Today at The Carle, on the day marking ten years since the World Trade Center towers fell, we hosted a very touching presentation by award-winning artist and author, Mordicai Gerstein about his Caldecott-winning picture book, The Man Who Walked Between the Towers. We gathered together to remember the World Trade Center Towers and their history, including the strangely fascinating and memorable stunts of French aerialist Philippe Petit.
One night in 1974, after years of planning, a young street performer named Philippe Petit, snuck to the roof of one of the towers of the newly built World Trade Center and (with help of his disguised accomplices) managed to string a tightrope the 150-foot distance between the two towers. When dawn came, he proceeded to not only walk across the tightrope, but run, jump, dance, kneel, and even LIE DOWN, for almost an hour, a quarter of a mile in the sky, with the high winds and no safety rope.
Being able to talk with Mordicai Gerstein, we heard the amount of research that went into capturing this amazing story into a book for children. It was fascinating to learn how much work and planning went into Petit’s stunt. After walking a tightrope between the spires of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, he set his heart on next attempting to walk the gap between the World Trade Center towers. He flew to New York City and began to plot and plan. He disguised himself multiple times, sometimes as an architecture student, sometimes a construction worker, to get into the towers to scope them out.
On the night of the big event, he and two friends disguised as construction workers hauled 400 lbs. of steel cable up the elevator and then up the remaining ten flights of stairs to the roof, where they then had to hide under a tarp to keep from being spotted by security, until night fell. In the darkness, they began the hard task of erecting the tightrope. One person on one roof shot an arrow with lightweight fishing line to the opposite tower’s roof, where they were then able to pull a rope and then finally the steel cable across. Dawn was already upon them as they finished tightening the cable and Petit took his first steps across as New York City began its morning bustling below. Onlookers on the ground (helped by a few strategically places friends) gasped and pointed to where he was defying gravity and death in the sky, while police raced up to the roof of each tower, frantically trying to get him to come down. It was indeed a crime, albeit a crime of art, and at the end of the performance, Petit was handcuffed and brought to trial, where the judge sentenced him with a mandate of one night of performing for New York City children in Central Park.
Here’s an amazing juxtaposition of an actual photograph of Petit and an illustration from The Man Who Walked Between the Towers.
It was fascinating to hear how Gerstein (who himself is actually afraid of heights) was able to perfectly capture the amazing height and feeling of vertigo in his illustration. He explained how he created space with overlapping planes that twisted, playing with horizon lines. With amazing fold-out full-page spreads and evocative text, Gerstein is able to get across the beauty and awe of the moment. “Out to the very middle he walked, as if he were walking on the air itself. Many winds whirled up from between the towers, and he swayed with them. He could feel the towers breathing. He was not afraid. He felt alone and happy and absolutely free.”
Above all, Gerstein stressed the infinite and amazing power of the human imagination. “There’s nothing you can’t do,” he said. “The human imagination is vast and marvelous. It can make things and destroy things.” This truly captures the day. Today not only were we aware that the human imagination can devise methods of destruction, but together we marveled at the imaginations that bring us great moments of art. The imagination of architects who brought New York City such massive and majestic buildings. The imagination of Philippe Petite, who followed his dream and brought his skill of agile art to New York City’s skyline. The imagination of Mordicai Gerstein, who was able to picture it and share it with the world and all of its children in such a beautiful way.
“Now the towers are gone. But in memory, as if imprinted on the sky, the towers are still there.” Gerstein reminds us in our minds, anything is possible.
For more about Philippe Petite, check out the Academy award-winning documentary, Man on Wire or his wonderful book, To Reach the Clouds. Here’s the trailer for the documentary:
In 1974, a young french aerialist, Phillipe Petit, stretched a tightrope between the massive World Trade Center towers. There, a quarter of a mile in the sky, he performed tricks — walking, dancing and jumping on the tightrope to the fright and delight of onlookers. Petit’s daring stunt has become part of the history of New York City, and, like the towers of the World Trade Center, will forever live in our memory.
Join author/illustrator Mordicai Gerstein in our Auditorium on Sunday, September 11th at 1pm as he tells the story behind his Caldecott-winning picture book, The Man Who Walked Between the Towers on this day of remembrance.
Admission to the museum will be free all day, Sunday September 11th. A book signing will follow Mordicai Gerstein’s presentation.
Can’t make it to the event? As always, you can pre-order your books online and we’ll ship them to you, autographed, after the event. We hope to see you here on Sunday!
I was driving the family van in 1992 when from the back seats I heard my two children—five-year-old Sam and three-year-old Sarah—having this unlikely conversation with their five-year-old friend Michael:
Michael: When you die, you go to heaven with the angels.
Sam: When you die, you go to nature with the flowers and trees.
Sarah: When you die, you get born again in a baby.
I was delighted with their profound yet calm assertions, which made death sound like an adventure.
Three years later, Michael’s father died at age 41. Sam—thoughtful, wistful—comforted Michael and me at the funeral. Now, another fifteen years later, Sam himself has passed away, aged 23, having battled for years with a chronic illness. I’m in shock.
I have no idea what kind of adventure happens after death, but none of the profound options makes me calm. At the moment, though, I have to say that Sarah’s version of events appeals to me most. I know she came to her expectation of reincarnation through a favorite picture book, The Mountains of Tibet, that was inspired by author Mordicai Gerstein’s own reading of The Tibetan Book of the Dead. The Mountains of Tibet begins: “In a tiny village, in a valley, high in the mountains of Tibet, a little boy was born. He loved to fly kites.” This boy grows up to be a contented woodcutter, who then gets old and dies. Now a departed soul (depicted as an old man in yellow pajamas floating in an otherworldly bubble) the woodcutter is guided by a voice in deciding if, how, and where to be reborn. Miraculously displayed to the woodcutter are myriad options: colorful planets he could live on; romping animals he could become; peoples of many cultures he could live among; cities, valleys and mountains for possible homes; dozens of loving parents who would like the chance to bear and raise him. All call, “Come to me!”
The guiding voice assists the woodcutter in following his heart to choose a rebirth very similar to the life he recently left behind, with one change: “And so, in a tiny village, in a valley, high in the mountains of Tibet, a little girl was born. She loved to fly kites.”
A few years ago, I thought to ask teenage Sam and Sarah if, considering the troubles of the world and the travails of life, they were glad they’d been born. They reacted with surprise, replying in unison, “Yes!” Even now, in this time of grief, I still agree that birth is worth the effort.
September is creeping up on us and while I’ll miss summer, Autumn in the Pioneer Valley has to be one of my most favorite things. Apple picking, fields of cornstalks and pumpkins, the gorgeous leaves and crisp hiking weather… And for many of you teachers and students, fall means back to school! I graduated from my Master’s program from Simmons College at The Carle back in May and it’s really hard for me to believe I won’t be going back to class when the rest of the grad students come back through our doors in a few weeks.
Especially when I hear that this fall for the first time they are offering a class in picture book illustration taught by Caldecott-winning illustrator Mordicai Gerstein! Students will learn the thought and process behind creating picture books straight from a master. I can’t imagine a better opportunity than that.
Many people have observed that The Carle is perfectly situated in the heart of children’s book country. We can boast the names of so many amazing children’s authors and illustrators who call the Pioneer Valley home. (Seriously, get me started and we could be here all day.) I feel so fortunate to have been able to take Simmons classes with their amazing Boston professors as well as have access to The Carle’s local resources, such as their original art archives, extensive research library and, oh yeah, visits to local artist studios. It’s the very best of both worlds.
So even though I won’t be attending class this fall, I’ll still look forward to seeing the students and teachers coming through each week. We’ll also have to take this opportunity to stock up on autographed Mordicai Gerstein books! Click here to see what signed books we already have in stock.
One night in 1974, after years of planning, a young street performer named Philippe Petit, snuck to the roof of one of the towers of the newly built World Trade Center and (with help of his disguised accomplices) managed to string a tightrope the 150-foot distance between the two towers. When dawn came, he proceeded to not only walk across the tightrope, but run, jump, dance, kneel, and even LIE DOWN, for almost an hour, a quarter of a mile in the sky, with the high winds and no safety rope.
