Russian (faux) roulette as performance art.

On the evening of Nov. 29, 2004, Deutch stood before his classmates in a suit, instead of his usual T-shirt and jeans. He knew that what he would do next could have consequences for his grade from instructor Ron Athey, himself known for body-cutting performance art so extreme that he became part of the 1990s 'culture wars.' [...]

Standing in front of the class, Deutch pulled out a real-looking gun he had carved from wood. To make it seem genuine, Price said, Deutch had bought a .357 Magnum to use as a model — then returned it to the gun dealer. He inserted what appeared to be a bullet, spun the cylinder and put the barrel against his head.

Deutch pulled the trigger, producing a click. Then he dashed into an adjoining hall. His lawyer said that he had pre-positioned "a big firecracker" in a can there and that he set it off, producing a bang. Then Deutch returned to the room, where normally a discussion and critique would have followed. Instead, "it was pandemonium," Deutch said in a telephone interview. "The idea of a class structure or any critical thinking was blown out of the water."

calendarlive.com :: The 'shot' heard 'round UCLA