Céu is often involved in field research. With a passion for wilderness, some of these studies end up becoming expeditions. In 1994, with a Rockefeller Foundation Vitae Grant, an expedition to a remote area of the Amazon Rainforest became a TV documentary, “Expedição Yandu.” In addition to excerpts, this folder includes photos taken in the Xingu Reserve (Central Brazil, 2002), Kruger Park (South Africa, 1999), and the Himalayas (2005).
Comments from Céu:
In 1994, I received a Rockefeller Foundation Art Fellowship for research in Animation. My project included a trip to the Amazon to collect images of the flora, fauna, and local people, but mainly with the goal of gathering ideas and stories for the creation of a feature-length film script. The experience of the expedition itself, dubbed Yandu, contributed significantly to my final script, but the animated feature film has yet to be made. At that time, it was quite difficult, if not impossible, to raise money for a Brazilian animated feature film. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll be able to return to this project. Only God knows. What do you think?
But, on the other hand, all the research I had already done in the 1990s on environmental issues such as Forest Management, Sustainability, the Relationship between Mass Media and Resource Crisis; Biophilia, as well as the footage we obtained on the expedition, allowed me to produce a video documentary for television broadcast.
Airing in primetime on a small channel but competing with two very popular soap operas from two other major networks, our documentary surprisingly performed very well. Many newspapers recommended our program as the best TV show of the week, and we ended the first broadcast with a growing audience, reaching 5 million people.All the feedback I received from the Yandu Expedition broadcasts helped me refine my Proposed Set of Environmental Ethical Principles. You can read more about this in my post about the Hopes for the Future award.
Like many other artists, I enjoy walking around with my sketchbook and, sometimes, a camera. In this Expeditions post, I’ve also included some graphically edited photos. They were taken in the Xingu Reserve (Central Brazil), Kruger Park (South Africa), and the Himalayas.
Céu D’Ellia