Using blockchain to solve the African art data issue.

Muma Sinkala

Funding Area: Critical shared infrastructure / Infraestructura compartida critica

Problem Statement: Despite contributing over 13bn to the 62bn Global art market, African art data barely exists and African artists are still the most disadvantaged artists. Data is king and this clearly understood by huge organizations and reflected in the advent of technology, when unified and consistent data lacks in an area misrepresentation, appropriation and financial growth are just some of the factors impacted when proper and correct data lacks.This issue over the years has raised questions about valuations and provenance that marginalizes and excludes African artists and lovers of Africa art history from having an accurate and inclusive dialogue on African art and its growth. The idea to create a unified archive platform that connects, amplifies and records accurate African art data was born from this need. The need to connect Global universities, artists, collectors and people seeking knowledge or ease of access to African art data from a unified source

Proposed Activities: A timeline of Dec 2023 - July 2025 2yrs for adoption and roll out -Decentralised data pool CMS development with open infrastructure that can link into other services created by a decentralized developer organization that works with blockchain. Cultural advisors and open infrastructure art org partnerships Language translators and additional features for ease of use Project Managers and Marketing for the use of Content management system and data pool for institutions Testing and user feedback continuous iterations Retrospective comparison of real data to original idea and roll out.

Openness: In the creation of this archive we will be using blockchain technology for its ability to allow transparency, traceability and individual digital footprints or ID that will ensure users work or contributions are localized and open. AAFS Archive is focused on undoing previously accepted methods of authority relating to archives and management systems used for African art distribution.Previously the inclusion of indigenous knowledge holders has been excluded.By challenging these systems through the creation of an open, collaborative and inclusive system that centers both indigenous knowledge and contemporary African art makers and beneficiaries openly we challenge what the future of what open African art data looks like

Challenges: The current African art data world is very limited and closed off not enough data exists so starting from scratch gathering info and cross operating in a very niche industry will be a very difficult challenge,Also the challenge of language barrier from indigenous knowledge holders is a barrier we anticipate to face but hopefully by working with local institutions that have relationships with such knowledge holders we will be able to overcome this barrier. Another is the adoption of digital a tool as a first point of reference for users who are used to analogue working. Changing collector mindsets who are used to colonial collecting methods that rely on previously accepted ways of working even if they have continued circulating misinformation of various cultural objects past and present shifting the mindset will require a continuous working together with collectors as active participants from scratch

Neglectedness: There isn't much funding dedicated to the preservation and collection of African art data from a digital perspective those that exist with organizations like orchid, the art fund and other organizations are limited to activities such as art residencies, research or exhibitions and installations but not dedicated to the use of technology and art data as a tool for the removal of marginalization. We applied for a small grant in 2021 in Tanzania which we got for the registration of the company for 1500 dollars. We have since been applying and looking for grants but most do not find this particular field.

Success: We would measure the success of the project iteratively and retrospectively at the end. With a Continuous building approach we would start the journey of building the archive with the direct involvement of artists, collectors and institutions from the beginning, so that we can have dialogue and contribution throughout the process,as we build the archive we can get rid of unnecessary tools and add only those that are needed and beneficial to the different users i.e artists, institutions, collectors and researchers. With Milestones set for the completion date of each functionality built, we will have mini targets and final milestones for the whole build.Upon completion of the archive we will have Testing from potential partner org such as open uni set against a goals matrix to evaluate if something has been achieved for example,where art data provided by the open uni is harmonized and updated in the AAFS archive correctly in collaboration with an individual or other org we can successfully see the open use of that part of the archive as success, if that data is then referenced in research and tagged or used for pricing valuation this is mapped against the matrix and 2 other points of success for the archive.

Total Budget: 25000

Affiliations: African art for spaces and the Zambian open university

LMIE Carveout: The adoption of the use of the archive will be majorly centered around African art data which is very marginalized, until 2019 African art was not even sold at the biggest auction houses Sothebys and Christies who for the first time decided to showcase 100 works from 25 African artists and still undervalued each of the works by over 10,000 dollars we believe a lack of provenance and proper harmonized African art data to be a big contributing factor to this continuous marginalization. The archive will be accessible to all African institutions working with African art data and to all African artists to access who will be our main target users and contributors ,as well as the general global art market The working location of the team is Zambia.

Team Skills: Our director has over 10 yrs experience in finance and technology and over 4 yrs experience in representing African artists globally fully understanding the nuances that Affect African art valuation and traceability her skills and knowledge of blockchain technology its uses and the importance of partnerships for the delivery of the project is key, she's a highly experienced leader and networker . Our head of Project Phelile Lundu is a highly experienced project manager with over 3yrs experience. Our head of Research Nomsa Banda is a qualified researcher with experience in African writing and research, Our Head of UX & UI Chama Mumbi is a highly experienced designer with over 8 yrs of experience understanding of data manipulation and analysis his skills will be very valuable to understanding user experiences and translating them into an archive that serves various communities and understands the different user needs and journeys We all have the lived experience of feeling the pain points of not being able to access proper Africana art data since we started an art agency and have experienced over 200 African artists globally that have experienced the difficulty of lack of data being a major influence to how their art s received and valued, and in trying to find a solution for this an African art archive was born.

How Did You Hear About This Call: Word of mouth (e.g. conversations and emails from IOI staff, friends, colleagues, etc.) / Boca a boca (por ejemplo, conversaciones y correos electrónicos del personal del IOI, amigos, colegas, etc.)

Submission Number: 188