Aug 19 2016
Philippe Petit
French High Wire Artist
Philippe Petit is a French High Wire Artist, Street Performer, Magician, Visual Artist, Lecturer and the author of 10 books. He electrified New York City and the world with his early morning high wire walk between the twin towers in 1974. This was no spur-of-the-moment fluke, but the result of six years of globetrotting preparation abetted by a motley crew of accomplices. Philippe’s memoir, ‘To Reach the Clouds’, recounting the “coup” is the basis for the Academy Award-winning documentary Man on Wire as well as the recent 3-D feature film, The Walk, directed by Robert Zemeckis.
“I, like everybody else, have a certain fear of heights”
Since his clandestine walk between the Twin Towers, Philippe Petit has performed more than 80 high wire-walks around the world including Tokyo, Jerusalem, Paris, Sydney and New York City, many of which are high wire plays uniquely, conceived, directed and performed by Philippe on the high wire. He has been an Artist-in-Residence at the Cathedral Church of St John the Divine – the largest Gothic Cathedral in the world – in New York City for more than 30 years. [/expand]
Philippe reveals fresh and unconventional ways of going about the artistic endeavour and has a unique way to share with the audience his singular creativity process. His strategies and insights will resonate with performers of every stripe, practitioners of the non-performing arts and professionals in search of new ways of meeting challenges.[/expand]
Philippe Petit twinkles in front of his audiences, exuding such voluble Gallic esprit that he is able to hold us in his spell on his own. In a visual and dynamic style, he combines storytelling, drawings, audience participation and even magic tricks to address topics often neglected in today’s world: passion, tenacity, intuition, faith, dealing with mistakes, problem solving and cheating the impossible.[/expand]
Topics
Don’t Be Afraid; Creativity, Tenacity, Motivation and the Pursuit of Excellence.
Creativity; The Perfect Crime
On the High Wire; An Unusual Approach to Risk Management
Sharpening the Mind: The Intellectual Risk and Architecture of Rebellion
A Life of Balance
Publications
Trois Coups
On the High Wire
Funambule
Traité du Funambulisme
To Reach the Clouds/The Walk
L’Art du Pickpocket
A Square Peg (unpublished)
Cheating the Impossible
Why Knot?
Creativity, The Perfect Crime
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