Page 16 - CSA Speaker Bulletin September 2016 | CSA Celebrity Speakers
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RISK
Philippe Petit
A Man Who Risks the Impossible
Philippe Petit is most famous for
being the man who electrified New
York City and the world with his early
morning, phenomenally risk-taking,
high wire walk between the twin
towers in 1974.
His feat was no spur-of-the- unconventional ways of going about subjects often neglected in traditional
moment fluke, but the result the artistic endeavour. His strategies education and rarely encouraged in
of six years of globetrotting and insights resonate with performers today's professional world: embracing
preparation abetted by a motley crew of every stripe, practitioners of risk, passion, tenacity, intuition, faith,
of accomplices. Philippe’s memoir, the non-performing arts, and dealing with mistakes, re-inventing
To Reach the Clouds, recounting the professionals in search of new ways of problem solving and cheating the
“coup” is the basis for the Academy meeting challenges. impossible.
Award-winning documentary Man on
Wire as well as the recent 3-D feature He has a unique way of displaying One of the greatest challenges today
film, The Walk, directed by Robert his singular creativity process. In a is the need to manage risk and
Zemeckis. visual and dynamic style, he combines Philippe demonstrates in the most
storytelling, demonstrations, breath-taking way how to navigate
Since his clandestine walk between drawings, audience participation, through this complex matrix. n
the twin towers, Philippe Petit has and even magic tricks to address
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.
Renaissance man, Philippe Petit is a
High Wire Artist, Street Performer,
Magician, Visual Artist, Lecturer,
Builder, risk taker and the author of
10 books. Philippe reveals fresh and
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