Learn English with Arty Anglais: Episode 19: A project of peace painted across 50 buildings with el Seed

Learn English through Art & Design

Hey everyone, and welcome to Episode 19 the Arty Anglais podcast, the podcast where we talk about art, culture and society to help you learn English naturally. Great news! All my episodes will now be transcribed and you’ll be able to find the transcripts on the website www.artyanglais.com/podcastTranscripts will appear 60 minutes after each episode is published. So check back if the transcript isn't ready. So from now on, all the longer Episodes, Art of Conversation Episodes and Lessons will now all just be in the same place and each episode will be numbered no matter what type of episode it is.Today I’m going to talk about a TEDTalk I saw recently which was from 2016 called:A project of Peace painted across 50 buildings. (Click here to see the video or watch it in the transcript for today's episode). The video is a presentation by eL Seed who is a French-Tunisian street artist. His work incorporates traditional Arabic calligraphy, a style he calls calligraffiti. Which is a composite term of calli - from the word calligraphy and graffiti.Find out more about el Seed here.I wanted to share this video with you for three reasons:The message behind his story is important - to be aware of and sensitive to cultural difference.The project is very moving and emotional and I think during this in this time it shows the importance of human connection, togetherness and trying to understand othersEnglish is his third or second language. When you watch the video you might need subtitles because at times it is challenging to understand his pronunciation. However, I wanted you to hear it because you will see that despite some little mistakes and some challenges with pronunciation, the audience is so captivated and engaged with everything he has to say. You will see what I mean.So before we discuss anything about the video and before you watch it I want to share with you two things to do while you watch the video. It’s 10 minutes long so not very long so you should be able to watch it a few times.In the video, he shares a quote in Arabic which translates in English to -Anyone who wants to see the sunlight clearly needs to wipe his eyes first. I want you to think about how this quote is linked to this project and what it means to you. Vocabulary in the Video: Anamorphic - Relating to producing different optical imaging effects or illusions. He created an anamorphic piece which means he painted several different buildings so that when the builds are viewed from far away or a vantage point it creates one big image. It’s an optical illusion that looks different from far away compared to close up. unity - coming together as a whole. For example, all the buildings come together to create one image. The people also come together as a community. Perceive something - verb to be aware of something or come to realise something in a different way.Perception - noun - is the way you think about something, your ideas based on your experience and background. neglected - suffering or lack of proper care Isolated - far away from other places, buildings, or people; remote.The key person of the project - the main person who allowed the project to happenThe project moved him - to emotionally affect someone so strongly.Open a dialogue - start talking about a sensitive issue or to start talking about somethingTo relate to something - To put yourself in someone’s shoes - Discussion Questions: 1. What’s the difference between Live from the garbage Live in the garbage 2. What is the difference between ‘shining light on something’ and ‘bringing light to someone or something3. If you want to see the real person maybe you should change your angle. What does this mean? Why did he say this? 4. Do you think the artist thought the finished product was more important or the journey? Why?Links Interview in FrenchArts and Culture Panel Discussion