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FeedA hard act to follow
kc kratt
A Facebook commenter put it succinctly: “He’s walking on the horizon!” In the gray haze of early Thursday evening, high wire artist Didier Pasquette really did seem to be casually promenading in mid-air—very near that point where the lake meets the sky. It was a beautiful sight: not just the artful stroll, but also—maybe even more—the surrounding panorama of rooftops, steeples, and greenery.
As Mark Sommer reports in today’s paper, the walk was accompanied by near silence, at least from my rooftop vantage point. You could barely hear some appreciative cheering and honking from far below. (Later I heard that it was just as exciting to watch from the street, and be part of the enthusiastic crowd.)
Some may ask, what’s the point of such an act? What purpose does it serve? For me, it was all about beauty, which I feel always serves a purpose. There was the simple elegance of Pasquette’s figure silhouetted between the two liberty figures. There was the beauty of Buffalo’s buildings, trees, and surrounding water. There was the beauty of the evening itself, still and sultry.
As will be reconfirmed this weekend, Buffalo does many things well, but it does art best of all. Those who underestimate the power of art to move and enrich need to attend more events like this—and they definitely need to see the weekend’s Beyond/In exhibitions. The current concept of Beyond/In—exhibitions that embrace as many of the region’s art venues as possible—is biannual proof that ours is a region that celebrates creativity, and that the value of a city like Buffalo should not depend on its ability to attract sporting goods chains. I think—in their very different ways—events like Beyond/In, the Wingfest, Garden Walk, and last winter’s Powder Keg—call more positive attention to Buffalo than many who live here might realize, and generate surprising long-term benefits.
Check out Bruce Adam’s excellent preview of Beyond/In. It starts with openings at Hallwalls, CEPA, El Museo, Hotel Lafayette, Hi -Temp Fabrication, Squeaky Wheel, Starlight Studio and WNY Book Arts—tonight from 5-11 p.m. And here's an image from a different angle, by longtime Spree contributor and event photographer extraordinaire Nancy J. Parisi:
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