'Spirit of the Rainforest 2'
With the Yawanawá Tribe
of the Amazon Rainforest
LIVE from Brazil, JUNE 5th to June 13th 2019
Ask the Last Chance to Paint team and the Yawanawá tribe questions
Educators can post us questions and receive answers on our blog.
Why?
Tribes are key to the health and future of the rainforests around the world. Their tribal ceremonies and deep connection to the rainforest has created a visual and musical culture that hasn’t been widely explored yet. A new genre of art to discover and connect to.
‘Long before the word “conservation” was coined, tribal peoples developed highly effective measures for maintaining the richness of their environment. They have sophisticated codes of conservation to stop overhunting and preserve biodiversity.’ Survival International.
Where & when?
Artist John Dyer and musician Martha-Lilly Dyer will travel to the Yawanawá tribe, who live in the Acre region of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, in June 2019. John Dyer’s friend Amazon Indian artist Nixiwaka Yawanawá will be involved in the project and painting alongside John. ‘Procreate – Spirit of the Rainforest’ will start on June 3rd when the team leave London. We expect to be travelling by canoe on the Rio Gregório, the river that takes us to the tribal village of Mutum, on June 5th. Between June 5th and June 13th, we plan to use satellite communications to take questions from schools, upload photos and images of John Dyer’s new Amazon paintings and digital drawings and to send a few minutes of video each day to inspire children across the world to connect to tribal culture and the environment.
Teaching Resources
The Born Free Foundation, with the help of the Eden Project and the Last Chance to Paint team have created downloadable lesson plans and teacher notes for learning about the Amazon rainforest and to follow the ‘Spirit of the Rainforest’ adventure.
The resources are primarily designed for Key Stage 2 but are easily adaptable for all Key Stages.
Links to Art and Design, Geography, Science, English, SMSC and Citizenship curricula.
Download the 5 lessons and the teacher notes from tes.com
N.B. Some of the lessons contain links to videos and you will need to make sure that Vimeo is accessible to your computer to see these.
What is the time there?
When we travel we will be very aware of time zones and when we will be able to live stream and communicate with the schools in the UK and other countries.
The current time in the area of the Amazon we are travelling to is:
What will John Dyer & Nixiwaka Yawanawá paint?
John Dyer will be joined by Amazon Indian artist Nixiwaka Yawanawá. Together they will be exploring the deep connection between the tribe and the spirits of the rainforest.
Painting in the tribal village and the surrounding rainforest will provide a rich creative and learning experience for us all. We will experience tribal life, the rainforest plants and animals that the tribe interacts with, body painting, tribal ceremonies and music.
Outcomes
Through the project, we will be connecting children, using art and technology, with tribal culture, individual families in the tribe and the rainforest. They will be meeting the rainforest. We hope that this will create a personal connection and bond to the rainforest and generate amazing pieces of art and lots of questions. We want every child involved to create their own piece of amazing art on the theme of ‘Spirit of the Rainforest’ that is inspired by the Amazon paintings of John Dyer and Nixiwaka Yawanawá and the wildlife and culture we introduced them to. They can send a high-quality photo of their final paintings, collages, mixed media etc to us and we will exhibit their art online in the World Galley.
Exhibition of John Dyer paintings & prints at the Royal Geographical Society in London
The Royal Geographical Society is planning to hold an exhibition of John Dyer’s work from the ‘Procreate- Spirit of the Rainforest’ chapter of Last Chance to Paint. For further details of this exciting exhibition please visit the special exhibition page on The John Dyer Gallery.
Musical World Premier in the Rainforest!
We are absolutely delighted that composer Jake Thorpe has written a new piece of music inspired by John Dyer’s painting of the Amazon water spirit Yuxi Yuve. This new piece of music will have its world premiere when it is performed by flautist Martha-Lilly Dyer deep in the rainforest of Brazil with the Yawanawá tribe in June 2019.
Chapter Sponsor
Procreate
Savage Interactive, the makers of the Procreate App, have kindly sponsored our ‘Spirit of the Rainforest’ chapter of ‘Last Chance to Paint’ and we are thrilled to be working with them. Procreate is the leading and best-selling art App for iPad. The iPhone version of the App, Procreate Pocket, was named by Apple as the iPhone App of the year 2018. John Dyer will be using Procreate whilst in the Amazon rainforest.
“Procreate is a multi-award winning creative app designed to free creative professionals from their desk. Create beautiful sketches, inspiring paintings, and stunning illustrations wherever you are.”
Supporter
Neville Shulman CBE
Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, explorer, mountaineer, journalist, author, and art collector. He has travelled extensively throughout the world and every year undertakes expeditions and exploration to promote a number of charities. Neville Shulman is a novelist and writer on travel, exploration and Zen philosophy and is a Fellow of the Royal Society For The Encouragement Of The Arts, a Director of Shepperton Film Studios, and has many involvements in the theatre, film and entertainment industries.
John Dyer is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and through receiving the special Award from Neville Shulman CBE, the Royal Geographical Society, Neville Shulman and John Dyer plan to exhibit the artworks collected from the ‘Spirit of the Rainforest’ expedition to the Amazon, as well as arranging to feature the project in the Geographical Magazine.
“The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) is the UK’s learned society and professional body for geography. We advance geography and support geographers in the UK and across the world.”
John Dyer Amazon Rainforest Signed Prints & Original Paintings Available
Many of John Dyer’s paintings of the Amazon and the Spirits of the Rainforest are available as beautiful signed prints.Find out more on the exhibition page for the project on The John Dyer Gallery
An introduction by Nixiwaka Yawanawá
Following on from John Dyer’s highly successful ‘Spirit of the Rainforest’ residency with Amazon Indian Nixiwaka Yawanawá at the Eden Project with Survival International we will be taking this amazing project to Nixiwaka’s tribe in the Acre state of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil to make ‘Spirit of the Rainforest 2’ even more powerful.
Tribal culture will be at the heart of the project. Meet the tribe and find out why tribal people are the natural custodians of the rainforest and how rich their culture, knowledge, and connection to the rainforest is.
We are currently planning ‘Spirit of the Rainforest 2’ with the Yawanawá tribe and will be live with this in June 2019.
John Dyer & Amazon Indian Nixiwaka Yawanawá
Be inspired today by John Dyer and Nixiwaka Yawanawá's paintings
from the first 'Spirit of the Rainforest' project
-
-
Painting by John Dyer. Yuxi Yuve Amazon Rainforest Water Spirit. Painting inspired by the Yawanawá Tribe. 100 x 100 cm acrylic on canvas.
"The water spirit Yuxi Yuve has a real connection for me; she evokes not only the water cycle of the rainforest but also has echoes of stories of mermaids and water spirits in our own culture. Nixiwaka selected the Amazon plants around the waterfall at the Eden Project to paint, so it was natural to create a circular composition with the waterfall forming Yuxi Yuve's hair. The Boa Constrictor features as the power of the rainforest. It is one of the most revered animals. I have included Amazon fish in the water and rainforest butterflies too."
John Dyer
-
-
Nixiwaka Yawanawá Painting. Yuxi Yuve - The Water Spirit of the Amazon Rainforest. 100 x 100 cm acrylic on canvas.
"The painting depicts the Spirit of Water who lives in the depths of the great rivers of the Rainforest. Yuxi Yuve is a beautiful woman with long flowing hair, down which water cascades, forging a link connecting the Spirit with all the rivers and everything that is supported in and by the water. She is the Lady of the Waters and is a powerful spirit that looks after all the living things, plants, animals and fish that inhabit the river. She appears in visions to the Yawanawá when they have a ceremony that invokes her force in order to teach them about the spiritual forces that live in the water. She connects the world of the river to the tribe showing its importance to their life as part of nature."
Nixiwaka Yawanawá
-
-
Painting by John Dyer. Rare - Spiritual rebirth. Amazon Rainforest Spirit Painting inspired by the Yawanawá Tribe. 100 x 100 cm acrylic on canvas.
"The figure at the centre of my painting symbolises not only the spirit Vana but the Yawanawá themselves. The sacred plants feature in the painting alongside one of the most powerful animals in the rainforest, the Jaguar. The Jaguar symbolises power. The humming bird and Amazon butterflies create a biodiverse image which when combined with the amazing plant forms you find in the Amazon and at the Eden Project creates a feeling of shared energy and vitality. The Yawanawá tribe are the custodians of their piece of the Amazon and their energy and life is a natural part of the ecosystem. We all need to respect the careful balance of the rainforest and I hope through these paintings our thoughts and actions will be reborn."
John Dyer
-
-
Nixiwaka Yawanawá Painting. Rare - Spiritual rebirth. Amazon Rainforest Spirit. 100 x 100 cm acrylic on canvas.
"This painting represents the spiritual rebirth of a person who experiences the Yawanawá initiation into becoming a Shaman. The ceremony begins with the root of Rare, a sacred plant considered by the Yawanawá to be the most powerful plant of the Rainforest. It invokes the spirit Vana who is considered to be the owner of all the plants and the most powerful spirit in the Rainforest. The ceremony to become a Shaman involves the person in undertaking a diet where he abstains from specific things and focuses on his spirituality for a period that could be as long as six months, when he is alone in the Rainforest apart from being watched over by his Shaman mentor. The plants are the door to the spiritual world. The ceremony makes the connection with the spirits and the person is transformed into a spiritual being able to see visions, heal and guide the tribe as a Shaman."
Nixiwaka Yawanawá
-
-
Vana. The Spirit of our shadows. Painting inspired by the Yawanawá Tribe. Amazon Rainforest. Original Painting by John Dyer. 100 x 100 cm acrylic on canvas.
"In British culture shadows are often used as ominous devices, but the realisation that the spirit of one’s own shadow is a protector and guardian angel is enlightening. The power of the spirit is indicated by the Boa Constrictors and I have painted with intense colours and contrasts to evoke the rainforest exploding with energy and light from the shadows. My Vana spirit sits at the centre of the composition radiating energy and protection. Rainforest butterflies, macaws and spiders are used throughout the painting. The energy that lives in us is the same energy that connects all living things and this energy radiates from the canvas."
John Dyer
-
-
Nixiwaka Yawanawá Painting. Vana - The Spirit of our Shadows. Amazon Rainforest Spirit. 100 x 100 cm acrylic on canvas.
"The painting represents the very powerful Vana spirits. They are the guardian angels that protect us from bad things and as such are seen as the Spirit of our own shadow. Only the Shamans can see and talk to them in ceremonies which involve Ayahuasca, a sacred drink to the Yawanawá. The spirits guide the visions in the ceremonies so that they can find their personal Vana. My painting is the vision of my Aunt, a Shaman, which I originally drew from her description. It is therefore a unique, powerful & emotional image."
Nixiwaka Yawanawá
-
-
Painting by John Dyer. The Creation of Uni (Ayahuasca). Painting inspired by the Yawanawá Tribe. Amazon Rainforest. 100 x 100 cm acrylic on canvas.
"This painting captures so much about the Rainforest that I know and understand, but in the context of one of the most fundamental and historic stories of the Yawanawá tribe. The Shaman is buried in the rainforest and from his energy new life emerges, in the form of medicinal plants. These plants allow the tribe to reconnect to the Shaman and this story of the cycle of energy underpins the cycle of life, death and rebirth. It is in so many ways a painting of balance and I have featured the Yawanawá tribe at the centre of my painting as they rejoice in this energy that comes from the rainforest. Tribes all over the Amazon know of Ayahuasca and have a shared knowledge of this even though this knowledge is not from direct contact with each other. The knowledge comes through the spirits."
John Dyer
-
-
Nixiwaka Yawanawá Painting. Creation of Uni (Ayahuasca) Amazon Rainforest. 100 x 100 cm acrylic on canvas.
"These paintings represent how death came to the world and was overcome through the discovery of the vine called Uni by the Yawanawá, and known by tribes all over the world as Ayahuasca. At one time people were not mortal. A bad spirit cursed a Shaman who became the first person to die and he was buried. Later his son had a dream in which his father came to him to say that he was still alive but in a different form. He asked that his son should, after a period of time, visit the place where he was buried and that he would find a plant. In his dream he was instructed by his father how to make a sacred drink using the plant. When his son returned to the burial ground he discovered a vine that had grown from all the joints of the Shaman’s body. Following the instructions he mixed the leaves (Ravante) with the root of the Uni and created the sacred drink which, in ceremonies that continue today, allows the tribe to connect with their ancestors in the Spirit world."
Nixiwaka Yawanawá
-
-
Painting by John Dyer. Nawê. Painting inspired by the Yawanawá Tribe. Amazon Rainforest.100 x 100 cm acrylic on canvas.
"This painting captures a vision that Nixiwaka Yawanawá had during a tribal ceremony in the Amazon. Nixiwaka described to me how the two most powerful animals of the rainforest appeared, the Boa Constrictor and the Jaguar. These two spirit animals then merged into one animal that was the combination of both spirits. This then transformed into a tribal spirit that connected and exploded its energy to every part of the rainforest. By using a circular composition and by interconnecting the bold shapes and colours of the plants I hope I have created an energetic and vibrant rainforest image that pulls your focus towards the centre through the snake and Jaguar to the tribal ceremony that is taking place. The Amazon river flows in the background and the vine used in Ayahuasca grows throughout the painting. For me this is a very powerful image of the Spirit of the Rainforest."
John Dyer
-
-
Nixiwaka Yawanawá Painting. Nawê. Amazon Rainforest Spirits. 100 x 100 cm acrylic on canvas.
"These paintings show the combining of the powerful Boa Constrictor and Jaguar. The animals are respected by the Yawanawá for their power and danger. Their combination is undertaken by two Shamans in a sacred ritual. This connection of the Shaman with nature and the Spiritual Universe evokes all the spirits of the forest and the animals, represented by the vision of joining these two powerful animals together. The ritual combines Uni (Ayahuasca) with Nawê made from the medicinal plant Tsunu. It is a sacred ritual which makes a connection through the Shaman, that creates a healing and protecting process for the tribe, the Rainforest, the Spiritual World that exists beyond our material world."
Nixiwaka Yawanawá
-
-
Painting by John Dyer. Kênê - At one with Nature. 100 x 100 cm acrylic on canvas.
"Body painting is a fundamental part of tribal culture. The Yawanawá use Paxiti (red annatto seeds) to create the paint they use. By using natural colour from the rainforest and by painting patterns derived from nature on each other’s bodies the tribe becomes one with nature as they sing and dance in their ceremonies. It was because of body painting that the Spirit of the Rainforest Project was possible as this gave Nixiwaka a natural eye and use of line for him to translate onto canvases and for him to inform my work."
John Dyer
-
-
Nixiwaka Yawanawá Painting. Kênê - Body Painting. Amazon Rainforest Spirits 100 x 100 cm acrylic on canvas.
"The Yawanawá people use body painting represented by the Kênê. Since time immemorial, we have used Kênê to celebrate traditional feasts and ceremonies and also within our daily life. When we paint our bodies we are gracing ourselves, staying beautiful and becoming protected from disease. The spirit of the Kênê lady appears in visions during Uni (Ayahuasca) ceremonies. We receive the paintings and practise these among the people of the tribe as a way of learning through the spiritual world."
Nixiwaka Yawanawá
Children connected from all over the world with the Amazon Rainforest through art
Over 1000 children from the UK, Hungary, Italy, China, Singapore and Hong Kong added their art, inspired by the ‘Spirit of the Rainforest’ project, to our online art gallery
John Dyer pictured at the 'Spirit of the Rainforest' exhibition at the Eden Project
Amazon Indian Nixiwaka Yawanwá at work on his painting 'Yuxi Yuve' the Amazon Waterspirit.
John Dyer and Nixiwaka Yawanawá's paintings
BBC news footage from the 'Spirit of the Rainforest' project at the Eden Project.
View the exhibition that was held at the Eden Project including some of the Children's art
Meet Nixiwaka Yawanawá
More about Nixiwaka Yawanawá
Find out more about the Yawanawá tribe and Nixiwaka’s life on the Survival International web site with information on the rainforest, their food, culture and problems they face.View the original 'Spirit of the Rainforest' art project
Over 1000 children, 100 teachers and schools all over the world took part in John Dyer’s first ‘Spirit of the Rainforest’ art project. Find out all about that project and see the children’s work. ‘Spirit of the Rainforest II’ promises to make even stronger connections between us and tribal culture.
Our Supporters and Partners
“WE BELIEVE THAT ART CAN HELP TO CHANGE THE WORLD”
Are you already inspired to paint, draw, collage or create on the subject of 'Spirit of the Rainforest'?
If you are already itching to get creative and to connect to the subject of ‘Spirit of the Rainforest’ through art then don’t hold back! You can send us your very best art already and we will proudly celebrate it on our online gallery for you. We do have some terms and conditions you will need to read before submitting your art and all art must be submitted by an adult. We are looking for your absolutely best work, something you will be proud to put on your wall at home and to see online in ten years time – so make it fantastic and make it from the heart. We can’t wait to see what you do.