin for about two-and-a-half hours before the friction in the bearings slowly bring it to a stop. At which point the motorcycle can be started up again…
Another piece is titled ‘Samson.’ Named after the Biblical Judge whose last act was to push down the supporting columns of a building killing himself and all of the Philistines within the structure, this sculpture aims to bring that scenario to life. 
Massive beams are placed against the load bearing walls of the museum space. The beams are connected with a device that is in turn connected to a turn-style. Visitors to the museum must walk through the turn-style to view the rest of the exhibition. With each rotation a gear is notched in the jacking-device, pushing the beams further apart and putting more pressure on the walls, purporting to tear the museum down- with you in it…
The final piece is called ‘The Flying Steamroller’ and it is Art-meets-Engineering at it’s finest. There is just an odd sensation that occurs when you see a 12-Ton hunk of machinery ‘effortlessly’ gliding through the air. Check it out…
This kind of bare bones presentation of the facts (the facts here being a wheel that turns until it slowly comes to a stop or a steam roller flying) is the kind of stuff that often brings the comments “this is art?” or “I can make something like that!” The answer to both of those questions is ‘Yes!’- yes, it is art and yes, you can make something like that. The real question is, then, why haven’t you? Let’s explore that a bit.
As an artist I look at things differently. Often, this different viewpoint is appreciated by others who ‘would have never thought of that.’ Yet- despite that appreciation, validation of me as an artist still predominantly rests on my ability to draw or paint a picture that ‘looks real.’ Most people’s focus on art is on the mechanical aspects eye-hand coordination. Don’t get me wrong- I’ve come to appreciate that as a very special, unique skill. But the value of art is so much more. I’ve seen some people who can draw circles around everybody else, but I don’t feel they are very artistic. And others who I feel are extremely talented artists who couldn’t draw worth beans.
To me, art is thought made visible- and by thought I mean both the rational, cognitive logic and the seemingly illogical processes of emotion that nonetheless play a considerable role in our ‘thinking.’ Good art is the ability to display a certain point of view with a powerful resonance. The natural ‘powers’ of friction, weight/gravity, force, etc. are extremely powerful when you stop to really think about them. And I think there is no doubt that Chris Burden’s presentation of them carries a very palpable resonance, a presence that is as much (if not more) felt than seen. Symbolically speaking these physical forces are no different in action than other forces in our lives- the role that values and beliefs play in how we interact with the world. What moves us or slows us down. The pressures and the frictions in our lives. The things we value and how we are drawn to or repelled from people, places, or things because of those values.
So as you go about your day, I encourage you to look around you and try not to get caught up in what things are. But rather, look for what has presence; what has resonance? What affects you? What are these things doing? That is art.
“Whatever it is that Burden thinks he is trying to do, he has forced me to rethink the values by which I live, and for that I am deeply grateful.” -Robert Horvitz
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