“Sentient Beings”: Entering the NFT market place
Since announcing our partnership earlier this year, Saving the Wild and I have been looking for new, creative ways to raise funds for the vital work they do. With the emergence of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) we are excited to announce our first NFT drop, entitled ‘Sentient Beings’ on October 11th 2021.
A New World
Non Fungible Tokens or “NFTs” have taken the art world by storm. In March this year the artist known as ‘Beeple’ sold his piece “5,000 days” for $69 million making him the world’s third most successful blue chip artist alive in just one sale. Before that the most he had sold a piece of art for was $100.
While this apparent renaissance grips the art world though, the vast majority of people remain unaware of what an NFT actually is or indeed how to get their hands on one. Now though, with photography becoming increasingly popular within NFT communities, we have decided to enter the fray.
In one weeks time, on October 11th, we launch our debut NFT collection, “Sentient Beings” in collaboration with partnered charity, Saving the Wild along with Phosphene.App, one of the world’s leading NFT curators. We have five images going on auction, each of which aiming to raise vital funding for Saving the Wild so they can continue to lead the charge against the corruption facilitating the demise of rhino populations in Southern Africa.
“Heaven Can Wait”, a new image release with a 1/1 NFT being minted specifically for this fundraiser
What is a Non Fungible Token (NFT)?
In their simplest form, NFT’s are crypto-art. The term “Non-fungible” means that they are unique and cannot be replaced with something else. The most common example is of trading cards, a one of a kind Michael Jordan for instance, cannot be replaced by another.
They exist on the Ethereum blockchain which, like Bitconin or Dodgecoin, is a cryptocurrency and the NFT itself is a piece of computer code forever encrypted in to the blockchain that can uniquely identify pieces of media like images, videos or music.
NFT’s differ from physical art in that they exist solely in the digital world. While some find this peculiar, many are embracing this new community and for us it opens doors to collectors previously unavailable, something we must embrace.
“I was instinctively drawn to the speed of NFTs, and the power to bring real change – before it’s too late.”
“Einstein”, taken in Uganda in 2021 released for the first time as an NFT
Sentient Beings
It is impossible when observing a wild animal to not consider its capacity as a sentient being. So much so, that the longer you spend in their presence the more obvious it becomes.
The animals shown in this series, photographed in four different East African countries, highlight our wild counterparts sentience. From the lion, one of Africa’s most endangered predators, to gorilla, an animal whose very soul you feel you are looking in to, we have chosen each species carefully to illustrate our point; that the animals we share this finite space with have identifiable, individual personalities and we must do all we can to preserve their natural habitat.
This is where Saving the Wild comes in. Founded by Jamie Joseph in 2014 the charity focusses on fighting the violent, organised crime driving the planet’s most iconic species to the brink of extinction.
Jamie and I formed our partnership earlier this year and it is one I am immensely proud of. With my work so focused on wildlife and the natural world it is imperative to me that my images are able to make a significant contribution to its protection.
The funds raised through this auction will focus on two aspects of Saving the Wild’s vital work:
The pursuit and elimination of high level corruption targets driving rhino to extinction in Southern Africa
The expansion of Saving the Wild’s bee keeping project, aiming to secure more wild land in East Africa and protect one of the world’s most important elephant populations along with a variety of wildlife in an increasingly fragile eco-system.
“Battered and Bruised”, the very essence of sentience
Launch Date
Sentient Beings drops on October 11th 2021 containing two previously unreleased images and three of my most popular works to date.
Our headline piece, “Craig”, was shot on community owned land just outside Amboseli National Park, Kenya, earlier this year and the elephant it depicts is the main focus of Saving the Wild’s award winning film “Kimana Tuskers”.
Written and directed by Jamie Joseph the film follows Craig and the young elephants known as “askaris” that look to and follow him, as they navigate a vanishing landscape and whose hopes rest in the hands of a few committed conservation organisations and an unlikely hero; bees.
Kimana Tuskers has already picked up awards for best first time director, best first time producer and best short and looks to be on track to win a host more.
“Craig”, dropping as a 1/1 NFT with 100% of the proceeds going to Saving the Wild
Purchase an NFT
For anyone wanting to purchase an NFT from our Sentient Beings collection, we can guide you through the entire process, simply fill in the form below and I, along with the team at Phosphene.App will be in touch.
“Simien Dawn”, Ethiopia 2019, available as an NFT edition of 15
“We need transparency. We need photographers to set an example; to put the animals first...Will is one of the most progressive, talented young photographers carving his path in the world.”
Sentient Beings, The Collection:
