PRESS RELEASE

After almost five years traveling the world developing “The World Letter”, French-Iranian performance artist Cocovan is now presenting her art project to the media, giving it wider exposure and hoping to spread its message of hope across all corners of the world.

THE WORLD LETTER started in May 2017 when Cocovan set up a desk in the streets of Berlin one day, to write a love letter addressed to the world. Originally intended as a one-day art installation-performance, passersby spontaneously started participating to the performance too, adding their own love letters to the world to the scroll of paper. Which sparked an idea in the artist’s mind: shouldn’t a love letter to the world be written by the whole world? The art piece evolved from solo, to collective. 

Since then, Cocovan has been on a quest to find, at least, one person from every country to sign this love letter to the world. She has set up the same desk as a series of public art installations on 5 continents and more than 50 cities and villages across the globe (including Paris, Kathmandu, Kampala, Bogotá, Mexico City, Montréal, New York, Bishkek, among others). 

As of today, more than 23,000 people from 143 nationalities ( over 196) have participated to The World Letter, leaving their messages of love on an ever-growing scroll of paper that now spans over 530 meters (1700 feet)! The World Letter is the longest love letter in the world, and is making history as the first ever collective love letter to the world, from the whole world. 

People from all paths of life have participated - from the indigenous tribe Kogi in Colombia, to the Kyrgyz nomads in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan, to schools in France, Hollywood parties, Buddhist monasteries in Nepal, remote villages in the Himalayas, or refugee camps in Uganda. The World Letter brings together people from all backgrounds, religions, ages, and unites humanity in one global collective statement of peace. Famous participants include the singer SZA, the poet Rupi Kaur, or actor and activist Mark Ruffalo, or Buddhist monk Mingyur Rinpoche.

At the end of the project, the artist intends to exhibit The World Letter, and send its digital copy… into space, in a satellite that will revolve around the Earth for a couple of years as a symbolic conclusion. A documentary will be made about the whole journey.

Amid the many critical challenges the world is facing today, Cocovan’s intention is to highlight the good and offer a change a perpective — what if despite all the wrong, the world was actually… full of love? Could a simple piece of paper unite a divided humanity in one global statement of peace? Could writing a love letter to the world, be the first small individual step to a bigger collective change? 

WHAT’S NEW? WHAT’S NEXT? Cocovan has just gotten back from a 6 month trip to Kyrgyzstan and Nepal with The World Letter (the first time the projet was ever in Asia!). The Letter reached the very remote region of Lower Dolpo in the Himalayas, or the historical Silk Road city of Osh in Kyrgyzstan. Now the artist is focusing on raising funds for the project, so the Letter can continue to grow and reach its final continent — Oceania and the pacific islands! 

ABOUT THE ARTIST: Cocovan is a 33 year old performance artist. Born in Paris to an Iranian father and a French mother, she spent most of her twenties pursuing a career as a pop singer in Los Angeles. Growing tired of the music industry, she started exploring performance art in public spaces as a new outlet, and hasn’t looked back. Cocovan is based in Paris currently. 

Data

• 23,000 love letters to the world (read some here)
• Participants from 143 nationalities (list here)
• The World Letter is 520 meters (1700 feet) long… taller than the Empire State Building!
• it’s the longest love letter in the world!

Pics

HOW TO HELP THE WORLD LETTER?

The world Letter is an independent, non-profit art project, and has been self-funded by the artist so far. She needs the help of all of us to continue the project - and make it participatory on ever level! Donations can be done here: