Chris Burden

Shoot, F Space, Santa Ana, California, 1971 On November 19, 1971, a friend of Burden's stood about 15 feet away and fired a .22 rifle at him, intending a non-lethal wound; the bullet hit his left arm. That is the whole work, and its reputation far outstrips its few seconds. Shoot is the landmark of risk as a medium: the audience was not watching a depiction of danger but a decision, and had to live with having watched. It also shows how much performance depends on its record. Almost everyone knows it from an eight-second piece of 16mm film and a few photographs, which is a useful reminder of how a short act can become a long-lasting image.