eL Seed Dubai Opera sculpture unveiled

A sculpture by eL Seed was officially unveiled outside Dubai Opera on Wednesday. The Declaration sculpture protrudes from the walls of the Dubai Opera Gardens.

The words that form the sculpture are taken from a quote by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, “Art in all its colours and types reflects the culture of the nations, their history and civilization".

"Declaration was a love declaration to Arabic Calligraphy. Today is a declaration of love to the city that I call home. It is important for me to keep my culture and the Arab language alive through my art. I carry a tradition and I want to inspire younger generations to love who they are and where they are from," said eL Seed.

The sculpture, constructed with the help of 31 craftsmen, took over a year to complete and is mostly constructed with pink stainless steel. The sculpture is 30 metres in length and weighs three-and-a-half tonnes.

"Dubai Opera is all about promoting the culture of nations and we are delighted to have commissioned el Seed's remarkable new work Declaration and especially honoured to have the words of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum brought to life in this way for so many people to enjoy," said Chief Executive of Dubai Opera Jasper Hope.

eL Seed, born in Tunisia and raised in France, has become well-known for his expressive calligraphic forms. His work is a kind of hybrid between street art and classical Arabic calligraphy: fat, angular letters.

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