ART/ TRAVEL

1planet 1people

Over the past year a unique artwork that spans borders and continents and spreads goodwill wherever it goes has been in the making. The South African based artist Annette Jahnel has spent the last year driving around the world creating the participation piece called ‘1planet1people’.

‘1planet1people’ was created by handing men of all nations a black permanent marker along with the challenge. If you had one wish for the world what would it be? By writing their wish on Annette Jahnel’s car these men have helped create this mobile artwork which has made all who have seen it aware that across the planet all men hope and wish for the same things tolerance, compassion, respect, peace on earth.

‘1planet 1people’ is one of a series of participation pieces Annette Jahnel is working on. They have in common that for their existence they rely on the creative input of people other than the artist. ‘1 planet 1 people’ invites the participation of men above the age of 35. Wishes from men as far a field as Sarajevo-Bosnia, Bern-Norway Istanbul- Turkey, Aral- Kazakhstan, Samarkand- Uzbekistan, Shanghai -China, San Francisco, new York- USA, Edinburgh –Scotland and many more are represented on the vehicle.

Artist Annette Jahnel returns to South Africa on Sunday after completing her epic 61000km one-year drive around the world. She is possibly the first solo woman to have completed this journey which took her across three continents, one island though 25 countries .

Annette Jahnels’ tour started in April 2006 in Munich, Southern Germany. She has driven though Europe visited the caves of Slovenia, swum in the turquoise waters of Croatia. She crossed the great steppes of Russia, camped in the Karkum desert of Kazakhstan, has visited the fabled cities of Samarkand and Bukara in Uzbekistan. She has driven through the great deserts of North-western China visited the Forbidden City in Beijing and has driving without fear on the elevated highways of Shanghai from where she shipped the ‘Wish Mobile’ to Long Beach California from where she started her American adventure.

In American she drove through 22 states from New Mexico in the southwest to Michigan in the north, while up there she took a quick detour through Canada for good measure then her road took her down south to Key West Florida. Along the way she marvelled at the Grand Canyon, was inspired by the aboriginal tribes of America, braved one of the worst blizzards in Denver’s history, stood under rainbows at the Niagara Falls. She took a bite out of the Big Apple, visited Foam Henge in Virginia and went alligator hunting in the Everglades.

She then made a quick tour around the UK where she walked along Hadrian’s wall visited Loch Ness and visited the glorious Bonant Gardens in Wales. With a ferry she then retuned to the European continent visiting the wine lands of Bordeaux and Normandy, crossing the snowy Pyrenees into Spain where she travelled as far south as Toledo before heading north and over the Alps back to her starting point in Munich.

The artwork is currently in Europe awaiting exhibition. It is not yet complete, as long as there is space wishes will be added. If you are a man above 35years of age and wish to participate in the 1planet1people participation piece you can add your wish on the Blogspot www.1planet1people.blogspot.com or

To read more about Annette Jahnels’ travels log into www.bugtravels.blogspot.com