Pioneering performance and conceptual artist Chris Burden (April 11, 1946 – May 10, 2015) received his first U.S. museum (20 year) survey, organized by the Newport Harbor Art Museum and shown at the Boston ICA. I was invited to the opening in 1989 and was overwhelmed by his work. From sadism to overwhelming beauty, I had never experienced such an eclectic trove of work. The entrance to the exhibition is one of his works, and it's a hair-raising introduction to the ICA experience.

Samson is a 100-ton jack attached to an entrance turnstile and a gearbox. As patrons go through the turnstile, the jack pushes two massive timbers against the overbearing museum walls. Furthermore, visitors are all able to view the exhibition. However, one would first need to pass through the turnstile for this to happen. Theoretically, Burden wishes to use it to tease your mind by making you believe that Samson is capable of destroying the museum if more visitors arrive.

My personal favorite is All the Submarines of the United States of America. There were over 600 model submarines at varying lengths in a large gallery. The slight swaying of the submarines in unison gave me a feeling of being underwater.

David Bowie paid tribute to Burden in the song "Joe the Lion." The track is a tribute to him for famously crucifying himself to a Volkswagen in 1974 ("Nail me to my car and I'll tell you who you are") and for having an assistant shoot him in the arm at an art gallery in 1971 ("Guess you'll buy a gun / You'll buy it secondhand").