Chris Burden’s Atomic Alphabet is basically “War for Dummies.”

This piece introduces the alphabet though a child’s learning chart with examples pulled from war jargon. For example, A for Atomic, B for Bomb, C for Combat etc. These word are followed by the Chinese symbol for that word and then by a small drawing. Burden made this piece in response to the Vietnam War and the Cold War. Obviously it was a negative response but I guess this is perfect for learning how to read?  

Another fun part of this piece was that it was a performance as well as a print. Burden dressed in all leather and read the words while loudly and angrily stomping to emphasize each letter- something fun you can do with your children while they learn the alphabet! They say songs are a great way to learn.

There are twenty of these posters in existence and they are owned, for the most part, by museums around the country. These prints, though a strong political statement, are still incredibly tame in comparison to his other pieces, like the one where he had a friend shoot him in the arm or the one where he crucified himself on a VW bug. (Could his name be any more fitted to his art? I think not.) Burden had a real knack for intensity and though the approach is different, Atomic Alphabet is no less violent and no less disturbing. The difference with Atomic Alphabet is that it takes a minute to sink in and creep you out.