French Tunisian street artist eL Seed is well known for his “calligraffiti” style of blending traditional Arabic calligraphy with contemporary graffiti. His larger than life murals can be seen in cities around the world, and he has created designs for international brands such as Louis Vuitton.
The artist believes in using his art to make a meaningful contribution to society, and has done projects such as “Lost Walls”, where he painted on walls across Tunisia to highlight the country’s heritage. He has recently completed his largest ever social project, “Perception”, in suburban Cairo.
The project, which was funded entirely by the artist, revolves around the Coptic community of Zaraeeb that collects and sorts by hand the daily garbage generated in Cairo. Because of the nature of its work, the community is perceived as dirty and called “zabaleen” (the garbage people) and has been segregated and marginalised by society.
The artist and his team spent three weeks in the neighbourhood of Mokattam Mountain in Cairo, where the community lives, to create a large, circular, anamorphic calligraffiti piece spread across the façades of 50 buildings.
The complete work is visible only from one point on top of the Mokattam Mountain. It is eL Seed’s first anamorphic piece, and it has taken him a year of planning to execute this unique project.
EL Seed spoke to Weekend Review at his studio in Dubai about the project. Excerpts:
Why did you call this project “Perception”?
Firstly, because it changed my own perception. I thought these people live in garbage and I was going to go there and beautify the place, but I realised that this is not true and it was wrong of me to judge them without knowing the reality. Secondly, I hope that by drawing attention to the Zaraeeb community through this work, we will also be able to change the perception of others.
The people of Cairo call them “zabaleen”, but this is not how they perceive themselves. According to the Zaraeebs, the people of Cairo create the garbage, and their community keeps the city clean.
This community of more than 70,000 people works with garbage, but they do not live in the garbage — they live from the garbage. They have developed a profitable recycling system, which is one of the best in the world because they recycle 80 per cent of the garbage they collect, and feed the organic matter to the animals they breed. While most of them are Coptic Christians, there is a small percentage of Muslims among them and they all live together in harmony.
These are honest, hard working, strong and generous people who make a good living and live a decent life, but the wrong perception of society has led to their isolation and segregation.
How did you get the community on board?
I went there with the idea of convincing the owners of every building we wanted to paint on. But I was told that the only person I needed to convince was the priest. I explained the idea to him and he liked it. His main concern was the words I would put in the piece.
In my work I always try to use words that the local community can relate to, but also have universal resonance. I did my research and found a quote by Athanasius of Alexandria, which says: “Anyone who wants to see the light clearly, needs to wipe his eyes first.” The words are apt for this project, and I have incorporated the Arabic translation in my work. Once the priest approved, the whole community welcomed us warmly.
Why did you make an anamorphic piece rather than a mural on a single wall?
I wanted to spread it out so that the entire work can be seen only from one point on the mountain. It is a metaphor for the fact that the way you see something depends on where you are standing, and you can see the correct image of people only when you perceive them from the right place.
How did you execute such a huge project?
I needed a big team of committed people, so I asked my childhood friends from Paris to help me, and they flew out from across the world. We were a team of 28 people working day and night for three weeks.
The logistics were complex. For instance, we needed to set up 12 lifts along the walls, and they had to be moved from one building to the next as we traced the pattern on 50 buildings, and coloured them. We were working amid lots of people, animals and piles of garbage, and I nearly got attacked by a bull while I was on a lift. But when it was done, it was amazing to go up on the mountain and see it all come together beautifully.
What was the reaction of the community?
We made this piece just for them. We put in on the inside walls, so it is not even visible from outside. We had used fluorescent white paint in the work, and after it was finished we illuminated the entire piece for one night and took everyone up on the mountain to view it.
The community was happy, but I know that more than the work itself, they were excited about having us there. I have never received such a warm welcome anywhere else. They invited us for meals and for family weddings, and played soccer with us, and they got very emotional when we were leaving.
What does this project mean to you?
It feels good to create something meaningful, something that brings out the humanity in us and fosters debate that will hopefully bring change. For me this project is more about the human experience rather than the artistic challenge.
It is a link that we have created with these people through art. I have learnt a lot about myself and society from this experience, because this community is a reflection of who we are and how much we consume and waste, and how we judge others, which leads to social segregation and ultimately conflict.
What impact do you hope this project will have?
I do not want to be too idealistic, but I just hope that people will stop calling the Zaraeebs “zabaleen”, and will understand and respect the important work they do. I also hope that seeing this totally self-funded project will encourage people to take up community projects without waiting for governmental or other aid. I also plan to release a book, a film and a comic about the project to show the world that like everybody else, the Zaraeeb community lives and works with pride and dignity.
Are you concerned about the preservation of the work?
Like all street art, this work is inherently ephemeral and not owned by anybody. In fact, it will disappear if a new floor is built on any of the buildings. This is not about one piece of art — it is about the experience and the memories. The art was essentially a pretext to build a relationship with a community.
Jyoti Kalsi is an arts-enthusiast based in Dubai.
