TED2015
eL Seed: Street art with a message of hope and peace
eL Seed: Gadekunst med et budskab om håb og fred
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eL Seed er født i Frankrig af tunesiske forældre og nyder at jonglere imellem flere kulturer, sprog og identiteter. Ikke mindst i hans kunst, som blander arabisk poesi med en stil inspireret af gadekunst og graffiti. I dette stille og rolige foredrag, beskriver kunstneren og TED Fellow passioneret hans centrale ambition: at skabe kunst så smuk, at det ikke behøver en oversættelse.
eL Seed - Artist
French-Tunisian artist eL Seed blends the historic art of Arabic calligraphy with graffti to portray messages of beauty, poetry and peace across all continents. Full bio
French-Tunisian artist eL Seed blends the historic art of Arabic calligraphy with graffti to portray messages of beauty, poetry and peace across all continents. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
In 2012, when I painted
the minaret of Jara Mosque
the minaret of Jara Mosque
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I 2012 da jeg malede
minareten af Jara Moskéen
minareten af Jara Moskéen
00:17
in my hometown of Gabés,
in the south of Tunisia,
in the south of Tunisia,
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i min hjemby Gabés,
i det sydlige Tunesien,
i det sydlige Tunesien,
00:19
I never thought that graffiti would bring
so much attention to a city.
so much attention to a city.
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havde jeg aldrig troet, at grafitti ville
bringe så meget opmærksomhed til en by.
bringe så meget opmærksomhed til en by.
00:25
At the beginning, I was just looking
for a wall in my hometown,
for a wall in my hometown,
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I begyndelsen var jeg kun på udkig
efter en mur i min hjemby
efter en mur i min hjemby
00:29
and it happened that the minaret
was built in '94.
was built in '94.
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og det viste sig,
at minareten var bygget i 1994.
at minareten var bygget i 1994.
00:33
And for 18 years, those 57 meters
of concrete stayed grey.
of concrete stayed grey.
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Og i de 18 år,
forblev de 57 meter af beton gråt.
forblev de 57 meter af beton gråt.
00:38
When I met the imam for the first time,
and I told him what I wanted to do,
and I told him what I wanted to do,
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Da jeg mødte imamen for første gang
og jeg fortalte ham hvad jeg ville gøre,
og jeg fortalte ham hvad jeg ville gøre,
00:42
he was like, "Thank God you finally came,"
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var han ligesom,
"Gudskelov, du er endelig kommet,"
"Gudskelov, du er endelig kommet,"
00:44
and he told me that for years
he was waiting for somebody
he was waiting for somebody
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og han fortalte mig at i årevis
havde han ventet for nogen
havde han ventet for nogen
00:47
to do something on it.
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til at gøre noget ved det.
00:49
The most amazing thing about this imam
is that he didn't ask me anything --
is that he didn't ask me anything --
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Det mest fantastiske ved den her imam er,
at han ikke spurgte mig omkring noget --
at han ikke spurgte mig omkring noget --
00:53
neither a sketch,
or what I was going to write.
or what I was going to write.
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hverken en skitse,
eller hvad jeg havde tænkt mig at skrive.
eller hvad jeg havde tænkt mig at skrive.
00:57
In every work that I create,
I write messages
I write messages
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I hvert kunstværk som jeg skaber,
skriver jeg budskaber
skriver jeg budskaber
01:00
with my style of calligraffiti --
a mix of calligraphy and graffiti.
a mix of calligraphy and graffiti.
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med min kalligraffiti stil --
en blanding af kalligrafi og graffiti.
en blanding af kalligrafi og graffiti.
01:05
I use quotes or poetry.
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Jeg bruger citater eller poesi.
01:08
For the minaret, I thought that
the most relevant message
the most relevant message
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For minareten mente jeg,
at det mest relevante budskab
at det mest relevante budskab
01:10
to be put on a mosque
should come from the Quran,
should come from the Quran,
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til at putte på en moské
burde komme fra Koranen,
burde komme fra Koranen,
01:13
so I picked this verse:
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så jeg valgte et vers:
01:15
"Oh humankind, we have created you
from a male and a female,
from a male and a female,
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"Åh menneskehed, vi har skabt dig
fra en mand og en kvinde,"
fra en mand og en kvinde,"
01:18
and made you people and tribe,
so you may know each other."
so you may know each other."
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og givet jer mennesker og stammer,
så I kan kende hinanden."
så I kan kende hinanden."
01:21
It was a universal call for peace,
tolerance, and acceptance
tolerance, and acceptance
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Det var et universelt råb for fred,
tolerance og accept,
tolerance og accept,
01:25
coming from the side that we don't usually
portray in a good way in the media.
portray in a good way in the media.
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der kommer fra den side vi normalt ikke
fremstiller på en god måde i medierne.
fremstiller på en god måde i medierne.
01:29
I was amazed to see how the local
community reacted to the painting,
community reacted to the painting,
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Jeg var forbløffet over, hvordan det
lokale samfund tog imod maleriet
lokale samfund tog imod maleriet
01:33
and how it made them proud to see
the minaret getting so much attention
the minaret getting so much attention
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og hvordan det gjorde dem stolt at se
minareten få så meget opmærksomhed
minareten få så meget opmærksomhed
01:37
from international press
all around the world.
all around the world.
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af international presse
fra hele verden.
fra hele verden.
01:41
For the imam, it was not
just the painting;
just the painting;
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For imamen var det ikke kun maleriet;
01:43
it was really deeper than that.
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det var meget dybere end det.
01:45
He hoped that this minaret would become
a monument for the city,
a monument for the city,
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Han håbede, at minareten kunne blive
et monument for byen
et monument for byen
01:48
and attract people
to this forgotten place of Tunisia.
to this forgotten place of Tunisia.
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og tiltrække folk til dette
glemte sted i Tunesien.
glemte sted i Tunesien.
01:52
The universality of the message,
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Det universelle af budskabet,
01:54
the political context
of Tunisia at this time,
of Tunisia at this time,
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det politiske indhold af Tunesien på tidspunktet
01:57
and the fact that I was writing
Quran in a graffiti way
Quran in a graffiti way
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og kendsgerningen at jeg skrev Koranen
på en graffiti måde
på en graffiti måde
02:00
were not insignificant.
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var ikke uden betydning.
02:02
It reunited the community.
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Det forenede fællesskabet.
02:05
Bringing people, future generations,
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At bringe folk, fremtidige generationer,
02:08
together through Arabic calligraphy
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sammen igennem arabisk kalligrafi
02:11
is what I do.
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er hvad jeg gør.
02:13
Writing messages is
the essence of my artwork.
the essence of my artwork.
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At skrive budskaber
er essensen af mit kunsthåndværk.
er essensen af mit kunsthåndværk.
02:16
What is funny, actually, is that
even Arabic-speaking people
even Arabic-speaking people
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Hvad der faktisk er sjovt er,
at selv arabisktalende personer
at selv arabisktalende personer
02:20
really need to focus a lot
to decipher what I'm writing.
to decipher what I'm writing.
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har virkelig brug for at fokusere for,
at kunne afkode hvad jeg skriver.
at kunne afkode hvad jeg skriver.
02:24
You don't need to know
the meaning to feel the piece.
the meaning to feel the piece.
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Man behøver ikke at kende meningen
for at føle værket.
for at føle værket.
02:28
I think that Arabic script touches
your soul before it reaches your eyes.
your soul before it reaches your eyes.
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Jeg tror, at arabiske skrifttegn
rører din sjæl før det når dine øjne.
rører din sjæl før det når dine øjne.
02:31
There is a beauty in it
that you don't need to translate.
that you don't need to translate.
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Der er en skønhed i det,
som man ikke behøver at oversætte.
som man ikke behøver at oversætte.
02:35
Arabic script speaks to anyone, I believe;
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Arabiske skrifttegn taler til alle,
mener jeg;
mener jeg;
02:37
to you, to you, to you, to anybody,
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til dig, til dig, til dig, til alle.
02:41
and then when you get the meaning,
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og når man så forstår meningen,
02:43
you feel connected to it.
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føler man sig forbundet til det.
02:45
I always make sure to write messages
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Jeg gør mig altid umage med,
at skrive budskaber,
at skrive budskaber,
02:47
that are relevant to the place
where I'm painting,
where I'm painting,
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som er relevante til det sted,
hvor jeg maler,
hvor jeg maler,
02:50
but messages that have
a universal dimension,
a universal dimension,
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men budskaber der har
en universel dimension,
en universel dimension,
02:53
so anybody around the world
can connect to it.
can connect to it.
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så enhver over hele verden
kan forbinde sig til det.
kan forbinde sig til det.
02:56
I was born and raised in France, in Paris,
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Jeg var født og opvokset
i Frankrig, i Paris,
i Frankrig, i Paris,
02:59
and I started learning how to write
and read Arabic when I was 18.
and read Arabic when I was 18.
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og jeg startede med at lære,
at skrive og læse arabisk da jeg var 18.
at skrive og læse arabisk da jeg var 18.
03:03
Today I only write messages in Arabic.
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I dag skriver jeg kun budskaber i arabisk.
03:07
One of the reasons
this is so important to me,
this is so important to me,
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Èn af grundene til,
at det er vigtigt for mig,
at det er vigtigt for mig,
03:10
is because of all the reaction that
I've experienced all around the world.
I've experienced all around the world.
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er på grund af alle reaktionerne,
som jeg har oplevet over hele verden.
som jeg har oplevet over hele verden.
03:15
In Rio de Janeiro, I translated
this Portuguese poem
this Portuguese poem
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I Rio de Janeiro
oversatte jeg et portugisisk digt
oversatte jeg et portugisisk digt
03:19
from Gabriela Tôrres Barbosa,
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fra Gabriela Tôrres Barbosa,
03:21
who was giving an homage
to the poor people of the favela,
to the poor people of the favela,
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som hyldede de
fattige mennesker fra slummen,
fattige mennesker fra slummen,
03:24
and then I painted it on the rooftop.
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og jeg malede det på taget.
03:27
The local community were really
intrigued by what I was doing,
intrigued by what I was doing,
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Det lokale samfund var nysgerrig
omkring hvad jeg lavede,
omkring hvad jeg lavede,
03:30
but as soon as I gave them
the meaning of the calligraphy,
the meaning of the calligraphy,
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men så snart at jeg
gav dem meningen af kalligrafien
gav dem meningen af kalligrafien
03:33
they thanked me, as they felt
connected to the piece.
connected to the piece.
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takkede de mig, da de følte sig
forbundet til værket.
forbundet til værket.
03:38
In South Africa, in Cape Town,
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I Sydafrika, i Cape Town,
03:40
the local community of Philippi
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det lokale samfund i Philippi
03:43
offered me the only
concrete wall of the slum.
concrete wall of the slum.
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tilbød mig den eneste betonvæg i slummen.
03:46
It was a school, and I wrote on it
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Det var en skole og jeg skrev på den
03:49
a quote from Nelson Mandela,
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et citat fra Nelson Mandela,
03:50
saying, "[in Arabic],"
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som sagde,
"[på arabisk],"
"[på arabisk],"
03:53
which means, "It seems
impossible until it's done."
impossible until it's done."
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der betyder,
"Det virker umuligt indtil det er gjort."
"Det virker umuligt indtil det er gjort."
03:56
Then this guy came to me and said,
"Man, why you don't write in English?"
"Man, why you don't write in English?"
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En fyr kom hen til mig og sagde,
"Hvorfor skriver du ikke på engelsk?"
"Hvorfor skriver du ikke på engelsk?"
04:00
and I replied to him, "I would consider
your concern legit if you asked me
your concern legit if you asked me
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og svarede, "Jeg ville anse dit spørgsmål
som gyldig, hvis du havde spurgt mig,"
som gyldig, hvis du havde spurgt mig,"
04:04
why I didn't write in Zulu."
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hvorfor jeg ikke skriver i zulu."
04:06
In Paris, once, there was this event,
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Der var engang i Paris,
den her begivenhed
den her begivenhed
04:09
and someone gave his wall to be painted.
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og nogen gav mig en væg,
der skulle males.
der skulle males.
04:14
And when he saw I was painting in Arabic,
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Og da han så,
at jeg malede på arabisk,
at jeg malede på arabisk,
04:16
he got so mad -- actually, hysterical --
and he asked for the wall to be erased.
and he asked for the wall to be erased.
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blev han så vred -- faktisk hysterisk --
og bad om at væggen blev slettet.
og bad om at væggen blev slettet.
04:20
I was mad and disappointed.
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Jeg var vred og skuffet.
04:22
But a week later, the organizer
of the event asked me to come back,
of the event asked me to come back,
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Men en uge senere bad arrangøren
af begivenheden mig om at komme tilbage,
af begivenheden mig om at komme tilbage,
04:26
and he told me that there was a wall
right in front of this guy's house.
right in front of this guy's house.
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og han fortalte mig, at der stadig
var en væg lige foran fyrens hus.
var en væg lige foran fyrens hus.
04:30
So, this guy --
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Så ham fyren --
04:31
(Laughter)
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(Latter)
04:33
like, was forced to see it every day.
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blev tvunget til at se på det hver dag.
04:35
At the beginning, I was going
to write, "[In Arabic],"
to write, "[In Arabic],"
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I starten havde jeg tænkt mig at skrive,
"[på arabisk],"
"[på arabisk],"
04:38
which means, "In your face," but --
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der betyder, "I dit fjæs," men --
04:40
(Laughter)
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(Latter)
04:42
I decided to be smarter
and I wrote, "[In Arabic],"
and I wrote, "[In Arabic],"
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Jeg valgte at være smartere og jeg skrev,
"[på arabisk],"
"[på arabisk],"
04:46
which means, "Open your heart."
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der betyder, "Åben dit hjerte."
04:49
I'm really proud of my culture,
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Jeg er virkeligt stolt af min kultur,
04:52
and I'm trying to be an ambassador
of it through my artwork.
of it through my artwork.
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og jeg prøver at være en ambassadør
af det gennem mit kunsthåndværk.
af det gennem mit kunsthåndværk.
04:57
And I hope that I can break
the stereotypes we all know,
the stereotypes we all know,
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Og jeg håber, at jeg kan
bryde stereotypen som vi alle kender
bryde stereotypen som vi alle kender
05:02
with the beauty of Arabic script.
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med skønheden af arabiske skrifttegn.
05:05
Today, I don't write the translation
of the message anymore on the wall.
of the message anymore on the wall.
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I dag skriver jeg ikke oversættelsen
af budskabet længere på væggen.
af budskabet længere på væggen.
05:11
I don't want the poetry
of the calligraphy to be broken,
of the calligraphy to be broken,
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Jeg vil ikke have, at poesien af
kalligrafien skal være ødelagt
kalligrafien skal være ødelagt
05:14
as it's art and you can appreciate it
without knowing the meaning,
without knowing the meaning,
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da det er kunst og man kan påskønne det
uden at kende meningen,
uden at kende meningen,
05:18
as you can enjoy any music
from other countries.
from other countries.
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ligesom man kan nyde
musik fra andre lande.
musik fra andre lande.
05:21
Some people see that
as a rejection or a closed door,
as a rejection or a closed door,
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Nogen mennesker ser det som en afvisning
eller en lukket dør,
eller en lukket dør,
05:25
but for me, it's more an invitation --
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men for mig er det mere en invitation --
05:27
to my language,
to my culture, and to my art.
to my culture, and to my art.
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til mit sprog, til min kultur
og til min kunst.
og til min kunst.
05:31
Thank you.
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Tak.
05:32
(Applause)
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(Bifald)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
eL Seed - ArtistFrench-Tunisian artist eL Seed blends the historic art of Arabic calligraphy with graffti to portray messages of beauty, poetry and peace across all continents.
Why you should listen
Born in Paris to Tunisian parents, eL Seed travels the world, making art in Paris, New York, Jeddah, Melbourne, Gabes, Doha and beyond. His goal: to create dialogue and promote tolerance as well as change global perceptions of what Arabic means. In 2012, for instance, he painted a message of unity on a 47-meter-high minaret on the Jara mosque in Gabes, Tunisia. This piece and others can be found in his book, Lost Walls: Graffiti Road Trip through Tunisia
Most recently he created a sprawling mural in the Manshiyat Naser neighborhood of Cairo that spans 50 buildings and can only be viewed from a local mountaintop. Intending to honor the historic garbage collectors of the Manshiyat Naser neighborhood, the piece reads, "Anyone who wants to see the sunlight clearly needs to wipe his eye first."
eL Seed | Speaker | TED.com