SHOOT (version 5, 15.05.15) FADE IN Performance video of “Shoot” by Chris Burden Chris Burden (VO) In “Shoot“, I’m shot in the upper left hand arm by a friend of mine. FADE TO BLACK TEXT CARD Conceptual artist Chris Burden came to national prominence with the performance piece SHOOT, made in 1971. FADE IN LOWER THIRD Chris Burden Chris Burden interview in his studio. I’m not sure exactly when I first came up with the idea. I mean, first of all, you shot a lot of people being shot on tv at night... in Vietnam. Guys my age. LOWER THIRD Bruce Dunlap Bruce Dunlap interview in a home. I got drafted but I never went to Vietnam. Lots of guys around me were going, all around me.. I became a marksman, we all became marksman. But guns... I didn’t relate to guns and I didn’t relate to shooting. It was something I had to do going through that process. And then I got out of the Army and used my GI Bill to go back to school. And then went to Irvine. Chris Burden A bunch of us started this place called F-Space, [[cover with photos here? What type of work was Dunlap doing?]] which was just an industrial space. It was just a couple of doors down from my studio. Bruce Dunlap All of us I think initially were doing painting and sculpture... and playing with material objects. And he was a little further over in a different direction. We were all real curious what he was doing, where he was coming from. TEXT CARD Burden’s performances often put his life in danger, testing the boundaries of what was acceptable as art... and the role of the audience as observer. [[More photos here — or before the card? Can be a small section with music]] Chris Burden I knew I couldn’t go down to the local gun store and ask, “Hey is there a gun instructor, you know, who would like to come and do an art performance where they kind of nick my arm?” That wouldn’t go over... I had to ask somebody who was a friend. And who was willing to do it and liked your art. Otherwise you weren’t going to get anywhere. Bruce Dunlap Chris came to me and said he’s thinking of doing a piece where he gets shot. And would I be the shooter? Would I be willing to work with him on it? I liked the challenge. The idea of shooting someone, for art. And doing the best job I could. Chris Burden The bullet would whizz by my arm and it would scratch it. And one drop of blood would roll down my forearm. That was the... ideal ideal. He stood about fifteen feet away from me. He asked if I was ready. I kind of stiffened up, stuck my left arm out a little... so he’d have something to shoot at. Performance video of “Shoot” by Chris Burden Bruce Dunlap He got shot. You know, he looked... and everything looked okay. And we all went, “Okay, that worked“. Chris Burden And it turned out to be a flesh wound. He went in and out of my arm with a twenty-two bullet. Just like hitting a corner of a tractor trailer, on a freeway. Your arm just got nicked by a giant force. It just goes numb. Bruce Dunlap But then as he walked towards us he began to get a little wobbly, so we all just kind of waited. You know, “Chris are you okay?” We wanted to make sure he wasn’t going to pass out or we didn’t have to call an ambulance. Or he wasn’t going to bleed to death. Text card: He was taken to a hospital, and told police the shooting was an accident. Chris Burden And I don’t think they believed me for a moment. They probably thought my wife had shot me and I wasn’t pressing charges. And it was in another city. Bruce Dunlap I enjoyed the piece. I appreciated the significance of it even then. I always felt it was a very valid piece and important thing that I... that we did. Chris Burden I think a lot of those performance works were an attempt to control fate, or something. Or giving you the illusion that you can control fate. TEXT CARD Card 1: Video of “Shoot” has been collected by museums including the MoMA and Whitney. Card 2: Bruce Dunlap left art behind and went on to a successful career as an accountant. [[dip to black] Card 3: Chris Burden (1946 - 2015)