What the world needs desperately now it’s a Weapon of Mass Instruction, and that’s exactly what Argentian artist Raul Lemesoff created last year for World Book Day.
In 2015, for Wolrd Book day ( 5th March), 7Up commissioned the idiosyncratic artist from Buenos Aries Lemesoff to create an education project that involved books and a 1979 Ford Falcon. Yes, you read it fine, Lemesoff converted a 1979 Ford Falcon into a bizarre bookmobile and hit the streets to literally “spread the word.”
Lemesoff transformed the 1979 Ford Falcon into a military tank-like vehicle complete with a swiveling turret, a non-functioning gun and managed to store 900 books inside and outside the vehicle. After working on the project for a couple of years, the imaginative artist was ready to start his unusual mission around Argentina.
“Weapons of Mass instruction” was the name of the tank armored with knowledge, that Lemesof drove around the streets in Buenos Aires and gave books for free to confused pedestrians and people enjoying the fun of a rather unusual project. The one condition that the artist had is that the people would promise that they will read the book.
“The Weapon of Mass Instruction is meant to get people to recognize various aspects of life: sharing, education, and also to have a good time. It’s a contribution to peace through literature.” said the artist during one interview.
When he started the project, his friends say they didn’t had idea what it was he was creating, at first, some thought he was making a submarine, others figured he was just fixing something or was doing some mechanical work, while one friend joked that knowing Lemesoff, he may be creating a spaceship.
Lemesoff rode the “book tank” not only in the urban area in Buenos Aires, but also in rural communities of Argentina where there are few schools.
People of every age were allowed to take a book from the military library, but Lemesof said that his primary target was the youngest generation, so he took his bookmobile to schools and parks and encouraged young readers to read more and to use their imagination.
“I don’t do it for money. I don’t do it for fame. I just do this because I have fun doing it.”
“My missions are very dangerous,” the artist jokes in a video about his project. “I attack people in a very nice and fun way.“
7Up made up a video that is a sort of a mini-documentary about the eccentric artist and shows the construction of the vehicle and Lemesoff driving the bookmobile. What we loved the most from the video below was how his friends fondly describe him as ” One of those crazy great people needed in the society”
“Peace through literature.” was his motto, and he developed a piece of art, that expressed his ideas, perfectly. This project was last year, we tried to find out if the project will continue this year as well, but there is no information on that matter.
All photos credited to 7UP, Raul Lemesoff