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Video: NYC Urban Explorers Make Trespassing Look Pretty
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 3, 2015
Modified Mar 3, 2015
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By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 3, 2015
Modified Mar 3, 2015
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Filmmaker Jeff Seal spent several weeks tagging along with some self-described urban explorers as they roamed the NYC subway system, clambered up bridges, and sneaked to the top of various Manhattan skyscrapers for Instagram glory. His short but sweet film documents their exploits and seeks to understand what motivates them to risk arrest and safety to trespass into NYC's forbidden zones.
"It's an addiction," 24-year-old James Lanning bluntly explains. "Not only wanting to check out new spots, but there's an adrenaline rush associated with it." Seal also interviewed the Instagrammer who first got to the top of 432 Park Avenue, America's tallest residential skyscraper, which is still under construction. "Nothing about the building made me specifically want to climb it," he admits. "It was just tall and it was there. It was kind of our Everest."
Seal argues that this peculiar clique of urban explorer Instagrammers is demonstrating the best potential of social media. "I think it gets blown out of proportion how much social media actually makes us less social and more isolated," Seal tells us. "This is a good example of a bunch of kids who met on Instagram then went out into the real world and got into some real adventures."
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urban explorers
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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