Reports & Papers
From the Harvard Gazette. Thursday, April 5, 2012. By Matthew McClellan.
Tunisian artist eL Seed took his spray paints out into the cold last week to create an example of “calligraffiti” in the Science Center’s plaza. The canvas featured the eponymous Arabic phrase in stylized black and gray whorls over a field of purples.
The French-born artist completed the work, which he called “Taking Back the Purple,” in five hours.
“For those of us who are nonartists, it is a really amazing thing to go from a blank canvas to a descriptive and deep collage of thought and color,” said Paul Beran, director of the Outreach Center at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES).
EL Seed describes his work as occupying a middle ground between classical Arabic calligraphy and action painting. He first used calligraphy to help connect with his own Arab identity. Failing to find a teacher, eL Seed studied on his own. His lack of formal education in calligraphy, coupled with the intuitive, reflexive movements encouraged by spray painting, led him toward a freer approach to shape and color. Keep reading (and watch video).
Additional coverage in The Harvard Crimson, Thursday, April 2, 2012. By Jihyun Ro.
eL Seed's visit was co-sponsored by the Middle East Initiative, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Islamic Studies Program, Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, and the Outreach Center at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard.