Anton Thomas Illustrates World Without Borders

In July 2020, his universe shrunk to a two-bedroom apartment by a rattling train line, New Zealander Anton Thomas pulled out an H pencil and opened a portal to the world, Natasha Frost writes for The New York Times.

At once, his days of solitude were filled with New Zealand’s native birds; cavorting dolphins, turtles and whales; and polar bears on ice floes. Three years, approximately 2602 working hours and 1642 animal species later, “Wild World” is a hand-drawn map of our planet that both inspires and celebrates wonder, Frost reports.

A hiker and outdoorsman, Thomas as a child yearned for a world where nature ruled supreme. His map represents the “idealistic planet that I wanted,” Thomas, 34, said. “I would look out at Wellington Harbour and see all the houses, and imagine what it was like before any humans showed up.”

Original article by Natasha Frost, The New York Times, December 10, 2023.

Photo by Abigail Varney.