NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — Famed highwire artist Philippe Petit was once again on a tightrope on Thursday evening as he gracefully walked through dozens of hanging ribbons at St. John the Divine's exhibition "The Divine Pathways."
At 6 p.m. on Thursday, the 74-year-old performance artist walked through all 1,100 ribbons, 20 feet off the ground, in front of an audience of 1,400.
"There was a few times where one got wrapped around his ankle and his thigh, and he had to kind of do a little like ballet move where he had to get it off. Yeah, it was a little—I don't know about you guys, but I had sweaty palms," exhibition creator Anne Patterson told 1010 WINS/WCBS 880 after the event.
Patterson, an artist, created the site-specific textile installation for the Nave of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and the hopes, dreams and prayers were sourced from the community.
Philippe Petit on the highwire at St. John the Divine in Manhattan on Feb. 1, 2024.Mack Rosenberg
"Individual prayers are anonymous and beyond the viewer's sight, but their collective presence creates an experience that is both intimate and immense," the exhibition description reads.
Petit did rehearse the walk, but once the audience was in place, the ribbons began to sway due to rising heat. This didn't stop him from successfully traversing the wire back and forth, to the delight of observers.
Ribbons hung as part of "The Divine Pathways" exhibit at St. John the Divine on Feb. 1, 2024.Mack Rosenberg
"He knows what he's doing, he gave a little bit of theater to it, at one point he was playing with the ribbons and the light, it was totally beautiful," Agenes, an attendee, said.
Others held their breath, including Cathedral Dean Patrick Malloy.
"Lots of questions about insurance rolled through my head, both before and during this," Malloy told 1010 WINS/WCBS 880.
But at 74, Petit is still a professional, drawing on a career of treacherous and daring highwire walks—including his 1971 walk between the towers of the Notre-Dame Cathedral and 1974 walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.
"That is remarkable, that a 74-year-old man is more spry and more brave than a lot of people half his age," Malloy said.
