- The sprawling Maasai Mara National Park has been a major source of pride and revenue for Kenya over the years. What is, however, not famous for is the generation of unique scientific and design plans.
- A new initiative is, however, showing the richness of the game research in projecting data from the life of three lions and helping conservationists understand what wildlife go through in the wild.
- This initiative visualizes predator data from Kenya Wildlife Trust (KWT) as a series of digital and physical data-based ‘portraits’ along with interactive artwork created in collaboration with tech developers, designers, and story gatherers.
The sprawling Maasai Mara national park has been a major source of pride and revenue for Kenya over
the years. What is however not famous for is the generation of unique scientific and design plans.
A new initiative is, however, showing the richness of the game research in projecting data from the life of
three lions and helping conservationists understand what wildlife go through in the wild.
This initiative visualizes predator data from Kenya Wildlife Trust (KWT) as a series of digital and physical
data-based ‘portraits’ along with interactive artwork created in collaboration with tech developers,
designers, and story gatherers.
The result is three paintings each depicting the movement of a single lion as traced from its collar. The
three paintings are then assembled in a circular manner depicting a Maasai homestead and showcased
during the Nairobi Design Week, a congregation of designers, artists and craftsmen.
In each step of the path that the lions took in their lives as well as those of the human they interact with.
Inspired by three different lions—Sintamei, Mama Kali and Naramat—lion portraits created by
Anagbado were brought to life using data points provided by KWT’s tracking collars along with
topographic information and data architecture created by Daria Smakhtina.
The artwork also includes sounds of the Mara region mixed with stories told by rangers,
conservationists, engineered and designed by Nairobi-based sound artist, Mercy Barno. Augmented
reality designed by Lyosi Mwedekeli will give guests an opportunity to animate the portraits using their
smartphones.
The project harnesses data from lions' patterns of territorial movement and conflict with humans in
order to represent the predator ecosystem in Kenya's Maasai Mara region as a dynamic human-
nonhuman collaborative artwork, providing a vivid and emotionally affective experience of scientific
knowledge and real-time health of nature.
This initiative is managed by Sovereign Nature Initiative (SNI), a nonprofit seeking to achieve a thriving
planet by reconfiguring nature’s value. We are located at the intersection of ecology, economy, and
emerging (Web3) technologies.
SNI aims to leverage and amplify their ecological data in the “Tracing the Wild,” data-driven art project.
Speaking during the design week media tour, Seth Berkley, the Director of Creative Engagement at SNI
notes that such initiatives are important not only in understanding and conserving the wildlife, but they
can be used as a source of alternative income for the community inform of fundraising, digital auction
and online marketplace.
This he says can then benefit the community as well as artists and creators. Adrian Jankowiak, the director and founder of the Nairobi Design Week notes that there is need to tap into the available expertise both in art and technology that is available in Nairobi to bring into life the various issues facing the country including human wildlife conflict.
“Data provokes questions, Also data can show the relations to climate change, closeness to water for
the animals. Now this can be analyzed and presented in art,” he notes.
“I’d say the ‘Tracing the Wild’ project found me,” said artist Chuma Anagbado. “Clearly, there is a
natural synergy between the style of my work and what SNI wanted to achieve by using Lion data in
creating art. Specifically, the data lines were a natural fit with my art. I’ve also always wanted to include
conservation in my work. More so, I’ve been a designer as well, founding and running a design firm back
home in Lagos, Nigeria. This project uses up all my skills, and is different from the traditional and
conventional art space. This is home for me, as I’m an advocate for blurring the lines between art &
design.”
