Monday, October 1, 2007

25 days by yourself is nothing

It may sound like an exceptional feat to have stayed in seclusion in the boondocks by oneself for 25 days.
But it is a poor showing compared to what the 34-year-old Puerto Rican/Russian David Blaine is doing.

He started out as a street magician.
Performing card tricks and illusions such as levitation.
But he developed into a spectacular event maker.

For example, on November 27, 2000, he had himself locked in a large block of ice in Times Square, New York, and stayed in there for over 61 hours.

In London he was in a Plexiglas case suspended 30 feet (9 meters) in the air for 44 days.

But most spectacular was his “Vertigo” stunt.
On May 22, 2002, in Bryant Park, New York, David Blaine was hoisted by a crane onto a 105 feet (27 meters) high and 22 inches (56 cm) wide pillar.
He remained standing on top of that pillar for 35 hours.

It is all-spectacular, gets a lot of media attention and it interests a large audience, but we may wonder what sense David Blaine’s extravagant performances actually make.
It is sensational.
There is always the tension he may not survive.
Things may go wrong.
But what sense does it make?

The answer is: nothing at all.
It is just entertainment only.
Original and innovative.
But without a constructive message or a social contribution.

We may also wonder how will be the health of David Blaine later in his life.
He tolls his body in such an extreme way that probably he will suffer disabilities when he is older.

It is with modesty that El Triple is left after a seclusion of 25 days having David Blaine in mind.
A departure at the right moment though.
A new tropical storm, called Juliette, is passing in front of El Triple bringing some rain.



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To see the stunts of David Blaine click on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvAThivQjdQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CTMFudo5Yw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqKnvAvP7Us







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1 comment:

Ken Norton - Image 66 Media said...

But is it ART? I ask that because what David Blaine is doing , I believe, a conceptual artform not too different from your own.