By: Andy Gao

Last week, Remi Lucidi, a sergeant in the French Army and rooftopper, was taking photographs from the top of a skyscraper in Hong Kong. After falling from the rooftop, he was found dead.

A rooftopper refers to those who take photos from the tops of tall buildings, often through trespassing. Lucidi’s death has caused many people worldwide to question the purpose of rooftop photography.

Rooftopping is part of urbex (urban exploration), a term describing people who trespass to tell stories about abandoned properties. However, most rooftoppers are interested in taking photographs for social media rather than exploring a building.

People from inside the urbex community are also criticizing rooftoppers. “Rooftopping is focused more on the thrill and the experience of being in high, vertiginous and perilous locations, whereas urbex explores abandoned places in a way that is safer, more documentational and historical in nature,” HK Urbex, a collective of masked explorers in Hong Kong, said in a statement. (The New York Times, 2023)

HK Urbex stated that most rooftoppers have died due to inexperience, overconfidence, and the high desire to take pictures for social media. “A life is not worth a like on social media,” the collective emphasized. (The New York Times, 2023)

In 2017, Viki Odintcova, a Russian model, dangled herself from a Dubai skyscraper. Her post blew up on Instagram, generating 1.6 million views. “To Model Viki Odintcova: That Photo Was Really Not Worth Risking Your Life,” read the headline of a Forbes commentary. (The New York Times, 2023)

However, some rooftoppers are defending their actions. Baptiste Hermant, 23, has posted photos of himself dangling on rooftops and describes himself as an explorer, not a rooftopper. “To be on a roof is just my thing,” Hermant said (The New York Times, 2023)

Lucidi was seen knocking on the windows of a 68th-floor penthouse. His body was found by security guards next to the building. The French military confirmed his death.

Lucidi’s Instagram page includes photographs from rooftops around the world. He explained that he traveled “to get more adrenaline to find a better way to enjoy life.” His posts often included hashtags like #urbanrogues and #scaryhighstuffs.

Looking at rooftop photographs on social media platforms, they appear like any other photos. However, there is a darker truth behind the scenes. Rooftoppers are risking their lives for social media, and many are asking the question: “Is it worth it?”

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/05/world/asia/rooftopping-trend-remi-lucidi-hong-kong.html