How to watch David Blaine’s insane ‘Ascension’ stunt live
David Blaine
For those not in the loop (or those young enough to not have witnessed his televised tricks in the late nineties), Blaine revolutionized how performance art was viewed and received, becoming massively popular for focusing on the audience’s reaction to his wild achievements, rather than the performances, themselves.
How to watch ‘Ascension’
Fans can tune in to ‘Ascension’ on Blaine’s YouTube channel, which is scheduled to go live on September 2 at 6 AM PST (9 AM EST / 1 PM GMT). We’ve embedded the stream below, for your convenience.
Ascension marks Blaine’s first live stream since 2012, where he electrocuted himself while standing on top of a 72-foot-tall pillar in New York City.
Known for such antics as being buried in a plastic box underground (which was also placed beneath a 3-ton tank full of water) for three days, attempting to stand inside a block of ice for 72 hours, and other such feats, Blaine is just as famous for his wild acts as he is for his cool and unimpressed demeanor, which has inspired quite a few internet parodies (how could we forget David Blaine Street Magic: YouTube Edition?).
Now, the magician famous for revolutionizing performance art in the early 2000s is making a major comeback with a brand-new stunt — and this time, he’s going farther than he’s ever gone before. Literally.
What is ‘Ascension?’
Blaine shocked the internet by announcing a live stream for a stunt called ‘Ascension’ on August 12, which initially announced the event for August 31.
The promotional video for the stunt featured a balloon soaring into a cloudy sky, seeming to hint at something involving flight — and curious fans weren’t too off the mark with their forthcoming theories.
‘Ascension’ is Blaine’s latest, highly-ambitious project, which tasks him with flying all the way from New York to Arizona at a height of 18,000 feet with the help of 52 weather balloons.
Originally only hoping to fly to New York from New Jersey, Blaine upped the ante by increasing his travels by some 2,000 miles — but in doing so, had to account for the weather, postponing Ascension to September 2 due to potentially unfavorable conditions.
Considering how wild his previous acts have been, there’s no telling what will come of ‘Ascension.’ One thing is for certain, though; we can’t wait to see how it will turn out.
