Un graphiste et philanthrope franco-tunisien réinvente le logiciel Zoom

La calligraphie arabe distincte de l’artiste eL Seed se retrouve sur les façades du monde entier, soulignant constamment les points communs de l’existence humaine et unifiant les différentes communautés malgré les différences culturelles et géographiques… cette fois-ci, son travail a véritablement transcendé toutes les frontières, puisqu’il s’est exprimé dans la sphère virtuelle.

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I believe the pictures in the previous post don’t do justice to what really happened on this Zoom 'meeting'. I am writing this with a huge smile on my face, and so many friends told me they were smiling for hours after the call. 49 homes from all around the world: Nigeria, USA, Portugal, Italy, China, Canada, UAE, Qatar, France, UK, Netherlands, Pakistan, Tunisia, Rwanda, Egypt, and Romania. The best part of it was not the artwork (I did my best to make it look as perfect as it should be), it was the ambiance, the energy, and the love everyone shared during the call. I got goosebumps every time I watched this today. @aloeblacc and @mayajupiter 's performance was uplifting and inspiring. The lyrics fit perfectly with the circumstances we are all living today. From Netherlands, Norah, Yarah, and Rosa showed us that talent doesn’t know age. I am their biggest fan! For over an hour we were all at the same level, in unison, sharing the same human condition. It was out of this world. I didn’t realize what was happening until the call was over and the participants left one by one. Everyone from wherever they are will have an impact on someone elsewhere in the world. Art is just a pretext. We did this to raise funds for a cause. I will edit an edition of 49 lithographs from the original artwork used for this project. Half of the proceeds will go to the hospital Ambroise Paré in @villedeboulognebillancourt , where I grew up in France, and the other half will go to the hospital Mohamed Ben Sassi of Gabes, where I am originally from in Tunisia. #artisapretext #thankyouall #elseed #fromNYtoTunis #KigalitoLA #MilantoCairo #SharjahtoLondon #KarachitoLisbon #LagostoMaastricht #Boulbi #Gabes 🎥 @mehdykhmili

A post shared by eL Seed (@elseed) on Apr 28, 2020 at 5:39am PDT

Les pièces du puzzle

Un fragment de l’œuvre d’art entière a été envoyé par eL Seed à chaque membre volontaire avant le chat vidéo prévu, pour qu’il apparaisse comme image de fond pendant la durée de l’appel.

À 13h EST, le 26 avril 2020, chaque participant s’est connecté avec son arrière-plan virtuel respectif. eL Seed explique sa démarche sur son compte Instagram : “J’ai juste eu à synchroniser les participants, à façonner l’image finale, et à permettre aux gens d’entrer dans l’appel Zoom en fonction de leur position sur l’œuvre d’art. Chaque personne était un instrument unique jouant un solo. Personne par personne, j’ai pu assister à la mise en forme de l’œuvre d’art. J’ai dû faire confiance à chacun pour qu’il fasse sa part afin que nous puissions créer l’œuvre ensemble.“

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I always say Art is a pretext. Yesterday night, I was more than ever convinced by this statement. Through Art and technology, 49 people from many different countries and backgrounds were united to share a unique moment of humanity. During this difficult time, what I miss the most is the human interactions that I live when I do my art projects. I believe we all have this heightened need for social interaction these days. André Malraux said: ‘Art, is the shortest path from one human being to another human being.’ I depicted the words of the French Novelist in Arabic on an artwork that I divided in 49 pieces. Each piece was sent to a person, all around the world. Then at 1PM EST time, on April 26 2020, everyone logged in with their respective virtual backgrounds. As the conductor, I just had to synchronize the participants, shape the final picture, allowing people to enter the Zoom call according to their position on the artwork. Each person was a single instrument playing a solo. Person by person, I could witness the artwork taking shape. I had to trust everyone to do his or her part so we could create the artwork together. Their part was to be on time, have a good internet connection and a laptop. It was amazing to see each person entering the room and to their surprise, being greeted by people from all over the world whether they knew them or not. There was an undeniable comradery that was genuinely endearing. The best part of it was not the artwork, it was the ambiance, the energy, and the love everyone shared during the call. This wouldn’t have been possible without the talented @aloeblacc who performed throughout the call, and the performance of the amazing Dutch dancers @norah_yarah_rosa . For over an hour we were all at the same level, in unison, sharing the same human condition. I didn’t realize what was happening until the call was over and the participants left one by one just as I had added them. Thanks to all of you who were there yesterday and also @tamir_ali_ for being an amazing artistic director , @hatem.jaziri @malikbettaieb @mehdykhmili and @ouahidb @dima_masoud and @bernardo_arnel for being the best team someone could dream of.

A post shared by eL Seed (@elseed) on Apr 27, 2020 at 9:58am PDT

49 pays étaient représentés, dont le Nigeria, les États-Unis, le Portugal, l’Italie, la Chine, le Canada, les Émirats arabes unis, le Qatar, la France, le Royaume-Uni, les Pays-Bas, le Pakistan, la Tunisie, le Rwanda, l’Égypte et la Roumanie.

Comme si cela ne suffisait pas, quelques invités célèbres étaient également présents, notamment le chanteur américain Aloe Blacc, qui a fait la sérénade au groupe pendant toute la durée de l’appel, aux côtés de sa femme et de sa collègue Maya Jupiter. Les danseuses néerlandaises Norah, Yarah et Rosa, vedettes d’Instagram qui ont participé au spectacle d’Ellen DeGeneres, ont également eu l’occasion d’animer la réunion.

Rendre à César

Ce projet est loin d’être le premier de l’artiste à faire des vagues au niveau international. Il y a quelques années, eL Seed a remporté le prix Sharjah de l’UNESCO pour la culture arabe et a été nommé “Penseur mondial” par la politique étrangère pour son projet “Perception” au Caire. Malgré son jeune âge, il a également réussi à collaborer avec Louis Vuitton sur leu r célèbre “Foulard d’Artiste”, où la calligraphie traditionnelle d’inspiration arabe, signature d’eL Seed, a fait son apparition en fuchsia et en filigrane doré, recouvrant le monogramme classique de la marque de luxe parisienne.

Son ambition reste de créer un art si beau qu’il n’a pas besoin de traduction et, quel que soit le support, eL Seed semble être en plein dans le mille.