Gallery: This Artist Had Himself Shot, and Now He's a Mad-Cap Engineer
01BURDE 1971 Shoot (5)
Burden right after he had a friend shoot him in the arm. *Image: Courtesy of the artist*
Benoit Pailley02New Museum-2013-Chris Burden-Benoit Pailley
The third floor houses Burden's bridges, many of which had to be disassembled in order to fit in the elevators. To reassemble the *Three Arch Dry Stack Bridge*, it takes the crew about six days because of its exacting instructions. *Image: Courtesy New Museum/Benoit Pailley*
Benoit Pailley03New Museum-2013-Chris Burden-Benoit Pailley
The *Mexican Bridge* is constructed from Erector Set toys and wood. *Image: Courtesy New Museum/Benoit Pailley*
erich Koyama04burden7-1 Ton Crane Truck, 2009 photo-E.Koyama med
Burden's *1 Ton Crane Truck* is a restored 1964 F350 Ford crane truck with one-ton cast-iron weight. This sits on the ground level, mostly because it would be impossible to load into the elevator. *Image: Courtesy the artist and Gagosian Gallery*
Benoit Pailley05New Museum-2013-Chris Burden-Benoit Pailley
*The Big Wheel*, 1979, is a three-ton, eight-foot-diameter, cast-iron flywheel powered by a 1968 Benelli 250cc motorcycle. Yes, Burden rides the motorcycle from time to time (but that's not him). *Image: Courtesy New Museum/Benoit Pailley*
Benoit Pailley06New Museum-2013-Chris Burden-Benoit Pailley
The facade was arguably the most difficult part to install. In order for the two pieces to remain stable on the outside, additional architectural elements had to be built. *Ghost Ship* is a 30-foot handmade sixern sailboat that dangles from the front side of the New Museum facade. If you look up you can see Burden's *Twin Quasi Legal Skyscrapers*, two 36-foot structures that rest on top of the museum's roof. The crane used to lift the pieces was so big, traffic had to be diverted and the crew had to work overnight. *Image: Courtesy New Museum/Benoit Pailley*
Benoit Pailley07New Museum-2013-Chris Burden-Benoit Pailley
After more than two weeks of getting each piece just right, this is the final view of *A Tale of Two Cities*. Visitors use binoculars to see the intense detail. *Image: Courtesy New Museum/Benoit Pailley*
Jesse Untracht-Oakner, New Museum, Chris Burden, 201308burden1-MG-0082
The installation started out as a pile of sand and rocks. 53,000 pounds' worth, to be exact. *Image: Courtesy New Museum, New York/Jesse Untracht-Oakner*
Jesse Untracht-Oakner, New Museum, Chris Burden, 201309burden3-MG-0431
Artists worked off of photographs of previous installations, which helped guide the general layout of the piece. *Image: Courtesy New Museum, New York/Jesse Untracht-Oakner*
Jesse Untracht-Oakner, New Museum, Chris Burden, 201310burden2-MG-0592
Burden's team worked for more than two weeks, precisely placing each toy in its spot. *Image: Courtesy New Museum, New York/Jesse Untracht-Oakner*
Jesse Untracht-Oakner, New Museum, Chris Burden, 201311burden4-MG-0362
An irrigation system had to be installed in order to water the plants without getting the sand wet. *Image: Courtesy New Museum, New York/Jesse Untracht-Oakner*
Benoit Pailley12New Museum-2013-Chris Burden-Benoit Pailley
*L.A.P.D. Uniforms, 1993.* A series of police uniforms line the wall. *Image: New Museum/Benoit Pailley*
13burden8- Beehive Bunker Topanga, install-2006. Photo-2008. Photo-
A replica of Burden's *Beehive Bunker* sits on the same floor as *A Tale of Two Cities*. The handmade bunker is constructed out of quickcrete...which means it's going to have to be jackhammered out of the New Museum come January. *Image: Joel Searles*
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*Trans-Fixed*, 1974. Burden nailed his palms to the roof of a Volkswagen Beetle. *Image: Courtesy of the artist*
