My response to our Contemporary Art History 430 assignment #8 QA: Joseph Beuys I Like America . . . and Chris Burdens Shoot, have a number of things in common in terms of both the artists intentions and methodologies. Briefly discuss what you think these two works share. Be sure to do all readings first and watch the videos of both of these performances. My Reaction & Response: Both Beuy and Burden deal with social issues in a unique way and I think its important to recognize that in both of these performance pieces. Before the 1970s, social issues were not much focused on in this manner. Beuys I like America... performance piece deals more with the sociology behind the Native American culture and the White Mans culture. Beuys piece breaks down how two opposite cultures interact together as groups throughout history. He ventures into questioning the gullibility of how easily one group can give away their trust to another, only to be harmed or treated as total strangers later on, and by the very same white men who seemed friendly from the start. However, when we watch Burdens performance piece Shoot, we view it more on a psychological level than a sociological level. The reason for this being, is that our experience toward this performance is based on two people, an experiment and a gun, not a group of people as a whole. However, one could fight that psychological viewpoint, with the fact that Burdens performance piece, took place during the 1970s, which happened to be the same time period the Vietnam War took place. For that statement to be seen as valid though, it would mean that Burden was using Shoot to reflect back toward the military draft and how men who were not taking part in any form of higher education, had to, by law, enlist and fight overseas. To further prove this sociological viewpoint, its important to look back over the interview Burden had with John Bewley in 1993, about the reasons behind Shoot. Burden goes as far to say, “it’s the idea of being shot to be hit…it’s something to experience.” “How can you know what it feels like to be shot if you don’t get shot? It seems interesting enough to be worth doing it.” I firmly believe that these statements reflect back to the hopeless mindset the Vietnam War created in those of who it influenced during the 70s in the United States. Due to political happenings at this time, people were confused as to why we were even involved in a war that didnt directly affect us as a country. At this time, people felt misguided by their own government, so many riots formed on the streets as a reaction, homemade bombs were being made as a fear tactic, so that the government would hopefully hear how its own people wanted to end the war. Even Karl Marxs Philosophy behind Communism was being reviewed and distributed by hippy anarchists at the time. You have to understand how the impact of a bloody war, such as, Vietnam, created emotional, mental and physical frustrations for the very soldiers overseas and their loved ones back home before you can begin to understand their outward reaction toward a government, who seemed to do nothing but ignore them. After all, many of these rebels were just seeking for a revolution of change, and thats explainable due to the fact that the Vietnam War lasted a whole 20 years. I see Burdens conceptual performance piece as adding radical value to an open minded society, who at that time began questioning just about anything and everything. Both pieces show the display of trust and question its very existence. Beuys piece may have shown trust through symbolic relations to groups of people, while Burdens, may have been displayed through his will to be shot at, his commentary on the performance itself and the very time period it took place. Burden also seemed to be aiming toward questioning the very trust we have toward our own government due to the Vietnam War and how it affected our mental state of mind. It also leaves one questioning just how important our individual safety is to our very own government, even today. Joseph Beuys I Like America . . . youtube/watch?v=e5UXAqpSJDk
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 07:00:10 +0000
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