Bill Viola’s Acceptance and Chris Burden’s Shoot both use the element of shock in performance art to express their intention of demonstrating people willfully submitting to pain. Viola utilizes the shock of nudity and getting doused with (presumably) freezing cold water. On the other hand, Burden utilizes the shock of violence and being shot with a gun. However, this is not done just for pure shock value. Why demonstrate people willfully submitting to pain? Well while their execution may vary slightly, both Viola and Burden intend to illuminate the resilience of the human spirit.
In Acceptance, a blurry form approaches a waterfall, until it is revealed to be a naked woman. When she is fully under the water, you can hear her let out a cry. Her facial expressions show her suffering. She does not move out from under the water, instead she puts up her hands and accepts the pain. Eventually the water stops and the woman stares onward with a look of catharsis on her face. She has shown true grit and bounced back from pain and suffering.
In Shoot, Burden subjects himself to being shot. First, he builds anticipation by narrating the video itself. Hearing him talk with the knowledge of what’s about to happen creates a sense of uneasiness. The build-up is further intensified by almost all of the action happening off screen, leaving the viewer with just captioned audio and a black background. The thrill culminates with the 8 second video clip of “Bruce” shooting him in the arm. Unlike Viola’s Acceptance, Burden is the subject of his own shocking performance art. His acceptance of the pain and suffering of a gunshot wound shows true grit. This objective is further illuminated by his calm narration that one would not expect from someone talking about being shot.