ABOUT THE SPEAKER
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.

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."

More profile about the speaker
eL Seed | Speaker | TED.com
TED2015

eL Seed: Street art with a message of hope and peace

eL Seed: 傳遞希望與和平的街頭藝術

Filmed:
1,581,298 views

作爲一個法國出生、雙親爲突尼斯人的突尼斯籍藝術家,eL Seed 熱衷於兼顧自己多重文化、語言和身份。尤其是在他的藝術作品之中,阿拉伯詩歌的風格受到了街頭藝術和書法的啓發。在這個含蓄又激情的演講中,這位藝術家和 TED 研究會員描述了他的主要理想:去創造美妙到無須翻譯的藝術。
- 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

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
In 2012, when I painted
the minaret尖塔 of Jara哈拉 Mosque清真寺
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在2012年,當我在位於
突尼斯南部的故鄉Gabés
00:17
in my hometown家鄉 of Gab瞎扯és,
in the south of Tunisia突尼斯,
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繪製Jara Mosque清真寺的圖像的時候
00:19
I never thought that graffiti塗鴉 would bring帶來
so much attention注意 to a city.
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從未想過塗鴉會
給一座城市帶來如此大魅力。
00:25
At the beginning開始, I was just looking
for a wall in my hometown家鄉,
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起初,我只是在故鄉
尋找一堵牆,
00:29
and it happened發生 that the minaret尖塔
was built內置 in '94.
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碰巧這座尖塔建於1994年。
00:33
And for 18 years年份, those 57 meters
of concrete具體 stayed grey灰色.
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18年來,這些57米高的
混凝土牆一直是一片灰濛濛的。
00:38
When I met會見 the imam阿訇 for the first time,
and I told him what I wanted to do,
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首次見到伊瑪目(清真寺內率穆斯林做禮拜的人)時,
我把自己想做的事情告訴了他,
00:42
he was like, "Thank God you finally最後 came來了,"
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他當時的反應就像“謝天謝地,終於等到你了”
00:44
and he told me that for years年份
he was waiting等候 for somebody
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他告訴我,數年來
都在等待一個人
00:47
to do something on it.
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能對這堵牆做點什麼。
00:49
The most amazing驚人 thing about this imam阿訇
is that he didn't ask me anything --
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最難以置信的是這位伊瑪目
對此並沒有任何過問——
00:53
neither也不 a sketch草圖,
or what I was going to write.
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既沒讓我提供草圖,
也沒詢問我要寫什麼內容。
00:57
In every一切 work that I create創建,
I write messages消息
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在每件創作的作品中,
我借助融入個人風格的書法塗鴉
01:00
with my style樣式 of calligraffiticalligraffiti --
a mix混合 of calligraphy書法 and graffiti塗鴉.
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一種書法和塗鴉混合體
傳遞要表達的資訊。
01:05
I use quotes報價 or poetry詩歌.
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我引用箴言和詩句。
01:08
For the minaret尖塔, I thought that
the most relevant相應 message信息
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就(清真寺的)尖塔而言,
我認為最適合寫在
01:10
to be put on a mosque清真寺
should come from the Quran古蘭經,
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清真寺牆壁上的名言
應當來自《古蘭經》,
01:13
so I picked採摘的 this verse:
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因此,我摘錄了以下詩句:
01:15
"Oh humankind人類, we have created創建 you
from a male and a female,
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“哦,人類,我們創造出你們
男人和女人,
01:18
and made製作 you people and tribe部落,
so you may可能 know each other."
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創造出民族和部落,
讓你們相識相知,”
01:21
It was a universal普遍 call for peace和平,
tolerance公差, and acceptance驗收
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這是對和平、寬容和接納
的共同呼喚,
01:25
coming未來 from the side that we don't usually平時
portray寫真 in a good way in the media媒體.
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因為媒體中往往沒有
對這方面適當渲染。
01:29
I was amazed吃驚 to see how the local本地
community社區 reacted反應 to the painting繪畫,
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當瞭解到當地社區對繪畫的反應,
我感動驚訝不已
01:33
and how it made製作 them proud驕傲 to see
the minaret尖塔 getting得到 so much attention注意
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他們對這座(清真寺)尖塔
獲得如此多
01:37
from international國際 press
all around the world世界.
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來自國際媒體的關注
感到那麼的自豪。
01:41
For the imam阿訇, it was not
just the painting繪畫;
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對那位伊瑪目而言,
這不僅僅是一幅繪畫;
01:43
it was really deeper更深 than that.
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它的意義遠不止此。
01:45
He hoped希望 that this minaret尖塔 would become成為
a monument紀念碑 for the city,
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他(伊瑪目)希望這座(清真寺)尖塔
成為這座城市的豐碑,
01:48
and attract吸引 people
to this forgotten忘記了 place地點 of Tunisia突尼斯.
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吸引各地遊客來到
突尼斯這處被遺忘之地。
01:52
The universality普遍性 of the message信息,
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這條資訊的普遍性,
01:54
the political政治 context上下文
of Tunisia突尼斯 at this time,
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此時突尼斯的
政治背景,
01:57
and the fact事實 that I was writing寫作
Quran古蘭經 in a graffiti塗鴉 way
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以及我以塗鴉的方式
書寫可蘭經的事實
02:00
were not insignificant微不足道.
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都並非無關緊要的。
02:02
It reunited重聚 the community社區.
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它使社區重新凝聚在一起。
02:05
Bringing people, future未來 generations,
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通過阿拉伯書法藝術,
02:08
together一起 through通過 Arabic阿拉伯 calligraphy書法
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將當代人、後代人聚在一起,
02:11
is what I do.
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這正是我的用意所在。
02:13
Writing寫作 messages消息 is
the essence本質 of my artwork藝術品.
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通過書法傳達資訊
是我的作品之精髓。
02:16
What is funny滑稽, actually其實, is that
even Arabic-speaking阿拉伯語 people
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事實上,相當有趣的是
即便母語為阿拉伯語者
02:20
really need to focus焦點 a lot
to decipher解碼 what I'm writing寫作.
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也需要真正費一番精力
才能辨認出我的字跡。
02:24
You don't need to know
the meaning含義 to feel the piece.
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你無需懂得文字本義
便可感知作品的真諦。
02:28
I think that Arabic阿拉伯 script腳本 touches觸摸
your soul靈魂 before it reaches到達 your eyes眼睛.
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我認為阿拉伯文字體
在辨識之前就已觸動你的心靈。
02:31
There is a beauty美女 in it
that you don't need to translate翻譯.
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美已經蘊含在文字本身
不需要去翻譯。
02:35
Arabic阿拉伯 script腳本 speaks說話 to anyone任何人, I believe;
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我相信,阿拉伯文能與任何人產生共鳴;
02:37
to you, to you, to you, to anybody任何人,
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對你、你,還有你,對任何人都如此,
02:41
and then when you get the meaning含義,
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然後,當你獲知了真意,
02:43
you feel connected連接的 to it.
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會感到與之心意相通。
02:45
I always make sure to write messages消息
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我一直盡力確保書寫的資訊
02:47
that are relevant相應 to the place地點
where I'm painting繪畫,
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與我繪畫的地方密切相關,
02:50
but messages消息 that have
a universal普遍 dimension尺寸,
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但是資訊具有普適性維度,
02:53
so anybody任何人 around the world世界
can connect to it.
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因而世界各地的人都能與之心意相通。
02:56
I was born天生 and raised上調 in France法國, in Paris巴黎,
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我出生並成長在法國巴黎,
02:59
and I started開始 learning學習 how to write
and read Arabic阿拉伯 when I was 18.
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我18歲時
就開始學習讀寫阿拉伯語。
03:03
Today今天 I only write messages消息 in Arabic阿拉伯.
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而今天,我只用阿拉伯語塗鴉寓言。
03:07
One of the reasons原因
this is so important重要 to me,
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這對我來說
很重要的原因之一,
03:10
is because of all the reaction反應 that
I've experienced有經驗的 all around the world世界.
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是我在世界各地所體會到的反響。
03:15
In Rio里約熱內盧 de Janeiro里約熱內盧, I translated翻譯
this Portuguese葡萄牙語 poem
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在里約熱內盧,
我翻譯的葡萄牙詩歌
03:19
from Gabriela加布里埃拉rresRRES Barbosa巴博薩,
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來自於加布裡艾拉·托雷斯·巴博薩,
03:21
who was giving an homage尊敬
to the poor較差的 people of the favela貧民窟,
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這位詩人用詩歌表達
對貧民窟的窮人的致敬,
03:24
and then I painted it on the rooftop屋頂.
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我把這首詩塗鴉在屋頂上。
03:27
The local本地 community社區 were really
intrigued好奇 by what I was doing,
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當地社區居民很好奇
我到底在做什麼,
03:30
but as soon不久 as I gave them
the meaning含義 of the calligraphy書法,
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但當我給他們講解
這首詩的含義的時候,
03:33
they thanked感謝 me, as they felt
connected連接的 to the piece.
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他們向我表示感謝,
因為他們認為這首詩與他們息息相關。
03:38
In South Africa非洲, in Cape Town,
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在南非的開普敦,
03:40
the local本地 community社區 of Philippi
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當地一個名為腓立比的社區
03:43
offered提供 me the only
concrete具體 wall of the slum貧民窟.
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為我提供了
貧民窟的僅有一面水泥牆。
03:46
It was a school學校, and I wrote on it
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這面牆位於一所學校內,我把詩歌書寫在牆上,
03:49
a quote引用 from Nelson納爾遜 Mandela曼德拉,
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是納爾遜.曼德拉的詩歌的摘引,
03:50
saying, "[in Arabic阿拉伯],"
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這首詩是這樣的:“[阿拉伯文],”
03:53
which哪一個 means手段, "It seems似乎
impossible不可能 until直到 it's doneDONE."
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其含義是:“在事情完成之前,
一切都看似不可能。”
03:56
Then this guy came來了 to me and said,
"Man, why you don't write in English英語?"
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這時一位貧民走過來對我說:
“夥計,你為什麼不用英語寫?”
04:00
and I replied回答 to him, "I would consider考慮
your concern關心 legit合法的 if you asked me
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我回答他,“如果你問我
為什麼不用祖魯語寫,
04:04
why I didn't write in Zulu祖魯."
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我會好好考慮你的建議。”
04:06
In Paris巴黎, once一旦, there was this event事件,
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在巴黎,有一次,發生了這樣一件事情,
04:09
and someone有人 gave his wall to be painted.
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有人讓我在他的牆上塗鴉詩歌。
04:14
And when he saw I was painting繪畫 in Arabic阿拉伯,
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但當他看到我塗鴉的是阿拉伯語的時候,
04:16
he got so mad -- actually其實, hysterical歇斯底里 --
and he asked for the wall to be erased擦除.
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他簡直快瘋了——實際上是歇斯底里——
他要求把塗鴉在牆上的阿拉伯語擦除掉。
04:20
I was mad and disappointed失望.
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我對此感到抓狂和失望。
04:22
But a week later後來, the organizer組織者
of the event事件 asked me to come back,
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但一個星期後,
活動的組織者要求我回來,
04:26
and he told me that there was a wall
right in front面前 of this guy's傢伙 house.
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他告訴我,
在這傢伙房屋正前面有一面牆。
04:30
So, this guy --
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所以,這傢伙——
04:31
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
04:33
like, was forced被迫 to see it every一切 day.
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被迫天天看到這面牆。
04:35
At the beginning開始, I was going
to write, "[In Arabic阿拉伯],"
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在開始的時候,我打算寫:“[阿拉伯語],”
04:38
which哪一個 means手段, "In your face面對," but --
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其含義是:“特立獨行(在你的臉上),”但是 -
04:40
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
04:42
I decided決定 to be smarter聰明
and I wrote, "[In Arabic阿拉伯],"
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我想要更聰明些,於是我寫道:“[在阿拉伯語中],”
04:46
which哪一個 means手段, "Open打開 your heart."
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其含義是,“敞開心扉(打開你的心臟)。”
04:49
I'm really proud驕傲 of my culture文化,
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我很為我的文字功底感到自豪,
04:52
and I'm trying to be an ambassador大使
of it through通過 my artwork藝術品.
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我試圖通過我的作品
成為一位大使。
04:57
And I hope希望 that I can break打破
the stereotypes定型 we all know,
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我希望通過
使用阿拉伯文字的美感,
05:02
with the beauty美女 of Arabic阿拉伯 script腳本.
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破除大家所熟知的陳規舊習。
05:05
Today今天, I don't write the translation翻譯
of the message信息 anymore on the wall.
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今天,我再也不在牆上塗鴉
寓言的翻譯之意了。
05:11
I don't want the poetry詩歌
of the calligraphy書法 to be broken破碎,
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我不想破壞
書法塗鴉的詩意,
05:14
as it's art藝術 and you can appreciate欣賞 it
without knowing會心 the meaning含義,
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因為書法塗鴉是一門藝術,
你可以欣賞它,即使不懂文意,
05:18
as you can enjoy請享用 any music音樂
from other countries國家.
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如同你可以欣賞
其他國家的音樂一樣。
05:21
Some people see that
as a rejection拒絕 or a closed關閉 door,
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有些人認為這是一種拒絕或關閉之門,
05:25
but for me, it's more an invitation請帖 --
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但對於我來說,這更是一種邀請——
05:27
to my language語言,
to my culture文化, and to my art藝術.
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對於我的語言,
我的文化,以及我的藝術。
05:31
Thank you.
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謝謝!
05:32
(Applause掌聲)
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Translated by FBC Global
Reviewed by Xueling Sun

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
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.

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."

More profile about the speaker
eL Seed | Speaker | TED.com