Posted inCulture & Society

Extreme artist targets Burj Dubai balancing act

Norwegian says death-defying act at world’s tallest building would be his dream.

JAW DROPPING: Eskil Ronningsbakken during one of his extreme art displays.
JAW DROPPING: Eskil Ronningsbakken during one of his extreme art displays.

The world’s most extreme artist has set his sights on the Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest building.The Emaar tower. which is due to open on September 9 this year, is the ultimate target for Eskil Ronningsbakken who has made worldwide headlines with his jaw-dropping balancing feats.

Whether pedalling upside down nearly naked across a crevasse or perching precariously on a a cliff-top aboard a penny-farthing, Eskil’s skill is truly on a knife edge.

Now the 29-year-old Norwegian has revealed that his ultimate challenge will be to balance on top of the Burj Dubai.

“I would dream of balancing on the top of the Burj in Dubai, the tallest building in the world,” he told UK media.

Eskil sees his balancing acts as expressions of art and not stunts, and is currently working with a group of 50 like-minded performers in Nairobi in Kenya.

In March of 2007, he managed to balance on a single ice cube that measured 60cm by 35cm, supported on each end only by two ropes and suspended almost 1,000ft above a glacier in a Norwegian national park.

In the same year in his home country, he positioned himself upside down and did a handstand on a trapeze bar placed under a hot air balloon.

“I have performed professionally for almost 14 years now, so it’s hard to compare one piece to another,” he said, adding the Burj Dubai would top everything he has done to date.

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