GPS artist creates global message of peace on Earth

Above is the STORIES documentary video holiday card, which contains images of Yassan’s journey and the people and places he encountered along the way.

The daytime version of Yassan’s world-stretching art message of peace.

Peace on Earth: That’s the message spelled out across the globe by GPS artist Yassan in time for the holiday season.

Yassan created a massive, international work of GPS art around the theme of world peace and, in the process, is attempting to break his own Guinness world record for the largest GPS drawing. Yassan is the Guinness world record holder for the largest GPS drawing by an individual. GPS World previously reported on his “Marry Me” project.

Yassan visits Times Square in New York City, at coordinates 40.7593 ° N, 73.9852 ° W.

With the help of Japan Airlines and its partners, Yassan’s latest project covered 65,700 miles (105,734 km) around the globe, beginning in Tokyo and ending in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico. He traveled through Asia, Oceania, the Middle East, Europe, Africa and the Americas, and visiting 24 cities on six continents.

To create his GPS drawings, Yassan carries an iPhone and GPS tracker that records his GPS location data as he travels. He then uploads this information to create a drawing on a map. The finished piece of GPS art — a planetary-scale holiday message for the world — spells “PEACE” across the planet.

Yassan visits with Buddhist Monks in Colombo, Sri Lanka: 6.9165° N, 79.8568° E

While a relatively new art form, GPS art is a natural progression stemming from much older, large-scale art forms. “In tracing the history of GPS art, you can draw a clear line of artistic evolution,” said Yassan, “beginning with the ancient Nazca lines in Peru, through Michael Heizer and his work with motorcycle tracks in the Nevada desert, to Richard Long’s walks through the English countryside, to the modern GPS artists.”

Yassan continues, “Peace on Earth has proven very difficult to achieve, but is, at the heart of it, a very simple concept. I hope that this holiday message can convey this idea to the world.”

A stop in London near Parliament: 51.5007° N, 0.1226° W

On this journey, a video production crew, led by director and STORIES creator client Mark Apicella, accompanied Yassan, documenting the creation of this artwork as well as the artist’s interactions with local people at each of the 33 stops along this epic journey.

Yassan makes a stop in Los Angeles with a visit to the edge of the continent, at 34.0074° N, 118.4966° W.

Yassan celebrates at his final stop to complete the downstroke of the “P,” at a place appropriately named “El Fin de la Tierra” — the end of the Earth, near Cabo San Lucas, Mexico: 22.8741° N, 109.8962° W.