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Daredevil Climber's Viral Art: From Rooftops to Courtroom
18 Mar
Summary
- Documentary follows free solo climber-photographer Isaac Wright, known as Drift.
- Wright scaled iconic buildings without ropes to capture high-resolution photos.
- His illegal climbs led to his pursuit by police and subsequent incarceration.
The documentary 'Drift' offers an in-depth look at Isaac Wright, an artist and free solo climber known as Drift. Wright achieved notoriety by scaling skyscrapers without ropes or permission, capturing breathtaking photographs from dizzying heights, often over a thousand feet above ground. These images, frequently featuring his feet in Vans against the distant ground, garnered him significant attention and a lucrative art career, partly built on NFTs.
His extreme climbing and trespassing activities led to him being pursued by police across state lines, resulting in his incarceration in Arizona and later his home state of Ohio. These events unfolded around 2020-21, a period shadowed by the death of George Floyd, which added a layer of fear and distrust to confrontations between Wright, a biracial individual, and law enforcement.
The film also touches upon Wright's background as a veteran recovering from PTSD. While his veteran status sometimes garnered public gratitude, it also raised concerns with authorities regarding his familiarity with weapons. The documentary highlights the cultural disconnect and misunderstandings between Wright's artistic practice and the prejudices of some police officers, particularly Officer Jeff Ruberg, who declined to share his perspective.
