Last Updated on: 22nd November 2023, 11:25 am
Prepare to witness an extraordinary milestone in the realm of planetary sustainability as the acclaimed media artist Refik Anadol and the indigenous Yawanawa community from the Brazilian Amazon join forces to present an unprecedented collaboration as part of Impact One’s “Possible Futures” initiative. This historic partnership will debut a co-created artwork series alongside a limited NFT edition, inaugurating the innovative platform Scorpios.Collect, with the proceeds dedicated to the preservation of the Yawanawa’s natural and cultural heritage.
In envisioning a future that transcends boundaries, it becomes evident that indigenous wisdom is an indispensable component. The stewardship of natural ecosystems by Indigenous Peoples carries immense systemic relevance for global sustainability endeavors, considering that these communities are responsible for safeguarding 80% of the Earth’s biodiversity. Aldeia Sagrada and Nova Esperança, two Yawanawa communities nestled within the Brazilian Amazon, have joined forces with the visionary media artist Refik Anadol, the impact investment initiative Impact One, and the pioneering experimental platform Scorpios Encounters. This cross-industry collaboration lays the foundation for a new model that embraces holistic and equitable approaches to environmental sustainability.
Through the unveiling of their groundbreaking artwork series, the partners signal the beginning of a profound and enduring collaboration. The primary objective is to foster regenerative business models utilizing blockchain technology, which will empower indigenous communities in their stewardship of ancestral lands and subsequently ensure the protection of our planet’s most vital ecosystems. The co-created artwork series between Refik Anadol and the Yawanawa community also forges a dynamic bond, fostering a sense of interconnectedness between the global Scorpios community and the indigenous Yawanawa communities. This monumental project forms an integral part of Impact One’s Possible Futures program, a carefully curated portfolio of initiatives that strive to shape nature-positive built environments and foster symbiotic ways of global living.
The historic collaboration will be unveiled on 13th July, with the presentation of an awe-inspiring artwork series jointly created by Refik Anadol and the Yawanawa community. This series serves as a profound representation of Yawanawa culture and their mutual aid relationship with the forest. It encompasses a data sculpture triptych and a limited edition Genesis NFT collection, comprising 1,000 unique pieces that will be minted and made available during the Scorpios Encounters program. Refik Anadol, accompanied by Yawanawa chiefs Nixiwaka and Isku Kua, will grace Scorpios Mykonos on 13th and 14th July, where the momentous launch will be accompanied by a special program featuring informative, cultural, and musical events.
The proceeds from the sales of the artwork collection will be directly allocated to the Yawanawa community, empowering the Yawanawa chiefs to embark on long-term initiatives aimed at safeguarding their lands and cultural heritage. Activities supported by the sales include hosting a historic gathering of Indigenous Peoples from the Amazon, scheduled to take place in the Yawanawa Sacred Village in 2024.
This transformative project was initiated as part of Possible Futures, a comprehensive, multi-year program that provides support to initiatives and projects focused on developing and promoting evidence-based, scalable solutions for improving the state of our planet. By applying the principles of universal law, it becomes evident that many of the current activities and approaches pursued by humans steer us towards a future that seems unattainable. However, indigenous communities stand as an exception, as their impact on the protection of our last remaining pristine environmental habitats is unparalleled. A central objective of the program is to preserve their traditional practices and empower their communities, offering the necessary resources and means to fulfill their role as guardians of their territories.
ABOUT THE ARTWORK
The captivating artwork by Refik Anadol is the result of a co-creative process involving the Yawanawa community and commissioned by Impact One. It serves as a profound reflection of Yawanawa cultural and natural heritage, a cause that Chief Biraci Nixiwaka Brasil has dedicated his life to revitalising. In the 1980s, Nixiwaka led the movement to reclaim his community’s ancestral lands, successfully demarcating the Indigenous Land of Rio Gregório in 1991, thereby becoming the first indigenous people in the state of Acre to obtain official rights to their lands.
The artwork weaves together Yawanawa songs, visual artworks created by community members, and natural data to eloquently showcase the community’s profound connection to its natural environment. Live weather data from Aldeia Sagrada, the most remote Yawanawa village, will continuously influence the NFTs associated with the artwork, resulting in a dynamically evolving representation of this sacred connection, seamlessly integrated into Refik Anadol’s artistic practice. This multi-sensory journey builds upon the cultural memory of the community and the ambient data from the forest, enveloping viewers in a fractalised representation of one of Earth’s most critical ecosystems and its custodians, all informed by environmental and climatological data.
The collaboration between artist Refik Anadol and Impact One is grounded in their shared dedication to creating transformative experiences that advance both human and environmental well-being. Their first collaboration was unveiled a year ago with the presentation of the artwork “Sense of Healing,” commissioned by Impact One as a profound representation of the healing process in mental health patients. The artwork made its debut in July 2022 and went on to shatter the artist’s record, selling for €1.7 million at the Unicef Summer Gala auction in Capri.
Further details regarding the project will be unveiled soon on yawanawa.possiblefutures.one. For additional information, please contact press@impact.one.
