Vibrant Paint Patterns Brighten Up Urban Landscapes

Dihzahyners is a team of artists who strive to create a more bright and beautiful Beirut through colorful public art. Specifically, Paint Up! is an ongoing project in which teams of artists gather together and decorate the city, one step at a time. The group says, "We realized that we could add energy and vigor to our city by simply painting certain locations that needed it—and where else to start but with the stairs?"

So, on a regular basis, the creative team ventures out into the city of Beirut and transforms a bland, concrete staircase into vibrant geometric patterns and energetic rainbows of color. With an enthusiastic team, dozens of paint cans, and lots of dedication, the staircases can be completed in a full day's work. One of the largest completed projects was a 73 step design in the Mar Mikhael district of Beirut, which took seven hours to complete.

The basic designs are planned out ahead of time and the final results are a complicated pattern that enhances the monochromatic urban landscape. You can watch a video, below, of the team in action at all five Paint Up! events.