Born in Lyon, France. Dove into the design world at an early age, being fascinated with product packaging and design, from food to bottles to electronics and cars. That is when he started paying attention to details, fonts, colors, etc…Currently living and working in Kuwait as an Art Director and Studio Manager. Patrick designs for corporate and the press as well as creative campaigns.
Patrick Started Freedom Seek in 2007 as an artistic oulet to raise awareness on the Lebanese scene and to learn from our past mistakes and project a vision for the future through the arts.
Interview:
LR: Hi Patrick
PS: Hala hala
LR: Let me ask you a question first, you come from a very diverse background. A Lebanese born in Lyon, lived in Lebanon for a while and now working in Kuwait, how do you define your artistic identity within this diverse history?
PS: It’s a pretty nice mix of three completely different perspectives. My diverse background helps me a lot in my work because it allows me to draw inspiration and ideas from more than one place.
LR: I want to address a couple of your online projects. Let’s talk first about Projekt Cyan. This is sort of your personal blog, but rather than being a “blog” it is more of a review section for stuff that interest you. Tell us a little about the project
PS: Projekt Cyan is my design playground where I get to talk about, describe, and share the things that interest me, and allows me to see and interact with other people’s reactions to those interests. It is the place where I record and elaborate on my day-to-day design-related experiences. The blog environment gives me the flexibility and breadth of exposure that I am seeking, as it is one of the most popular and wide-reaching tools currently available on the web.
LR: I have noticed in the project that there isn’t much reviews of project done by Lebanese artists. Do you think that you will be touching on that issue on your blog sometime soon?
PS: Yes of course, I would love to review more projects done by Lebanese artists. However, the ones that have their work online or exposed publicly are still a minority and they are hard to find if you are not in Lebanon. I would love to get to know more Lebanese artist across all creative fields, not only to review their work but also for collaborative purposes.
LR: I would think that since the blog is very personal, and addresses your interests, it has the potential of becoming a tool to deliver feedback on the happening of the stuff that interest you in Lebanon, or even maybe what does not interest you, in a sense that you can push the domain into becoming more self-critical. What do you think?
PS: Projekt Cyan, as my blog, predominantly reflects my own personal experiences with and exposure to all things design, be it in Lebanon or elsewhere. I wouldn’t necessarily post about things that do not interest me solely because they are occurring in Lebanon, because of course this is my personal blog and is meant to reflect my own personal design-specific interests. However, I am also thinking about creating a space in which to discuss a wider range of topics and interests that are more specifically focused on Lebanon, but again strictly related to the creative world.
LR: Tell us a little about Freedom Seek, other than what you posted online.Tell us a little about Freedom Seek, other than what you posted online.
PS: FreedomSeek is my voice and tool to express my feelings about the things that have been happening in Lebanon over the past several years. In the process of creating the project, I realized that it shouldn’t only be my own personal endeavor but should rather be a collaborative effort, as I was constantly meeting people who were thinking about and reacting to the political situation in the same way that I was. In short, Lebanon is about more than sectarianism and political strife, and I believe that the best way for us to portray this is through creative channels. I chose the option of artistic expression as that is the best way that I personally can express myself, and I wanted to open the door to fellow artists for whom the same applies. One of the most important objectives of the project is to prove that you do not need to choose a side in order to be a loyal and devoted citizen. The point is to love your country and express that love for your country without needing to side with one person or one political party or one religious sect.
LR: This is a very ambitious project, do you think that the Lebanese designers would be interested in investing a certain amount of time in collaborating some of their projects?
PS: Yes, I certainly do. I just need to let more Lebanese designers know that we exist and that we are ready for them to become a part of what I hope will be a major collaborative project.
LR: We have just come to an agreement on the political scene (hopefully it lasts). But if it does last, the ground will be ripe for artistic development and the advancement of the “democratic” art if you wish to call it. Maybe by creating certain links or collaborations you could get the project in the midst of the artistic scene. I see that Hassan Jaber for example has collaborated on producing some of the artwork in the visual arts gallery. Maybe this could be expanded upon.
PS: That is the ultimate objective of this project – to create a space that can express the individual as well as the collective sentiments of Lebanese artists and citizens across the board. The project is still in its nascent stages, but I am hoping that more artists will be interested in joining us and helping us in passing on our message. Many artists also do not think or believe that their artwork can really make a difference in the political scene, and FreedomSeek seeks to prove that art really can send out a loud and clear message to the powers that be and express the voice of a nation that wants nothing more than to live in peace, happiness, and harmony. I also know that there are many budding artists out there who do not yet have the confidence to share their work, and I want FreedomSeek to become a forum in which young Lebanese designers can begin to expose and share their work alongside established Lebanese artists.
LR: The site is not in its final format yet, but rather in the Beta phase. The wall and the Forum are not yet active. When will the website be fully functional?
PS: As far as my own personal skills in the technical side of web development are concerned, this is far as I can go at the moment. I am hoping to gain the support of web developers and coders to help me develop the forum and wall sections, as well as several other sections that I have in mind for the site. I could of course easily outsource the technical job to a web development firm, but I would rather the work comes from somebody who really believes in the project and wants to be a part of its development. So I am currently seeking technical assistance in expanding the scope and functionality of the site.
LR: Any Last words?
PS: I want to thank Leb Record for this great opportunity and exposure, and I am looking forward to reading more profiles and interviews of other artists on your website. I am very grateful and happy to have my name and my work featured in this capacity.
LR: Thanks Patrick for your time.
PS: Thank you for your interest in my work.
Contact Information:
Patrick’s address on the web is:
http://www.patricksemaan.com/
Patrick’s Blog:
http://www.patricksemaan.com/projektcyan
You can contact Patrick at:
patrick[[at]]patricksemaan[[dot]]com