To celebrate Global Pride Month Consensys partnered with queer artist, Mikey Woodbridge (they/them) to commission a unique Non-Fungible Token (NFT) about what Pride means to them. We gifted this NFT to our 800+ employees globally in support of our social connection and contribution to OutRight Action International.
OutRight is an international non-governmental organization that addresses human rights violations and abuses against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex people. For every NFT employees claim, Consensys will donate $10 to OutRight and Mikey opted to assign all royalties to the charity as well - it’s the gift that keeps on giving! View the collection here and continue the support by purchasing one of the NFTs.
The artwork Mikey created is called “BRIDGE” and they shared with us the inspiration behind their NFT.
“The way that I present myself often creates resistance in others. Not only the femininity, but also the loudness of my appearance is often a source of friction and separation. When I perform to groups or encounter people individually, I try to make a bridge that allows people to connect with my being unconditionally. This way, they can have ownership of the act of overcoming resistance. They can be the agent of interconnectedness, and I can provide a vessel for their dignity. BRIDGE documents my approach to interacting with people in physical space and attempts to put it forward in a digital space.” (Mikey Woodbridge).
Read the full inspiration behind “BRIDGE” at the end of this article.
What "BRIDGE" represents is very much in line with our core values at Consensys…
We act with kindness. We believe this is a strength and we embody it with intention across our company, communities, and ecosystem.
We continually evolve. We believe that continuous growth is inherent to the human journey.
We cultivate community. We are all interconnected and believe that our true potential and success are unlocked through the continued cultivation of ‘we’.
This culture of kindness and fostering community is clear when looking at our recent May Employee Engagement Survey where Consensys is performing 13% above companies in the new technology space (CultureAmp 2022). The survey also showed us that...
87% of Consensys employees feel a sense of belonging
88% feel they can be their authentic selves at work
86% feel Consensys values diversity
Beyond the data, we also launched a company-wide pronoun initiative in March led by our Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Council to ensure we foster an environment of respect and awareness.
About Mikey WoodbridgeMikey Woodbridge, is an Australian-born multidisciplinary artist based in Berlin. Mikey’s work explores otherness and personal transformation through communal performance, trance states, physical generative art, photography, painting, and song. Mikey’s NFT artwork has been collected by Kevin Abosch, Pindar Van Arman, Claire Silver, Angie Taylor, and The Queer Museum of Digital Art, among others. Mikey is an ambassador for Bright Moments DAO, working to bridge the NFT space with meaningful IRL experiences.
About OutRight Action InternationalOutRight Action International is a leading international organization dedicated to human rights advocacy on behalf of people who experience discrimination or abuse on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression. Since 1990, OutRight has worked alongside LGBTIQ activists and organizations, diplomats and policymakers, and other key partners to advance community-focused solutions to create lasting legal and social transformation. OutRight advances its mission of ensuring human rights for LGBTIQ people everywhere through advocacy, movement resourcing, and research.
About “BRIDGE”“For me, what lies behind the concept of pride is the substance of dignity. Dignity describes a presence that is acceptable within the family of things, rooted and integral. With this piece, BRIDGE, I am reaching out to the first moments of image-making when humans painted the faces of rocks, and I am documenting the moments when my being has been able to reach others.
The way that I present myself often creates resistance in others. Not only the femininity, but also the loudness of my appearance is often a source of friction and separation. When I perform to groups or encounter people individually, I try to make a bridge that allows people to connect with my being unconditionally. This way, they can have ownership of the act of overcoming resistance. They can be the agent of interconnectedness, and I can provide a vessel for their dignity. BRIDGE documents my approach to interacting with people in physical space and attempts to put it forward in a digital space.
When people say that it is unnatural to love in the way we love, what they are trying to do is deny our connection to divinity, to source. In truth, we are all nothing but interpreters of signs and symbols, and no one has the authority to cut another off from their own sacredness. I think of my work as cave paintings, images that claim our place at the threshold of creation. This piece emerges from the unnecessary separation that we experience, and it reaches out toward universal dignity.” (Mikey Woodbridge)
Many thanks to UnicornDAO who advised us on potential artists that we could commission for the project that were within the NFT & LGBTIQ space. They connected us with Mikey Woodbridge who they have worked with before. Learn more about UnicornDAO and how you can get involved here.