Prepare for an unprecedented collaboration in the pursuit of planetary sustainability as media artist Refik Anadol and the Yawanawa community, indigenous to the Brazilian Amazon, join forces for a historic initiative as part of Impact One’s visionary “Possible Futures” program. This groundbreaking partnership will showcase a co-created digital artwork series, accompanied by a limited edition NFT collection, marking the inauguration of the Scorpios.Collect platform. The proceeds from this extraordinary endeavor will be directed towards the preservation of the Yawanawa community’s natural and cultural heritage.
Amidst the challenges our world faces, an alternative future beckons, one that cannot materialise without the wisdom of indigenous communities. The stewardship of natural ecosystems by Indigenous Peoples holds immense systemic significance for global sustainability efforts, as these communities have proven to be custodians of 80% of the Earth’s biodiversity. The Yawanawa communities of Aldeia Sagrada and Nova Esperança, hailing from the Brazilian Amazon, have united with new media artist Refik Anadol, Impact One’s impactful investment initiative, and Scorpios Encounters, an experimental platform, to forge an interdisciplinary collaboration that paves the way for more holistic and equitable approaches to environmental sustainability.
Through the unveiling of their unprecedented artwork series, these partners herald the commencement of a long-term alliance. Their aim is to cultivate regenerative business models utilising blockchain technology to bolster indigenous communities’ guardianship of their lands, thus safeguarding some of our planet’s most critical ecosystems. The co-created digital artwork series, a result of Refik Anadol’s collaboration with the Yawanawa community, serves not only as an artistic masterpiece but also fosters a profound bond and a sense of connection between the global Scorpios community and the indigenous Yawanawa communities. This momentous project forms an integral part of Impact One’s Possible Futures program, a portfolio of initiatives dedicated to shaping nature-positive built environments and fostering symbiotic modes of global coexistence.
The historic collaboration will be unveiled on the 13th of July, presenting an artwork series by Refik Anadol, co-created in partnership with the Yawanawa community, as a captivating representation of Yawanawa culture and its symbiotic relationship with the forest. The series encompasses a data-driven sculpture triptych and a limited edition Genesis NFT collection comprising 1,000 unique pieces. The NFTs will be minted and released during the Scorpios Encounters program. Refik Anadol, along with Yawanawa chiefs Nixiwaka and Isku Kua, will be present at Scorpios Mykonos on the 13th and 14th of July. The unveiling will be accompanied by a special program featuring informative sessions, cultural showcases, and musical performances.
The proceeds from the sale of the artwork collection will directly benefit the Yawanawa community. These funds will be utilised by the Yawanawa chiefs to sustain long-term initiatives aimed at protecting their lands and cultural heritage. Activities supported by the proceeds include hosting a historic gathering of Amazonian Indigenous Peoples, scheduled to take place in the Yawanawa Sacred Village in 2024.
The project was initiated as part of Possible Futures, a comprehensive, multi-year program designed to support initiatives and projects that develop and promote evidence-based, scalable solutions for improving the conditions of life on our planet. When we examine the activities and approaches employed by humanity through the lens of universal law, we often find ourselves steered towards unattainable futures. However, indigenous communities stand as an exception, for based on current data, they have the most significant impact in preserving our last remaining original environmental habitats. A central objective of the program is to preserve their ancestral practices, providing them with the necessary resources and means to empower their communities and safeguard their territories.
ABOUT THE ARTWORK
The multi-faceted artwork, meticulously crafted by Refik Anadol in collaboration with the Yawanawa community and commissioned by Impact One, serves as a reflection of the Yawanawa community’s rich cultural and natural heritage. Chief Biraci Nixiwaka Brasil, who has dedicated his life to restoring this legacy, has played a pivotal role in shaping the artwork. In the 1980s, Nixiwaka spearheaded the movement to reclaim his community’s ancestral lands, eventually achieving the official demarcation of the Indigenous Land of Rio Gregório in 1991, making the Yawanawa the first indigenous people in the state of Acre to secure their land rights.
The artwork weaves together elements of Yawanawa songs and visual artworks created by community members, harmoniously blending them with natural data. This captivating fusion serves to highlight the profound connection nurtured by the community with its natural environment. Live weather data from Aldeia Sagrada, the most remote Yawanawa village, will be incorporated into the NFTs associated with the artwork, resulting in a dynamically evolving representation of this symbiotic relationship, brought to life through Refik Anadol’s distinctive creative practice. This multi-sensory journey draws upon the cultural memory of the community and ambient data from the forest, immersing viewers in a fractalised representation of one of Earth’s most vital ecosystems and its dedicated custodians, informed by environmental and climatological data.
Both artist Refik Anadol and Impact One share an unwavering commitment to crafting groundbreaking experiences that advance human well-being and environmental health. Their initial collaboration was unveiled a year ago with the presentation of the artwork “Sense of Healing,” commissioned by Impact One to symbolise the healing process in mental health patients. Premiered in July 2022, the artwork went on to break the artist’s record, achieving a remarkable €1.7 million sale at the Unicef Summer Gala auction in Capri.
Stay tuned for more details, soon to be revealed on yawanawa.possiblefutures.one. For further information on the project, please reach out to press@impact.one.
