Escadaria Selarón will gain NFT collection and shared governance

The Selarón project – piece(s) of the world was born with the union of the Rio de Janeiro crypto community to preserve the cultural heritage of the city with a shared governance plan and popularize the  web 3  so that everyone has access in a simplified and secure way.

On the next 10th, the death of artist Jorge Selarón, a Chilean who traveled the world and chose the staircase in Rio de Janeiro in the 1990s to call home – completes a decade. The date will mark the launch of a collection  NFT   inspired  us  4,994 artistic elements of the staircase  listed in 2005 and decorated by Selarón.

A technical wash of the Selarón Steps will remember the artist's death and the importance of permanently caring for this tourist landmark. 

Image: Selarón Staircase

Jorge worked on all 215 steps and the surrounding walls with ceramic elements, including 4,743 unique tiles, 94 panels and 157 three-dimensional artifacts. Tiles from all over the world cover the 125 meters of decorated stairs.

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The artistic architectural work has become one of the most visited sights in the city and even under the tutelage of the IRPH (Instituto Rio Patrimônio da Humanidade), it is difficult to preserve the pieces of art for various reasons such as the scarcity of resources.

Thus, the Selarón: Piece(s) of the World project, which initially has “a complete inventory with the digitization and cataloging of this entire set of tiles”, intends, in addition to creating an NFT collection with pieces unique features of the place, "to know in depth this heritage of Rio, to take care of the legacy of Jorge Selarón, to maintain and preserve the place", says the communiqué of the mentors and organizers of the project, which included LIGUIA - Independent League of Tourism Guides of the state of Rio de Janeiro,  Blockchain  Rio and the Brazuca Code.

According to the creators,

“A proposal will be made for restoring and consolidating the tiles, as well as a self-sustainable way of maintaining the cultural property, making up the dimensions of the best management practices and preservation of cultural heritage in a symbiosis between public authorities, business and organized civil society. “

The whole process of cataloging the works of art also facilitates the identification and preservation of all the important information about the tiles present there (place, date, technique used or rarity).

“The combination of 4994 tiles, panels and three-dimensional ceramic elements from thousands of other parts of the world makes this place in Rio de Janeiro a unique space, almost like an independent territory where everyone feels represented by account of this large mosaic of tiles”, explains the museologist of the Brazilian Institute of Museums, André Angulo and founder of LIGUIA.

 Selarón NFT Collection Piece(s) of the World

The NFTs of  impact  will grant various benefits to holders of  Tokens  including shared governance, title of patron of the staircase, guided tour, VIP access to exclusive events, catalog with all Featured NFT tiles, among others.

Holding events to foster the cultural heritage ecosystem via  web 3.0  is also among the group's priorities, as well as facilitating payment methods with cryptocurrencies in businesses in the region

The first collection is expected to launch in the first quarter of the year with the creation of integration between all those involved and the implementation of the Crypto Friendly Community.

In the second quarter of 2023, the second NFT collection intends to create the governance and use the system assisted by a Decentralized Autonomous Organization ( DAO ) for the adoption of the staircase. And between July and September, the launch of Selarón's third NFT collection takes place, together with the implementation of the adoption of the staircase for Shared Governance.

10 exclusive NFTs will be minted at Upland – the project’s crypto partner – the most expensive ones, still without a defined value, 30 Highlight and the Support NFTs that will cost between R$ 25 and R$ 50 and will be as a souvenir and support for the project .

A  Ethereum  Brasil is also another crypto supporter of Selarón Piece(s) of the World

 How It All Began

 To carry out this incredible project, the artist started the construction of a hanging garden built with old bathtubs decorated with tiles, which became the edges of the staircase. Then he started covering the 215 steps with whole tiles and pieces. When there was no more space, he amused himself by moving the pieces around, making this staircase an immense living work.

The tiles were brought from all over the world, sent by visitors who like him also love art. And even today, 10 years after Jorge Selarón's death, his address continues to receive donations from different parts of the world.

Selarón defined the work on the staircase that gives access to the Convent of Santa Teresa as “my tribute to the Brazilian people”. The predominant red on the walls was the artist's favorite color and also present in the flag of his native country, Chile.

Officially, the staircase is called Rua Manuel Carneiro, but few know it by that name.

Selarón around the world

In 2006, the monument was the setting for the recording of the music video for the song Beautiful, by rapper Snoop Dogg in partnership with singer-songwriter Pharrell Williams. When it gained the eyes of the world and began to become famous as Snoop Dogg's Staircase, Selarón tore some tiles off the second flight of stairs and wrote: Selarón Staircase, putting the creator's mark on creation once and for all.

Jorge Selaron

Tourism and the Selarón Steps

The ship season that began in November and runs until April should take around 400,000 people to the wonderful city in these five months, according to data from Pier Mauá.

Many of these visitors are destined for the famous bohemian neighborhood of Lapa, close to the staircase. Ease of access by train too  attracts  more visitors.

Image: Official Selarón Staircase

Rio de Janeiro should receive this season 2022/2023  between two and three million foreign tourists, as well as a large flow of tourists from other states, adding another three million people

According to a survey by Embratur's Market and Competitive Intelligence Management together with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), more than 230,000 tickets have already been sold to the country between December 19th and January 2nd. “The expectation is that Brazil ends the year having received more than 3.5 million foreign visitors, an expressive result that proves that the resumption of tourism has been consolidated in 2022.”, says Embratur.

“In 2019, Brazil registered the entry of 6.3 million international tourists.” That is, the tourist movement in the Lapa area, where the Escadaria Selarón is located, which has the privilege of receiving people 24 hours a day, will be the highest in the last 3 years, and will probably exceed the numbers before the pandemic.

Tile of the Selarón Staircase written in Hebrew. Shalom is a Hebrew word that means peace, harmony, integrity, prosperity, well-being and tranquility, it can be used idiomatically to mean hello and goodbye.