CHRIS BURDEN "Extreme Measures" at the New Museum

Super happy to have caught this show, as it only has one day left!

I've been a fan of Burden since I read about his 1971 "Shoot" work, which will be included in my upcoming book. The exhibition was extra fun, as I was being given a couple of insider facts by artist James Hyde, Max's best friend Silas's dad. James also perfectly described a lot of the show, as if if was from the imagination of twelve year old boy.

“The Big Wheel,” from 1979, joins a large, rusty cast-iron flywheel (eight feet in diameter, three tons in weight) with a 1968 Benelli 250cc motorcycle. The bike is run for 4 minutes, and the back wheel gets the big wheel spinning. When the bike is tuned off, the wheel still silently spins for another 90 minutes.

"All the Submarines of the United States of America" From 1987 is 625 small, handmade, painted-cardboard submarines, suspended on monofilaments from the ceiling, representing all the submarines built by the United States Navy up to 1987.

“Porsche With Meteorite” 2013 Suspended from opposite ends of a graceful, telescoping beam of steel are a beautifully restored 1974 Porsche, and a small meteorite that ways nearly 400 pounds. (photo from museum site)

“Tale of Two Cities.”, uses tons of sand, live plants, live bullets and 5,000 toys. My fave 2 two were the model Concord and the Thunderbird Two, bottom right of this photo (both very important to me as a British kid)

Silas & Max in front of seven foot L.A.P.D. Uniforms, apparently with live rounds in the guns.

NY Times Review here.