Michael Najjar

09 July, 2014

Michael is the first artist ever to perform a HALO Jump from an altitude of 10,000 m / 32,800 ft

On 30th June and 1st July 2014 Michael Najjar performed two HALO Jumps at the West Tennessee Skydiving Center in the USA. HALO is short for High Altitude Low Opening and the jump is the most dangerous of all skydiving techniques. Invented by the U.S. Air Force, only 135 civilians worldwide have made a HALO jump so far. Michael is the world´s first artist to make this extreme skydiving adventure experience.

Hooked to a Tandem Master, Michael jumped from an aircraft in the drop zone at 10,000 meters (32,800 ft) altitude, hurtling toward earth in an adrenaline-pumping two minute free-fall at a velocity of 320 km / 200 mph. His full equipment, needed to endure such a testing free-fall, included a HGU 55/P Ballistic Helmet, MBU 12 Oxygen Mask, Tactical Goggles, an Airox VIII 02 regulator and Twin 53 Bailout Bottle Assemblies.

3 solo jumpers equipped with video cameras also joined Michael on his free-fall towards earth. In a complex choreography elaborated and rehearsed prior to the jump, the cameramen braved the extreme challenges of high altitude descent to shoot the video material Michael had asked them for. Michael Najjar will now use this extraordinary footage to create a new video work exploring the relationship between the human body and Earth's gravitation that will be yet another facet of his current "outer space" series.

The artist wishes to thank the incredible team who made all this possible:

Andreas Bergweiler (COO Space Affairs & Mission Director)
Kevin Holbroock (Director, West Tennessee Skydiving Center)
Mark Gerlach (Michael´s Tandem Master)
Alex Gubanov (1st cameraman carrying the RED Dragon camera)
Keith Arceneaux (2nd cameraman)
Reid Larson (3rd cameraman)
Nate Heartt (camera operator, RED camera operator)
Camera support: RED Digital Cinema Camera Company

Michael is the first artist ever to perform a HALO Jump from an altitude of 10,000 m / 32,800 ft

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