Philippe Petit
Philippe Petit
Philippe Petitis a French high-wire artist who gained fame for his high-wire walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, on the morning of August 7, 1974. For his unauthorized feat1,350 feetabove the ground, he rigged a 450-poundcable and used a custom-made 26-footlong, 55-poundbalancing pole. He performed for 45 minutes, making eight passes along the wire. The following week, he celebrated his 25th birthday. All charges were dismissed in exchange for him doing a...
NationalityFrench
ProfessionPerformance Artist
Date of Birth13 August 1949
CityNemours, France
CountryFrance
On a very long and very high wire, I will not hope to not be blown off by high winds. I will have the certitude that such could not happen.
I rendezvous with the long wire and perform the 'torero walk', gliding my feet, holding the pole away from my body, head high.
I've been arrested many times for illegal high wire walking and illegal street performing.
I didn't go to school much. I was thrown out of different schools, and my university is the street.
I did a walk in 1973 illegally in the northern side of the Sydney Harbor Bridge.
My parents wanted me to have an honorable profession and not to be a jester.
Talking about theater, actually, I built a little barn in upstate New York, and I call it 'the smallest theater in the world,' but it has a mini stage and a red velvet curtain.
I've frowned at the idea of breaking records, the first one to do something, or do it longer, higher, more difficult.
I hate all electronic things that are supposed to help the human being. You don't smell, you don't hear, you don't touch anymore.
Certainly, in the story of my life, the walk between the Twin Towers was one of the grandest, one of the most memorable, but not solely the grandest and the most memorable.
It's very normal - when you're not used to the world of the high wire, it's very normal to be simply terrified. The reason I'm not is because I've done it for so many years.
I have been expelled from five different schools when I was a kid. And I learned basically all what I do by myself.
As a high wire walker, I do not allow myself to 'leave the wire' during a performance.
I wanted all my life to give my world into other arts - books, plays, movies - but I didn't want to sell out.