Buenos Aires artist Raul Lemesoff is known among his circle of friends as being enigmatic, creative, and eccentric. On the bright side, they all think that it's for a good reason.
I agree. I find that the most creative people tend to be the ones to go out on a limb for good, like the anonymous bartender who dresses as Spider-Man to feed the homeless or this 100-year-old dancer who inspires others to live their dreams.
The artist has been working on the mysterious project for years. Some thought he was building a submarine, some believed it might be a spaceship, others merely assumed he was working on his car.
Raul was indeed working on a green 1979 Ford Falcon, but this wasn't your typical oil change or tune up. Raul was converting the vintage car into an army tank. Why would he do such a thing? For 7UP, of course.
In honor of 7UP's "Feels Good To Be You" campaign and World Book Day, the two have collaborated on a project called Weapons of Mass Instruction.
See how turning an old Ford into an army tank is actually an act of peace rather than an act of violence below!
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Artist Raul Lemesoff's friends may call him a mad man or an "enigma" but there is a method to his madness.
7UP teamed up with the Buenos Aires artist to build something that looks militant and hostile but serves to send a message of peace. "It's very strange. And dangerous, of course," Raul says of the mysterious project that has left his loved ones curious for years.
For 7UP's "Feels Good To Be You" campaign, the eccentric artist spent years converting a 1979 Ford Falcon into an army tank...of books!
7UP's campaign celebrates "originality, wit, and unmistakable authenticity" — things Raul clearly has in spades. Look at the awe-inspiring vehicle!
Raul goes head-to-head with a young man on the street.
See what he does to him on the NEXT page!
It looks like the two are going to have an altercation.
But there is no act of violence here. Raul hands the young man a book, thus beginning the "Weapons of Mass Instruction" project.
The boy is grateful and Raul is off to drive across Argentina to spread his message of peace, enlightenment, and altruism by giving away hundreds of free books.
The Ford Falcon has unique symbolism in Raul's case. The vehicle was originally designed and sold only in Argentina. The model was meant to combine the contemporary American Ford model with European aesthetics. In Argentina, during the 1960s through the 1980s, the Falcon became a popular model for taxi cabs and police cars.
However, the green Ford Falcon holds a special significance for this project. Dark green Ford Falcons were coopted by paramilitary government forces like the Argentina Anticommunist Alliance death squads and secret police of the military junta in the 1970
See how the children react when Raul visits a schoolyard on the NEXT page!
So when we see Raul riding around in a dark green Ford Falcon converted into what can only be described as an act of peace, the subversion of what was once used as a tool of violence into a tool of progress is all the more impactful!
Raul entered a schoolyard, which is perhaps the most difficult place to inspire readership. The kids quickly swarmed as Raul breathed new life into the idea of reading.
He's definitely not confined to that vehicle. Raul often gets out to hand out books to anyone passing by.
The car can hold up to 900 books — and with each one, a life is changed.
It may be a quirky approach to getting people to read, but that's just how important education is: any means necessary!
Watch the video to learn more about Raul Lemesoff and his "Weapons of Mass Instruction!"
