Monday, October 29, 2012
Million Volts for David Blaine in ‘Electrified’ Endurance Test: VIDEO
NYTimes.com: David Blaine, the magician and endurance artist, is ready for more pain. With the help of the Liberty Science Center, a chain-mail suit and an enormous array of Tesla electrical coils, he plans to stand atop a 20-foot-high pillar for 72 straight hours, without sleep or food, while being subjected to a million volts of electricity.
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8 comments:
He just couldnt let go of himself....
I get that performance arist have a reason or view that they want you to think about, i just don't get " because I wan't to see if i can do it..." It sounds incredibly dangerous. I wonder how much he is bein paid to do these stunts. No matter how much they ge paid is it really worth your life? He will always have to top his last stunt and he may not always walk away.
Wow. This is terrifying, but also fascinating from a scientific point of view. First off, the Faraday cage he's created to protect himself should do the trick, however he even acknowledges that no person has ever been subjected to that amount of electricity (or the associated magnetic energy that goes along with it). So there is a lot of medical knowledge to be gained by this test as well. It does make me think of a number of safety issues though, in particular having a million volts of electricity arcing through the air of manhattan..... I predict that will wreak havok with SOMETHING.
The music was creepiest part, but also the most impressive. Even nature is capable of creating a melody, even if it does sound like it is directly from the soundtrack of a horror movie (specifically frankenstein).
I also like the element of interactivity. Not only is this many subjecting himself to a crazy student, but by enabling the audience to take part, I think he is adding a level of excitement to the act, and will really engage people.
On a side note, I wonder if it actually hurts, or if the chain male makes it pain free. Regardless, the 72 hour awake and standing portion of the stund will be draining.
Why do we watch things like this? That's the question that comes up for me. Like balancing chairs atop a skyscraper, the sensational has always attracted a crowd. The "stunt" is a uniquely American idea, and has nearly always been a kissing cousin of commercialism. What this article doesn't mention, surprisingly, is that this particular iteration of the pass-time is sponsored by Intel. Hoping to garner publicity for the new line of "ultra-books," Intel has provided tablets at the event that can be used by spectators to supposedly control the electrical light show directed towards the body of Mr. Blaine. The Youtube stream, like the Red Bull sponsored free-fall attempt of last week, then becomes a well-disguised infomercial wrapped in the cloak of a "cultural" event. The unique dilemma provided by this advertising tactic, of course, is what if he fails? And the morbid answer: it wouldn't matter, and in fact, could be even more lucrative for the sponsors. No matter the outcome for the "artist" or stuntman, the exposure for the sponsor is bound to be substantial. And when it comes down to it, the bottom line is asses in seats. The Red Bull Stratos free fall from 125,000 feet last week broke records for not only height of a manned balloon and free fall air-speed, but also for real-time Youtube viewers, shattering the previous record with a viewership of over 8 million. I was one. And I ate it up, another sucker drawn in by the drama of human achievement and possibility of fiasco, each being equally capable of bringing in the bucks.
David Blaine is ridiculous. Sure the stuff he does is entertaining but it's so stupid. His act is endurance and just sitting or standing there for an abnormal amount of time in an abnormal environment. Although to be fair this new act is much more entertaining then his previous acts. It's dynamic and interactive which is much better than watching someone sit there. At least with this one there's lightning bolts flying around all over the place. now with the Faraday suit he won't be electrocuted but should only feel the equivalent of static electricity around him. Either way good luck to him.
I know this guy is really into pushing his limits, and that he has had a lot of success doing so, but I still don't fully understand why you would put your immediate life and your future health at risk like this. Some of the things he did were dangerous in the moment, but this has serious future repercussions. The public thrives on this kind of stuff, even I watch him on A&E, but it would be really unfortunate if one day he didn't make it through one of these wild adventures. I hope he is successful and that years from now, he doesn't find himself completely screwed up on the inside!
This reminds me of that phsycology experiment that was conducted by a guy whose name i cant remember to test how people react to obidience, they were given a set of nobs from weak to leathal and if the subject answered a question wrong he would be shocked, this person was of course acting, but why would you let the public be in control of how many volts of electricity go into your body. i really appriciate what daveid blane does because i would never be willing to risk my life for something like this. also i dotn really get how its considered art. but im interested in seeing what the results are!
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