Above the Below was illusionist David Blaine's first major challenge outside the United States. On Friday 5 th September 2003 he entered a plastic box measuring only 3x7x7 feet which was suspended by a crane over looking the River Thames by Tower Bridge in London. David Blaine was to spend the next 44 days surviving only on water and the energy given to him by his supporters visiting the site.

The challenge at first glance seems to be a physical one, enduring this long period without food, however Blaine thought the real challenge for him would be psychological as he would have limited mental stimulation and human interaction.

This was not the case - thousands of people flocked to the site to interact with David Blaine in many different ways. Performers came daily to entertain him with juggling, fire breathing, music of every kind, miming and dancing to name but a few. Crowds gathered to wave and shout throughout the day and night to get Blaine's attention – which meant he didn't get a break from human interaction!

The British press gave a hugely unbalanced report of the event, claiming that most of the visitors to the site were unsupportive of David Blaine's stunt. There were daily reports of egg throwers, people firing paintballs at the box, golfers hitting golf balls at the box, hamburgers being flown by the box in attempts to get Blaine down, and the endless stories went on. Blaine's own DVD of the event, directed by Harmony Korine, depicted an artistic view of David Blaine's own experiences but failed to show the other side of what the British press were reporting.

David Blaine completed his 44 day challenge and emerged to a very supportive crowd who cheered him as he was taken away to hospital to begin his re-feeding program.