For the first iteration of Possible Futures in collaboration with the Yawanawá, Impact One commissioned an artwork series co-created by the Yawanawá and new media artist Refik Anadol: the Winds of Yawanawa.
The creation of the artwork series stems from a journey that began in September 2022, when we followed Chief Nixiwaka and Putanny Yawanawá’s invitation to meet in the Yawanawá Sacred Village of Aldeia Sagrada. Impact One invited Refik Anadol to join the visit and the result of their spiritual and artistic exchange has now come to fruition.
Winds of Yawanawa is composed of a data sculpture and limited 1,000-piece Genesis NFT collection. The first-of-its-kind series was created to help plant the seeds for a more integrative approach to sustainability in the future. Web3 technologies like blockchain and NFTs offer huge potential to facilitate new compensation models, decentralised economies, and tangible solutions for Indigenous autonomy and environmental protection. These technologies can be used to map, measure, safeguard, and regenerate forests, supporting conservation initiatives and local communities.
Marking the onset of a long-term collaboration, the goal of the Possible Futures collaboration with the Yawanawá is to develop regenerative business models to support indigenous communities’ stewardship of their lands, and by extension, the protection of some of our planet’s most vital ecosystems.
The Yawanawá culture includes a deep connection to the natural world through ancestral wisdom, plant medicine and environmental stewardship and their way of life is based on subsistence agriculture, hunting and fishing. With their rich tradition and long history, the Yawanawá mix patterns, visions, and dreams that convey the strength and beauty of their people. In this historic collaboration, the aesthetics and depth of modern machine intelligence are combined with their artistic practices rooted in the spirituality and the wisdom of Indigenous heritage and ancestors. This artwork series is shaped by their cultural heritage and represents their relationship of mutual aid with the rainforest that they foster.
For Refik Anadol, an early progenitor of NFTs who coined the term “data painting”, the new artwork is also an integral step in the contemporary and ever-shifting evolution of AI:
“We as humanity cannot solve the complexity of AI by ourselves, individually. AI is on a high-speed track and fresh thinking is incredibly important in this space. We need collective wisdom; and if you think about
collective wisdom, you will need ancestral wisdom. Hearing their voices
and how we are evolving and bringing their perspective to the dialogue is
the most fundamental part of the project.”
– Refik Anadol
– Refik Anadol
The Yawanawá community is represented in this project by chiefs Biraci Nixiwaka Brasil, Putanny Yawanawa and Isku Kua Biraci Brasil Junior, leaders of the villages of Aldeia Sagrada and Nova Esperança. Proceeds of the sales of the artwork go directly to Instituto Nixiwaka, the entity representing the Yawanawá communities, to support long-term initiatives for the protection of the Yawanawá territories and cultural heritage. Among other projects, the proceeds generated will be utilised for building sustainable infrastructure in the Aleida Sagrada village and developing an educational programme for Nova Esperança.
The Possible Futures initiative was born out of Genesis, the indigenous outreach programme commissioned by CEO of Impact One, Mikolaj Sekutowicz, and curated by Jeanne de Kroon. The initiative has flourished to become a platform to listen and amplify indigenous voices to co-develop a shared perspective on true value impact.
Discover the Winds of Yawanawá
Impact One Commissions Winds of Yawanawa
Impact One launches first iteration of Possible Futures collaboration with the Yawanawá
Impact One initiated a first-of-its-kind collaboration between artist Refik Anadol and the Yawanawa community. Winds of Yawanawa, a limited NFT collection, was unveiled in Mykonos on 13 July with Scorpios’ Encounters.