L’artiste Saype poursuit sa chaine humaine en Afrique du Sud

Thibault Quartier | Publié le 25/01/2021 |

L’artiste belfortain Saype poursuit son projet Beyond the wall, la plus grande chaine humaine au monde. Il vient de terminer la 9^e étape, au Cap, en Afrique du Sud. Précédemment, il s’était arrêté à Paris, Berlin, Andorre, Genève, Ouagadougou, Yamoussoukro, Turin et Istanbul.

L’artiste belfortain Saype poursuit son projet Beyond the wall, la plus grande chaine humaine au monde. Il vient de terminer la 9^e étape, au Cap, en Afrique du Sud. Précédemment, il s’était arrêté à Paris, Berlin, Andorre, Genève, Ouagadougou, Yamoussoukro, Turin et Istanbul.

9^e étape, pour Saype, dans son projet Beyond the wall, la plus grande fresque humaine au monde. Il a posé ses valises au Cap, en Afrique du Sud, où il a réalisé trois fresques dans trois quartiers de cette ville que l’on surnomme la cité mère. Cette étape est loin d’être anodine, aujourd’hui, alors que le pays est sous le feu des projecteurs avec la diffusion d’un variant du virus responsable de la covid-19, dit variant sud-africain.

Le projet Beyond the wall, débuté en juin 2019, va s’étendre sur plusieurs années et comprend 41 étapes, réparties en Europe, Amérique, Afrique, Asie et Océanie.

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French-Swiss artist Saype paraglides in a tandem flight above his giant landart fresco painted for the 9th step of his worldwide "Beyond Walls" project in Sea Point, Cape Town, South Africa, on Wednesday January 20, 2021. Three frescoes were created using approximately 1000 liters of biodegradable pigments made out of charcoal, chalk, water and milk proteins. The "Beyond Walls" project aims at creating the largest symbolic human chain around the world, promoting values such as togetherness, kindness and openness to the world. Here in Cape Town this step was motivated by the country's persisting need for reunification. Three frescoes representing widely different populations and realities within the city were created in Sea Point (6000 Sq. m), the Philippi township (800 Sq. m) and the Langa township (800 Sq. m). (Valentin Flauraud for Saype - EDITORIAL USE ONLY)

French-Swiss artist Saype works on one of his giant landart fresco painted for the 9th step of his worldwide "Beyond Walls" project in Sea Point, Cape Town, South Africa, on Saturday January 16, 2021. Three frescoes were created using approximately 1000 liters of biodegradable pigments made out of charcoal, chalk, water and milk proteins. The "Beyond Walls" project aims at creating the largest symbolic human chain around the world, promoting values such as togetherness, kindness and openness to the world. Here in Cape Town this step was motivated by the country's persisting need for reunification. Three frescoes representing widely different populations and realities within the city were created in Sea Point (6000 Sq. m), the Philippi township (800 Sq. m) and the Langa township (800 Sq. m). (Valentin Flauraud for Saype - EDITORIAL USE ONLY)

French-Swiss artist Saype poses in one of his giant landart fresco painted for the 9th step of his worldwide "Beyond Walls" project in the Langa township, Cape Town, South Africa, on Friday January 22, 2021. Three frescoes were created using approximately 1000 liters of biodegradable pigments made out of charcoal, chalk, water and milk proteins. The "Beyond Walls" project aims at creating the largest symbolic human chain around the world, promoting values such as togetherness, kindness and openness to the world. Here in Cape Town this step was motivated by the country's persisting need for reunification. Three frescoes representing widely different populations and realities within the city were created in Sea Point (6000 Sq. m), the Philippi township (800 Sq. m) and the Langa township (800 Sq. m). (Valentin Flauraud for Saype - EDITORIAL USE ONLY)

An aerial view shows a giant landart fresco by French-Swiss artist Saype, painted for the 9th step of his worldwide "Beyond Walls" project in the Philippi township, Cape Town, South Africa, on Thursday January 21, 2021. Three frescoes were created using approximately 1000 liters of biodegradable pigments made out of charcoal, chalk, water and milk proteins. The "Beyond Walls" project aims at creating the largest symbolic human chain around the world, promoting values such as togetherness, kindness and openness to the world. Here in Cape Town this step was motivated by the country's persisting need for reunification. Three frescoes representing widely different populations and realities within the city were created in Sea Point (6000 Sq. m), the Philippi township (800 Sq. m) and the Langa township (800 Sq. m). (Valentin Flauraud for Saype - EDITORIAL USE ONLY)

French-Swiss artist Saype works on one of his giant landart fresco painted for the 9th step of his worldwide "Beyond Walls" project in the Philippi township, Cape Town, South Africa, on Wednesday January 20, 2021. Three frescoes were created using approximately 1000 liters of biodegradable pigments made out of charcoal, chalk, water and milk proteins. The "Beyond Walls" project aims at creating the largest symbolic human chain around the world, promoting values such as togetherness, kindness and openness to the world. Here in Cape Town this step was motivated by the country's persisting need for reunification. Three frescoes representing widely different populations and realities within the city were created in Sea Point (6000 Sq. m), the Philippi township (800 Sq. m) and the Langa township (800 Sq. m). (Valentin Flauraud for Saype - EDITORIAL USE ONLY)

An aerial view shows a giant landart fresco by French-Swiss artist Saype, painted for the 9th step of his worldwide "Beyond Walls" project in the Langa township, Cape Town, South Africa, on Friday January 22, 2021. Three frescoes were created using approximately 1000 liters of biodegradable pigments made out of charcoal, chalk, water and milk proteins. The "Beyond Walls" project aims at creating the largest symbolic human chain around the world, promoting values such as togetherness, kindness and openness to the world. Here in Cape Town this step was motivated by the country's persisting need for reunification. Three frescoes representing widely different populations and realities within the city were created in Sea Point (6000 Sq. m), the Philippi township (800 Sq. m) and the Langa township (800 Sq. m). (Valentin Flauraud for Saype - EDITORIAL USE ONLY)

An aerial view shows a giant landart fresco by French-Swiss artist Saype, painted for the 9th step of his worldwide "Beyond Walls" project in Sea Point, Cape Town, South Africa, on Monday January 18, 2021. Three frescoes were created using approximately 1000 liters of biodegradable pigments made out of charcoal, chalk, water and milk proteins. The "Beyond Walls" project aims at creating the largest symbolic human chain around the world, promoting values such as togetherness, kindness and openness to the world. Here in Cape Town this step was motivated by the country's persisting need for reunification. Three frescoes representing widely different populations and realities within the city were created in Sea Point (6000 Sq. m), the Philippi township (800 Sq. m) and the Langa township (800 Sq. m). (Valentin Flauraud for Saype - EDITORIAL USE ONLY)

Photos prises par Valentin Flauraud for Saype

L'esprit de Nelson Mandela

« L’Afrique du Sud est un pays riche en culture et diversité ethnique lié par l’esprit de Umbuntu (vivre-ensemble) », relève l’artiste. « Dans cette période sans précédent, alors que le monde entier combat les effets et impacts de la pandémie de la Covid-19, une polarisation croissante et des difficultés économiques, l’esprit d’Ubuntu est plus que jamais nécessaire », insiste-t-il dans la présentation de cette 9^e étape de Beyond the wall. Lui qui dit, sur son site Internet : « Nos vies et nos actes sont voués à devenir des traces de notre passage en ce monde, à nous de savoir quoi en faire. »

Pour Saype, l’Afrique du Sud est une étape importante du projet ; le pays s’efforce toujours de dépasser la période sombre de l’Apartheid. « Les gigantesques mains peintes au sol symbolisent la réconciliation, un pilier de l’idéologie de Nelson Mandela. Elles s’entremêlent au-delà des inégalités, créées dans des quartiers fondamentalement différents de la ville », explique Saype. Puis « espère que l’art puisse apporter une modeste contribution à la réunification de la ville dont les cicatrices historiques n’ont pas encore guéri. »

L’été dernier, Saype avait réalisé une fresque monumentale au Malsaucy, sur le site des Eurockéennes, pour faire résonner le festival malgré l’annulation de l’évènement (notre article).