Unveiling of REFIK ANADOL and YAWANAWA Community’s Groundbreaking Web3 Collaboration: A Co-Created Digital Artwork Series Premiering at Scorpios in July

Prepare to witness an extraordinary milestone for planetary sustainability as the acclaimed media artist Refik Anadol and the Yawanawa community, an indigenous tribe from the Brazilian Amazon, present an unprecedented collaboration under Impact One’s transformative “Possible Futures” initiative. This historic partnership will unveil a co-created artwork series alongside a limited edition of NFTs, marking the launch of the innovative platform, Scorpios.Collect. The proceeds generated from this groundbreaking venture will be dedicated to the protection of the Yawanawa community’s natural and cultural heritage.

In envisioning a future brimming with possibility, it becomes evident that indigenous wisdom plays an indispensable role. The stewardship demonstrated by Indigenous Peoples over natural ecosystems holds immense systemic significance for global sustainability endeavors, considering their pivotal role in safeguarding a staggering 80% of the planet’s biodiversity. The Yawanawa communities of Aldeia Sagrada and Nova Esperança, hailing from the Brazilian Amazon, have joined forces with the visionary media artist Refik Anadol, the esteemed impact investment initiative Impact One, and the innovative platform for experimentation, Scorpios Encounters. This cross-industry alliance establishes a pioneering model dedicated to forging holistic and equitable pathways towards environmental sustainability.

The momentous debut of their trailblazing artwork series heralds the inception of a long-term collaboration, driven by a shared mission to develop regenerative business models employing blockchain technology to empower indigenous communities in their custodianship of ancestral lands. By doing so, they fortify the protection of some of the world’s most crucial ecosystems. Moreover, the co-created artwork series between Refik Anadol and the Yawanawa community fosters a dynamic connection between the global Scorpios community and the indigenous Yawanawa tribes. This remarkable project is an integral part of Impact One’s “Possible Futures” programme, a portfolio of initiatives that strive to shape nature-positive built environments and foster symbiotic modes of global coexistence.

The historic collaboration is set to be unveiled on the 13th of July, accompanied by a presentation of an artwork series crafted by Refik Anadol in collaboration with the Yawanawa community. This series serves as a profound representation of Yawanawa culture and their symbiotic relationship with the forest, rooted in mutual aid. Comprising a data sculpture triptych and a limited edition Genesis NFT collection consisting of 1,000 unique pieces, this artistic endeavor will be minted and released during the Scorpios Encounters program. Refik Anadol, alongside Yawanawa chiefs Nixiwaka and Isku Kua, will grace Scorpios Mykonos on the 13th and 14th of July for this momentous occasion. The unveiling will be accompanied by a special program encompassing informative, cultural, and musical events, further enriching the experience.

The proceeds from the sale of the artwork collection will directly benefit the Yawanawa community, enabling the Yawanawa chiefs to embark on long-term initiatives for the preservation of their lands and cultural heritage. The funds generated will support the hosting of a historic gathering of Indigenous Peoples from the Amazon, scheduled to take place in the Yawanawa Sacred Village in 2024.

This project emerged as a vital component of “Possible Futures,” a multi-year program dedicated to supporting initiatives and projects that develop and promote evidence-based, scalable solutions aimed at improving life on our planet. When viewed through the lens of universal law, most of humanity’s current activities and approaches guide us toward futures that seem unattainable. However, the indigenous communities, based on existing data, wield the greatest influence in preserving our remaining pristine environmental habitats. A central objective of the “Possible Futures” program is to safeguard their practices and provide the necessary resources and means to empower their communities and nurture the guardianship of their territories.

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

The multi-layered artwork by Refik Anadol has been co-created in collaboration with the Yawanawa community and commissioned by Impact One as a profound reflection of Yawanawa cultural and natural heritage. Chief Biraci Nixiwaka Brasil has dedicated his life to the restoration of this heritage. Notably, Nixiwaka led the movement to reclaim his community’s ancestral lands in the 1980s, successfully securing the official rights to the Indigenous Land of Rio Gregório in 1991, thereby becoming the first indigenous people in the state of Acre to achieve this milestone.

The artwork intricately weaves together Yawanawa songs and visual artworks contributed by community members, along with natural data, to showcase the profound connection the community shares with their natural environment. Live weather data from Aldeia Sagrada, the most remote Yawanawa village, will continuously feed into the NFTs of the artwork, creating a dynamically evolving representation of this deep-rooted bond, expressed through the creative brilliance of Refik Anadol. The multi-sensory journey draws upon the community’s cultural memory and ambient forest data, enveloping viewers in a fractalised representation of one of Earth’s most vital ecosystems and its custodians, shaped by environmental and climatological data.

The artist Refik Anadol and Impact One share an unwavering dedication to crafting transformative experiences aimed at advancing human and environmental well-being. Their first collaboration, unveiled a year ago, showcased the artwork “Sense of Healing,” commissioned by Impact One as a poignant representation of the healing process in mental health patients. Premiered in July 2022, the artwork went on to achieve unprecedented success, breaking the artist’s record with a sale of €1.7 million at the Unicef Summer Gala auction in Capri.

Stay tuned for more details, to be revealed soon on yawanawa.possiblefutures.one. For additional information about the project, please reach out to press@impact.one.