Hansen Fuller Gallery, 228 Grant Avenue between Sutter and Post, now John Beggruen Gallery

Chris Burden, Sculpture in Three Parts (1st-21st September 1974)

Description

I sat on a small metal stool placed on a sculpture stand directly in front of the gallery entrance, an elevated door. A sign on the stand read "Sculpture in Three Parts. I will sit on this chair from 10.30am 9/10/74 until I fall off." About ten feet away, a camera was constantly attended by changing photographers waiting to take a photograph as I fell. I sat on the chair for 43 hours. When I fell a chalk outline was drawn on the floor around my body. I wrote "Forever" inside the outline. I placed another sign on the stand which read "I sat on this chair from 10.30am 9/10/74 until I fell off at 5.25am 9/12/74." The chair, stand and outline remained on exhibit until September 21. (Burden 2007: 220)