Istanbul Airport in Turkey has donated its non-fungible token (NFT) revenue from the Dreams Are Moving to Digital – From Canvas to Pixels initiative to the Turkish Autistic Support and Education Foundation (TODEV).
The project was launched to support children with autism – in collaboration with TODEV and augmented reality (AR) agency Upfilts. Within the project, children with autism were asked to paint their dream journey. These images were uploaded to digital platforms such as the AR software SparkAR. Then, inspired by the stories created by the children while drawing, the pictures were enhanced using visual effects and animations through various 2D and 3D design applications. The AR technology enables users to experience the artworks through their own social media accounts.
The final stage of the project was to create NFT copies of their artworks. Each drawing was sold for US$1,000, and all of the revenue was donated to TODEV. The digitalization of these children’s imagination was intended to help them be better understood, with the project providing the children with a more comfortable and accessible travel experience.
Kadri Samsunlu, the CEO of Istanbul Airport, said, “The twinkle in the eyes of the children who took part in this project reminds us of how right and how important all the steps we have taken for accessibility are and gives us great strength to do even more. This project, which started with a workshop, addresses many areas that Istanbul Airport is concerned with, including art and technology. In addition, the project emerged as a result of a very enjoyable journey and it was further developed by the recent popularity of augmented reality. It is wonderful that we can explore our children’s imaginary worlds and understand them better thanks to this technology.”