25,500+
love letters
a collective love letter to the world…
The World Letter is an ongoing participatory art piece initiated by French-Iranian artist Cocovan, in which the world writes together a collective love letter to the world.
The project began in the summer of 2017, in Berlin, as a series of street installations where Cocovan sets up a desk in a public space, inviting passersby — people of all ages, backgrounds, religions, origins or political views, entirely at random — to write a love letter to the world on an ever-growing scroll of paper.
147 / 195 nationalities represented
…from the world
Since then, and for the past 9 years, Cocovan has been traveling the world, setting up the same desk in different cities. As of today, The World Letter has been to 6 continents and more than 50 cities, including Paris, New York City, Kathmandu, Bogotá, Kampala, Mexico City, Kyiv, Bishkek, and Rio de Janeiro, among others.
More than 25,500 love letters to the world have been written on The World Letter in many different languages, representing 147 nationalities. The Letter now spans over 650 meters*, and keeps growing!
Kathmandu, Nepal (2021)
630 meters (2100 feet): that’s twice the size of the Eiffel Tower
a very, very, very long love letter… (630 meters* and growing)
As more and more people write on The World Letter, the scroll grows longer. Today, it spans over 630 meters*, making it the longest love letter in the world and a real piece of history.
Love letters have been written in many different languages, such as: Sanskrit, Inuktitut, Gaelic, Latin, Code, Twi, Guaran, Michif, Turkmen, Tibetan, Newari, Kirundi, Ukrainian, Telegur, Occitan, Chichewa, Kabyle, Bhutanese, Kyrgiz (and yes, yes, of course, English!), etc.
And then?
The World Letter will be complete once at least 1 person from every country will have signed it. There are 195 countries in the world, and so far, already 146 nationalities are represented on The World Letter. Then, Cocovan wants to exhibit The World Letter around the world, and make a documentary film about the journey.
At the very end of the project, as a poetic ending, Cocovan intends to send a digital copy of The World Letter... into space, in a “nano-sat” that will orbit around the Earth for a couple of years.
Nakivale Refugee Settlement, Uganda (2020)
participate online (write your love letter to the world)
The World Letter began in the street, but it has since expanded into the digital world too. And now, you can participate in the project online as well, from anywhere in the world.
support by making a donation
The World Letter project is independent, and self-funded. Every donation, big or small, helps tremendously! The World Letter is a non-profit organization registered in France under Loi 1901.
volunteer
The World Letter is always looking for help, and wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the help of hundreds of volunteers across the world! Do you want to help bring The World Letter to your country? Have any ideas for the project? Send your ideas below!
Song Kul, Kyrgyzstan (2021)
collaborations
They have collaborated with The World Letter:
for all collaborations inquiries →
Bogotá, Colombia (2018)
About the artist and founder
Cocovan is a 37 year old performance artist. Born in Paris, France, to an Iranian father and a French mother, she spent most of her twenties pursuing a career as a pop singer in the USA. Grown tired of the music industry, she started exploring performance art in public spaces in 2016, with the intention to enchant the streets and bring poetry into the daily life. She hasn’t looked back ever since. She has done art performances in public spaces in more than 16 countries around the world.
Cocovan has given a TEDx talk at Columbia University in NYC, and has even given a (little) speech at the UN Headquarters.
Cocovan and The World Letter credit: Alice Lemarin
Kyiv, Ukraine (2023)
