The Twin Towers in lower Manhattan collapsed more than 22 years ago, but Philippe Petit continues to walk the wire.
"I will never retire, this idea is alien to me," he says, after being closer to God than anyone walking the tightrope at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine on the Upper West Side. At 74 years old, he is back in his territory.
The French tightrope walker reached the pinnacle of fame on August 7, 1974. At 400 meters above the level of the asphalt, he walked through the air between the two skyscrapers of the World Trade Center. It was the most outstanding performance of his career, described as "the artistic crime of the century".
As he danced, tumbled, waved or crossed over the void from one side to the other, up to eight times, at each end there were policemen waiting to catch him for that reckless act of vandalism. The uniformed officers had to wait for him for almost an hour.
This week, however, 1,400 people showed up to the temple of the Episcopalian diocese after paying to see what is now a hero. No trace of the police lurking. Petit is no longer a disturber of public order. Today he is an institutionalized artist.
“It's fascinating to wait to experience this live. I still remember, and this happened 50 years ago, the uproar that was in this city because of the World Trade Center," explains Steve, a nine-year-old, lifelong New Yorker, anxious like a child to observe closely this urban legend.
"Seeing how he develops his talent is a show worth watching," he sighs.
"This man is the demonstration of what can be done with perseverance and courage. He's an inspiration and I go anywhere to see him", remarks Bob More, one of those who has a preferred seat, almost under the cable.
He explains that he has spoken to the balancer a few times. A few months ago he shared with Petit a session of the documentary Man on wire (A la corda fluixa), which James Marsh directed in 2008 and which took home an Oscar. He could ask her if she was afraid when she passed through the gap in the towers.
– I wasn't scared at all.
Then he made a nuance.
– Taken from the first step. Before I start I check the installation, but that time I had to rely on someone on the other side to secure the cable. When I took the first step, I realized that everything was fine.
There was another matter. Bob's companion intervenes: "How many arrows were you carrying?". Petit used a bow and arrow to cast a line that allowed him to pass the 200-kilogram steel cable. "He told us that only one. It makes you think of the confidence he had, he never thought he would fail. It's incredible".
The scene in Saint John is moving. In the middle of this cathedral, considered the largest in the world, they have placed the cable in the wide part, four meters from the ground. 1,100 ribbons hang from the ceiling. Together, they add up to 25.7 kilometers. They are of different colors, as if it were an immense forest, the work of Anne Patterson, through which the tightrope walker will travel.
"I think that this beauty is an expression of God and human creativity is also an expression of God", remarks the dean of the cathedral, Patrick Malloy, to justify the installation with a juggler included.
This is a familiar space for Petit. It has crossed the length of 183 meters twice.
This time it travels the width of the route five times. Fifteen minutes of joy and enjoyment, and a bit of nerves, especially when the artist gets tangled up with the tapes and how he gets out of the conflict. He does it by performing a dance, like nothing. Pure delight for the competition, surrendered to the light and musical show.
"It was a technical challenge, but I knew that going through the ribbons would produce a great visual impact", highlights Petit when it comes to taking selfies with fans after the show is over.
Petite, smiling, without any fat, with graceful movements, he appears covering his clothing with a striped bathrobe very circus-style.
A journalist tells him that the spectators were leaning on the edge of the chair during the exercise. "I would say that when I walk the cable, people are always on the edge of their seats, even when they are standing straight," he jokes.
"My secret is passion for the profession. I'm no longer that 18-year-old, but I think I have more mastery of the movements on the cable than when I started," he explains. "It doesn't matter your body, because everything is in the head. I will never retire", he insists. "Well - he accepts - the day my body refuses to walk will be the time to retire".
