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Podcast: Create a Vision of the World You Want to See

Photo of a land artist on a grassy field

In this episode of the UN Human Rights podcast, #StandUp4Migrants, we speak to French-Swiss land artist Saype. His large-scale paintings on grass with biodegradable paint can only be seen in their entirety by taking an aerial perspective.

With his approach, Saype draws parallels to how people can view difficult situations in life. “When you are in the situation, you do not see exactly all the points of the situation. But when you take one step back, you can see [that] the global situation is better,” he says.

His giant frescoes travel around the globe inspiring people to have a hopeful vision of the world that is more inclusive of migrants. UN Human Rights speaks to Saype about his artwork at the UN Headquarters in New York, entitled "World in Progress II". It covers 11'000 square metres (the size of approximately one football field) and constitutes the second step of a project Saype started at the UN in Geneva in 2020.

Saype also tells us about his project “Beyond Walls”, which symbolically creates the largest human chain in the world. He will paint artworks in more than 30 cities around the world with the goal to invite people to embrace mutual aid, kindness and togetherness to find global solutions to key questions of our times.

Photo of a land artist on a grassy field