Earth.Org is joining forces with tech startup and online art gallery Picture This in the launch of an NFT collection by Norwegian photographer Christian Houge. Proceeds of the series will go towards frontline wildlife conservation projects around the world that EO supports and to fund its own operation and ecosystem.
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Christian Hogue, a renowned Norwegian photographer who has dedicated more than 20 years of his career exploring the complex relationship and conflict between humanity and nature, is launching his debut NFT art collection in partnership with photography-tech startup Picture This on April 29.
The collection will feature an unseen work, Polar Bear, from his ‘Residence of Impermanence’ series, in which Hogue captures the burning of taxidermy animals from trophy hunting practices against a backdrop of traditional British wallpapers – a representation of British imperialism. The jarring images act as a critical reflection of humanity’s hubris, violence and exploitation of nature and wildlife.
“At first, I was naturally sceptical of NFT art, being an analog ‘old school’ photographer working for years to finalise my climate-related projects,” said Christian Houge. “As this technology is here to stay. It will change how we work and relate,” adding that conscious NFTs will have an important role to play in the future of storytelling and provocative art.
The Polar Bear NFT, released in large edition priced at 0.5 Ethereum (ETH), will be publicly available on April 29 as the first from the seven-piece ‘Residence of Impermanence’ collection. Collectors of this NFT (where purchases can be made in Ethereum or by credit card) will gain priority access to the rest of the series, which will subsequently be released including a selection of behind-the-scenes video footage of seven rare animals. Each animal will be its individual and unique NFT, and will be available in editions of five.
Collectors of the series will have the additional opportunity to meet Christian in person as well as permanent priority access to all his future artwork releases.
NFTs are proof of ownership of digital art, allowing creators to assert the originality of their work. The environmental impacts of blockchain technology and cryptocurrency have been under greater scrutiny in recent years. And since the process of minting an NFT creates a blockchain, the transaction can be energy intensive and generates significant amounts of carbon emissions. More environmentally-friendly cryptocurrencies and technologies have started to emerge in recent years, while many platforms offer carbon offsets to compensate for emissions from transactions.
For this collection, Christian will offset the carbon footprint of the NFTs through Picture This’ impact programme with Offsetra, supporting the Pacajai REDD+ Project that works to conserve forest land and biodiversity as well as social programmes for local communities in Paca, Brazil. So far, the partnership has offset 38 tonnes of carbon emission, which is equivalent to over 150,000km of vehicle emissions and 3,356 Ethereum transactions.
Collectors can also be reassured by the fact that the collection can be purchased in Ethereum, which recently announced its transition to a less energy-intensive code, thereby cutting its electricity usage by 99.9% and environmental impact.
Proceeds will be donated to Earth.Org in support of our mission and operations as well as our global network of frontlineNGO partners, photographers, and Global Ambassadors. In appreciation to those supporting the collaboration, we are offering collectors a one-year EO Membership for any purchases of the Polar Bear NFT made by May 8, 2022.
Whether through the membership or our NFT collection, you will enable our team to keep delivering free, high-quality journalism, enhance our kids’ educational platform, and further develop and support our ecosystem of changemakers who are devoted to being the eyes, ears, and voice of Mother Nature.
Check out our NFT collection here!
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