To mark UNICEF’s 75th anniversary, Giga teamed up with Snowcrash and artist Nadieh Bremer to issue the UN’s largest-ever collection of NFT artworks: the Patchwork Kingdoms.
The Patchwork Kingdoms bring the story of connectivity to life
Data-driven, digital art offers a new way to raise awareness of the global disparities in levels of access to the Internet. Artist Nadieh Bremer took connectivity data on 283,000 schools from Project Connect platform and transformed it into 1,000 unique Patchwork Kingdoms. Each square building block in the Kingdoms represents an actual school; those in the ‘above’ world have Internet access and those in the ‘below’ world are still offline. They provide a vibrant display of the digital divide at a time when 1.3 billion children still do not have Internet access at home.
Nadieh used details in the data to highlight the complexity of delivering connectivity for learning. It is more than just a simple choice between ‘connected’ and ‘unconnected’. Students need high-speed, reliable Internet access if they are to make full use of online learning opportunities and so the patterns on the building blocks become more ornate as speeds increase. The schools with the fastest speeds even blossom into flowers.
Nadieh also showed that not all unconnected schools are equal. Where Internet coverage – and therefore the potential to become connected – is available, the ‘below’ blocks have filled rather than stroked shapes. Birds, clouds, and bats in the sky represent the millions of cases where data is still unavailable.
Nadieh used details in the data to highlight the complexity of delivering connectivity for learning. It is more than just a simple choice between ‘connected’ and ‘unconnected’. Students need high-speed, reliable Internet access if they are to make full use of online learning opportunities and so the patterns on the building blocks become more ornate as speeds increase. The schools with the fastest speeds even blossom into flowers.
Nadieh also showed that not all unconnected schools are equal. Where Internet coverage – and therefore the potential to become connected – is available, the ‘below’ blocks have filled rather than stroked shapes. Birds, clouds, and bats in the sky represent the millions of cases where data is still unavailable.
While they leave no doubt about the scale of the challenge, the Patchwork Kingdoms also convey a message of hope. The vision of a more connected world is depicted in the Patchwork Quilt – a meta version that brings all 1,000 Kingdoms together. Background details from the individual artworks are weaved together, emphasising the shared, global nature of the connectivity challenge. The Quilt reminds the duty to get all schools online, including those in the hardest-to-reach places.
Collectors have formed a new community of Giga supporters
Once the Patchwork Kingdoms went on public sale, they sold out within just three hours and the original mint raised 175 ETH (around $550,000 at the time) for school connectivity. They were also able to secure an unprecedented 20% royalty rate on secondary sales via OpenSea meaning that every time they change hands, the NFTs raise more money for schools.
Just as importantly, the NFTs have made it possible to reach a new group of people who want to help the team deliver more equal Internet access. The Patchwork Kingdoms are like a digital ‘bumper sticker’ for collectors, something they can get excited about and share with their friends as a sign of their commitment.
Ownership of a Patchwork Kingdom is a more interactive experience than making a one-off donation or purchasing a greetings card. NFT owners have special privileges on their Discord channel and have a level of access to the team that is normally reserved for corporate donors. Donors have become Giga ambassadors, raising awareness of the importance of connectivity on social media. And the collectors are a valuable source of ideas for the project; the project team has already been able to use their suggestions on branding and on future NFT projects.
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