Be Somebody to inspire the world

Be Somebody to inspire the world Sarah Young / 28 June 2013 Inspirational graffiti is now gracing the walls of Dubai, thanks to an American team undertaking a whirlwind, paint-splashing tour through 15 cities in 11 countries. A team of four have bought the slogan from the social media motivation movement “Be Somebody” to two walls in the Al Quoz art district, Al Serkal Avenue. The brainchild of Kash Shaikh, who worked for nine years building brands for Proctor and Gamble and camera company GoPro, and Josh Heuser, founder of Agar, a culture-creating marketing and social intelligence agency in the US, the six-week self-funded tour started on May 25 in Austin, Texas, and will finish in San Francisco on July 4. Besomebody.com was started by Shaikh who began using the hashtag #besomebody in 2009. The blog now claims to be the fastest-growing online motivation movement in the world, with content reaching 3 million people each week in 30 countries. Following visits to 10 cities including New York, London, Paris, Barcelona, Casablanca, and Shirati, Tanzania, the group reached Dubai, the sole Middle Eastern venue, on Monday evening and left again on Wednesday night. The idea came about after Shaikh saw the phrase tagged on an overpass in his home town Houston, Texas. “Any time someone saw that they’d take a picture and send it to me. I had hundreds in my inbox.” Captured by the idea of “tagging the world”, and bringing together social media and street art, Shaikh and Heuser brought on renowned Cincinnati-based graffiti artist Danny Babcock to create these “punch in the gut” pieces to “inspire people to do what they want to do”, and filmmaker Matthew “Snow” Rowe to document the journey. Shaikh said Dubai was one of the places they were most excited to reach. “It’s an emblem of imagination and innovation. We’ve come here when the art scene is really taking off. “I spent three months living in Dubai two years ago and really noticed the lack of art scene…your first impression of the town is very sci-fi, plastic and metal…so it’s really cool to do this and show a different side of Dubai. “A lot of progress has been made. “One thing we don’t want to do is bring to life stereotypical parts of Dubai…the over-indulgence and luxury. We want to take the true and positive behind that….no limits and pushing further than people have dreamed to push … This place is a fantasy land.” With between 36 and 72 hours in each location, the team has to find a wall and some paint, and then get cracking on a piece relating to a city-specific theme. Dubai posed unique challenges of “highly expensive paint”, and burning heat, meaning the team had to work all hours of the night and early morning. Luckily, arrest was avoided given they were able to do it on private property. “It was a pleasant surprise finding this oasis of art in Dubai, and …people so open and welcoming. It fights back against that stereotype that you can’t do this in Dubai.” Dubai’s theme was imagination, to link to the World Expo 2020 aspirations, and engage the community to connect and build the future together. Babcock, who likens the process to hip hop in that he freestyles his creations on the spot, said the phrase “success and excess” was running through his head while working here. “Everything (here) is done in a creative way …. even if it’s built fast. “It takes imagination to be that successful to excess. “And you’re in the middle of a desert, so everything has to be creative. What is imagination, if not creating and bringing to life.” Al Serkal developer Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal said Alserkal Avenue had always been a home to independent projects, initiatives and ideas. “#besomebody is a wonderful global movement dedicated to engage the community and we are glad to be a part of it.” Shaikh said the UAE had by far the most Be Somebody followers in the Middle East, with most aged between 15 and 30, and was one of the top 12 countries using BeSomebody. “People here understand what we are trying to do. “This is exciting because this age-group can really drive change and movements. So much has happened in this region with the Arab Spring …and the next step is people looking at striving for something positive.” sarah@khaleejtimes.com Taylor Scott International