Exploring NFT Art On Tezos (Part 14) – Scatterlingz

An Introduction To The Scatterlingz Interview

Scatterlingz is an NFT project that uses storytelling and art to resurrect Africa’s tourism industry, while also providing a platform for the many African artists whose only outlet is the continent’s street corners.

African Street artists are rapidly giving a greater twist of perspective to the African heritage and struggles. Their rare art is made from recycled wire with a blend of colours and shapes which is solely African.

Scatterlingz want to provide a platform where these artists will be given a chance in life. Scatterlingz aims to bring their work to the blockchain for them.

The Scatterlingz project was created to allow struggling rural artists from all across Africa to present their work in this unique NFT project.

The project will adding fun features for those who collect the NFTs, such as raffle chances to win VIP safari stays with partner game reserves and hidden NFTs that will be planted throughout Africa’s various tourist destinations for whenever collectors decide to travel around Africa.

These can serve as a proof of visit NFT, as well as include an NFT burn mechanism that could provide them with exclusive holiday discounts. 

The collection will start with the work of Simba Chiwanika grew up making art from the materials he found in his environment. 

Simba creates wire art sculptures using discarded wire. Tools such as plyers give his artwork it’s unique aesthetic. The collecting practice of discarded wire waste displays his resourceful nature.

His choices of subject matter has been inspired by the big 5 which is uniquely African. Through his work Simba wishes to express the important role in conservation.

Thank you so much for taking the time to discuss your work!

What is the team/ backers/partners behind Scatterlingz?

Our dynamic and innovative team consists of South African university students and graduates, with backgrounds in marketing, business, graphic design, art and a writer, who will set up the clues for treasure hunts scattered across Africa.

What inspired you to create Scatterlingz?

The name Scatterlingz is derived from Johnny Clegg’s song “Scatterlings of Africa,” which refers to the struggle, as well as the uniqueness of the African continent.

Our Scatterlingz project was created to allow struggling rural artists from all across Africa to present their work in this unique NFT project we’ve created.

Africa, a land of great diversity but also great challenges, a place where artists would likely never have the opportunity to create an NFT – because they have no internet, no computers, only their hands.

Their market place being the road sides of rural street corners. That’s where we come in, we bring their work to the blockchain for them. Africa’s beauty and the sanctity of the big 5 will be our first NFT project –  It’s about bringing and exposing the NFT world to Africa. 

Our first project will be focused on our street wire artist, Simba (https://scatterlingz.luxternal.xyz/simba-chiwanika), who will be the creator of the Big Five game animals, where we will focus on reviving tourism and the conservation of the Big Five. 

We have a lot of initiatives in the works, but the big five is the first. Throughout our journey, we’ll be promoting African street art and supporting Africa’s struggles as a whole such as conservation and the revival of African Tourism.

Why did you choose Tezos over other platforms?

Tezos was chosen because it is a proof-of-stake blockchain with low gas fees, and the ease of setting up wallets with Kukai makes more sense for a large portion of our collectors who are unfamiliar with the NFT space.

Tezos also has a robust art community, which adds to the blockchain’s appeal.

Can you describe the African art style?

Scattered tribes in Africa trace back to the Khoisan people, who expressed their art on the inside of cave walls, which can be seen all over the African Continent.

African art, ranging from soap stone sculptures, wire art sculptures and wood carvings, can be found in a variety of rural settings. Their marketplace is mainly located along road sides in the Eastern Cape, or along dirt roads in Kwazulu Natal or the Cape Province.

That is where the project idea ‘Scatterlingz’ came from, bringing African art from all over the African continent to the blockchain, allowing African rural artists to improve their lives by displaying their work to the rest of the world.

Why does the African tourist industry need Scatterlingz?

The tourism industry has suffered a setback since Covid and is in serious need of a resurgence. Africa offers one of the best visitor experiences in the world, with a focus on game viewing of the Big Five, which include the lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino.

Scatterlingz will help reinvigorate this industry, which is one of the backbones of the Continent and hopefully entice tourists to visit many of the game reserves that are on offer.  By reviving tourism, we will also be giving African rural artists an exciting marketplace. 

For each partnered game reserve, we will mint two different types of objects: giveaway objects and discount objects. Holders of giveaway objects will be entered into a raffle for a chance to win a free holiday token, which they can use to redeem free stays at our partnered game reserve. 

Holders of discount objects will be entered into a raffle for a chance to win a discounted holiday token, which they can use to get a discount on their stay, or in the tourist destination’s onsite gift shop. 

Royalties will be utilized to expand the Tez pool of tourist destinations wallet, allowing discount object holders to enter future raffles to win additional discounted holiday tokens.

Token holders will also be able to access future unlockables that promote various African tourism hotspots, such as tourist destination information, airdrops and treasure hunt clues to locate location-based NFTs.

Which artists do you have already?

At this time we are working with our wire artist, Simba Chiwanika who has created The Big 5 collection. You can visit https://scatterlingz.luxternal.xyz/simba-chiwanika to learn more about him.

What kind of holidays – whereabouts in Africa, do you have any travel contacts for this etc? 

The holidays for our first collection, ‘The Big 5’, will be themed on the big five game reserves, and future collections will feature holidays exclusive to each collection.

We’re currently educating game reserves about Tezos NFTs and how our initiative will help them provide the finest exclusive experiences for their visitors.

We have made contact with Addo Elephant National Park, which will be our partnered game reserve for Nzou Orenji, a discount object ( https://hicetnunc.art/objkt/576578 ) and Nzou Dzvuku, a giveaway object ( https://hicetnunc.art/objkt/576549 ), with future game reserves to follow.

How many Scatterlingz will there be?

Scatterlingz is the name of our NFT project, and Scatterlingz also refers to our artists who are scattered around Africa, there will be a diverse range of artists ranging from wire art to African rural sculptures throughout Africa.

Which NFT platform will you guys be using moving forwards i.e. Objkt, Kalamint etc

We will be using Hicetnunc, since they have the collaboration feature which is crucial for our project moving forward.

Why did you choose that platform?

Hicetnunc’s features are enticing, and the marketplace’s minimalist look is ideal for our collections.

Where will secondary sale royalties go?

Royalties are precisely proportional to the percentages of our collaboration.

For Discount objects (eg. Nzou Orenji) = 
60% of the proceeds goes towards our team, advertising, and the development of Scatterlingz.

20% of the proceeds go directly to our artists’ Tezos wallets.

20% will go towards the game reserves Tez pool, which will be utilized to provide future raffles for discount object holders to win more discounted holiday tokens.

For Giveaway objects (eg. Nzou Dzvuku) = 

60% will go towards the game reserves Tez pool which will be utilized to provide future raffles for discount object holders to win more discounted holiday tokens. 

20% of the proceeds goes towards our team, advertising, and the development of Scatterlingz. 

20% of the proceeds go directly to our artists’ Tezos wallets.

What will be next for Scatterlingz?

Scatterlingz will work on a variety of projects, beginning with street wire artists who will promote the big five and revitalise big five game animal tourism.

We’ll promote a variety of artwork, including metallic fabrics, clay, and wood, to mention a few, all of which will help to revive African tourism in a number of tourist destinations, ranging from the Cape Winelands to the historic Robben Island.

Are there any smart contracts being used at this stage?

We’ll use the HEN smart contract since it fits our collaboration requirements, which is important given that we’ll be working with a lot of artists and tourism locations.

What’s the best way for people to interact with the project?

People can engage with the project via our dedicated discord server and Twitter. Collectors will also receive airdrops of information about our partnered tourist destinations, as well as clues for future treasure hunts.

Any Final Thoughts?

On Wednesday, December 15th, we will swap Nzou Dzvuku (50 ed) for 25 tez, entering holders into a raffle where they will have a 1 in 50 chance to win a free 5-day VIP stay at Addo Elephant National Park via https://hicetnunc.art/collab/scatterlingzgiveaways… and Nzou Orenji (1500 ed) for 1 tez which will give 15 holders Addo Elephant National Park discounts via https://hicetnunc.art/collab/scatterlingzdiscounts

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