#trans-fixed

[battznest]

WIP —⟢He was a fortune teller, he said “Nail me to my car, and I'll tell ya who you are”.⟢—

[disciplinethepainter]

[ph0tos3]

[pinkblanc]

Chris Burden, Trans-Fixed, 1974

[markmcevoy]

Concept album

[fairymony-blog]

1 - Trans-fixed (crucificado com pregos nas mãos em um fusca)

2 - Shoot (o tiro acertou seu braço de verdade) Chris Burden - arte performativa

[rudygodinez]

Chris Burden, Trans-fixed, (1974)

(performance and post-performance views)

"Inside a small garage on Speedway Avenue, I stood on the rear bumper of a Volkswagen. I lay on my back over the rear section of the car, stretching my arms onto the roof. Nails are driven through my palms onto the roof of the car. The garage door was opened and the car was pushed half way out into the speedway. Screaming for me the engine was run at full speed for two minutes. After two minutes, the engine was turned off and the car pushed back into the garage. The door was closed."

[art-in-context]

Chris Burden, Trans-Fixed, 1974

photo via

In this piece Burden, known for his endurance performances which are often incredibly painful, nailed himself to the back of a Volkswagon Beetle. The car was then pushed out of the garage, the engine revved for two minutes, and pushed back in.

The obvious references to the crucifixion pairs interestingly with what was considered the “car of the people” - Volkswagon translating to “people’s car” in German. This leads the viewer to the understanding that Burden is sacrificing himself for the masses.

It has been speculated that Burden’s piece is meant to bring familiarity to horror. People are able to watch him endure incredible pain which then lessens their fear of that pain. Josh Baer posits that this is done to expose the collective fears society uses to keep people in line as well as prove that the human body is less vulnerable than one might think.

follow