Guernsey Press

Tattoo links Alderney author to 60 others

ALDERNEY author Jane Aireton has taken part in a special project, resulting in her getting a tattoo across her back, as part of a 61-person collaboration.

Published
Last updated
(Pictures by David Nash)

She had written in a review for one her books that, on her bucket list when she retired, she wanted to fly on a zip-line and get a tattoo.

The quote was spotted by a PR agency and Ms Aireton was invited to take part in a major global initiative by the Momondo travel search website.

She was the only UK-born participant of 61 individuals from around the world taking part and she was also the oldest. Each had part of a tattoo across their back, to create one long piece.

After being chosen to take part Ms Aireton and all the others agreed to offer their skin as a canvas. They each received a unique tattoo designed by globally renowned tattoo artist Mo Ganji and travelled together to London to share their stories and stand shoulder-to-shoulder to link up and create The World Piece: a unique, world-first artwork.

(Pictures by David Nash)

Momondo vice president Per Christiansen said: ‘At Momondo our mission is to open the world and this initiative reaffirms this. Travel is one way to become more open-minded, giving us a different perspective of other countries and cultures, as well as our own.’

Ms Aireton said she had flown from Alderney to Guernsey and, on a local recommendation from a well-inked local, she had her tattoo design done by Woodie at White Inc.

She said it was all quite mysterious and, a fortnight later, on arriving at a big centre in Essex, all the participants were kept apart until the cameras started to roll and everyone met up. Dressed in grey swimwear, they joined their tattoos shoulder to shoulder in a big circle.

‘Some of us were invited to tell our stories,’ Ms Aireton said.

‘The cameras circled… In a matter of hours we had made bonds that were unbelievably deep and stretched from Australia to Canada, from Argentina to the Lebanon.

‘The emotion in the group left everyone deeply affected. Who knows where these ripples we generated will spread and what global effect they may have? All I know is that something extraordinary happened on that day and I am immensely proud to have been part of it.’