The original Beam Drop in Lewiston, New York, in 1984, was a daring endeavor that involved hoisting hefty steel I-beams high into the air by a crane and then releasing them into a pit of wet cement. The result was a colossal sculpture, an abstract manifestation of gravity's force akin to a handprint of sorts, aiming to harness gravitational energy to create art. Throughout his career, Burden hoped to realize multiple Beam Drop artworks in various locations. Of the still remaining, Beam Drop Inhotim (2008) is in the collection of Instituto Inhotim in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais in Brazil, and Beam Drop Antwerp (2009) is in the public sculpture collection at Middelheim Museum in Antwerp, Belgium. Both are publicly displayed outdoors.

While Burden meticulously planned to minimize structural damage, discussions about Ovitz’s Beam Drop project spanned years and faced repeated delays due to construction setbacks. Despite the enthusiasm, this Beam Drop project was eventually shelved in favor of other commitments, leaving it as a remarkable unrealized concept in Burden's artistic journey. Such plans might forever go unrealized in the physical world, but Burden's vision can continue to be realized in the digital realm.