Artist Marta Rossignol has completed an extraordinary artistic journey spanning 10,000 kilometers from Bordeaux, France, to the gates of Mauritania and back, documenting what she calls "The Final Journey" of her faithful Renault Super 5. The ambitious project serves as both a farewell tribute to her vintage vehicle and an exploration of the transformative power of long-distance travel through some of North Africa's most spectacular landscapes.
After three decades of reliable service navigating the monotonous routines of daily urban life—commuting on subways, traveling to work, and handling everyday transportation needs—Rossignol decided her aging Super 5 deserved a memorable send-off before retirement. Rather than simply discarding the vehicle, she chose to give it one final adventure through some of the world's most challenging and beautiful terrain, including the vast Sahara Desert, sun-drenched djebels, arid wadis, snow-capped Atlas Mountains, and the verdant valleys of the Rif region.
The artistic documentation captures the meditative and almost hypnotic nature of extended road travel across remote landscapes. Rossignol describes the experience as being "lulled by the engine's roar" and "getting lost in the middle of nowhere," where travelers become "intoxicated by the dizzying metronome of the road." Her poetic narrative explores how long-distance driving can induce a trance-like state of consciousness, where "only vast spaces exist, where the colors of life evaporate, where time slips away and no longer exists."
The journey involved countless hours of driving across diverse terrains until dusk each day, with nights spent camping under the African sky. Rossignol's documentation emphasizes the therapeutic aspects of allowing oneself to be "enveloped by the night" in remote locations far from civilization. The project represents not just a geographical expedition but a philosophical meditation on departure, transition, and the relationship between humans and their mechanical companions.
The complete visual documentation of this remarkable journey has been made available through a full-length video on Vimeo, with additional materials and information accessible through Rossignol's official website at martarossignol.com. The project stands as a unique artistic statement about finding beauty and meaning in endings, while celebrating the faithful service of an ordinary vehicle through an extraordinary final adventure.
