Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.

Now screening:
1. Nathan Paulin on a High Wire Between Tour Eiffel & Theatre National
2. Man on Wire. Twin Towers with Philippe Petit
3. Pejac: Apnea

BSA Special Feature: Nathan Paulin on a High Wire Between Tour Eiffel & Theatre National

After gawking at the Arc de Triomphe here last week we wandered into one of our favorite outdoor arts – the tight wire walker, specifically Nathan Paulin, who walked above the crowds at the Eiffel Tower September 18th. A precursor perhaps to Parkour and more likely progeny of the circus, the art of walking high above the ground and risking life and limb and managing poetry at the same time is outrageous to some, sublime to others.

Nathan Paulin entre la Tour Eiffel and the Theatre National de Chaillot in Paris

Man on Wire. Twin Towers with Philippe Petit

In 1974, Philippe Petit, a 24 years old artist from France, performed what to this date we consider to be the most extraordinary unauthorized street art act ever pulled off in the world. On the morning of August 7, Mr. Petit walked across the Twin Towers on a high-wire without any safety precautions. No net, no harness. Just his mind, his balancing pole, and his body.

Mr. Petit’s meticulously planned stunt involved illegally rigging a 440-pound cable between the towers with the help of a small crew. He performed for 45 minutes at 1,312 ft (400 meters) walking 8 times back and forth along the wire, sitting, looking down, and waving to the stunned crowd below. Nobody will ever do that again. The Twin Towers are gone but Mr. Petit is still here, with us in NYC.

The Spanish street artist Pejac debuts a 45 piece collection of artworks for his show called APNEA in Berlin at the end of this month, his largest show to date.

“Most of the works were conceived while the world was holding its breath. APNEA for me means breathing again’’, Pejac comments in reference to both the pandemic and the title of his show. ‘‘During a time of lockdown, painting within the four walls of my studio felt like a liberation and a lifeline. APNEA represents this contradiction.’’

Pejac: Apnea