BACKSEAT BALLADS

m0iety:

Russian student Marat Dupri (AKA skywalker) , 19, bought a Canon camera just over 18 months ago and decided to start taking shots of beautiful views. He began climbing onto roofs to capture spectacular views from the air, before deciding to go to even greater heights. Together with his fearless friends and models, he has sneaked past guards at some of Moscow’s tallest structures to produce stomach churning images.

What we do is a bit anarchistic. We defy the security guards. When we go onto especially well-guarded buildings, we sometimes get arrested…

When you stand in front of a building, you can’t hesitate, you can’t doubt. I recently climbed to the top of the statue of Peter the Great in the center of the city one night — 100 meters (330 feet) up and onto his head. We climbed up while the guards were sleeping. A weather vane was spinning in the wind on the very top. Below, the sun was slowly rising over Moscow. The city was asleep, and it was like life was frozen. I was the happiest person on Earth. I only need to look down to forget all my problems.

At such times, I experience a sensation of freedom. No one can disturb me. No one tells me what’s good and what’s bad.