Shocking your audience, as an artistic strategy, seems to be the opposite of respecting your audience and wanting them to have a meaningful experience.
When we're shocked, we naturally pull away. If a bomb blows in front of us, we might be drawn to look at it, but we're still moving away from it. We won't come closer and engage really. When an audience is shocked, the option for a dialog with the work is being handicaped. A shocked audience might be intrigued or put under spell, but it won't be open nor feel safe to engage with the work.
The fact that this is regarded as a central tool and a desired goal for making work, is symptomatic to the loss of artistic vision and the understanding of art’s role as a healing medium.
