VIDEO: Inside the Adrenaline-Filled Lives of NYC Urban Explorers
Whether it’s climbing the 90 flights of stairs to the top of 432 Park or roaming abandoned subway tunnels, the boundary-pushing feats of urban explorers have given us some of the most amazing views of city life that we’ll probably never experience first-hand on our own.
After spending several weeks tagging along with some self-professed urban explorers, filmmaker Jeff Seal has released a short video that documents the literal highs and lows that these adrenaline junkies go to for an Instagram-worthy shot.
Seal does more than just present cool locales; he delves into what motivates these explorers to risk police action and their personal safety to trespass into the city’s forbidden zones. James Lanning, a 24-year-old thrill seeker, says simply, “It’s an addiction. Not only wanting to check out new spots, but there’s an adrenaline rush associated with it.” Instagram user Demidism, who captured the illicit views from the top of 432 Park, explains, “Nothing about the building made me specifically want to climb it. It was just tall and it was there. It was kind of our Everest.”
The other purpose of the five-minute film is to show how Instagram is fueling the urban explorer movement, as participants are connecting in a personal way through the social media platform.
[Via Gothamist]
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Video and screen shots via Jeff Seal
