For their latest project REWILD, Splash and Burn enlisted Spanish artist ESCIF for a land intervention, carving a rewind symbol into a palm oil plantation in Indonesia. His contribution includes a series murals referencing the relationship between consumerism and the natural and a short film documenting the process.
The Indonesian island of Sumatra has lost over 40 percent of its forest in the last 2 decades to palm oil, paper pulp and rubber plantations. The Sumatran Orangutan Society and its partners are working to turn back the clock on deforestation by reclaiming barren land to restore it to rainforest - vital habitat for orangutan, tigers, rhinos, elephants and countless other species. Sumatran orangutans are Critically Endangered. There are only 14,600 left in the wild, the loss of forest habitat threatens their safety and their future.
While staying close to the issue of palm oil, REWILD is inspired by the upcoming UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, reflecting on the warning that we have just 12 years before climate change reaches a point that would trigger a global catastrophe. The Rewind symbol is a hopeful message symbolic of that fact that it is not too late to reclaim our fate and make meaningful change.
“The idea of going back, of rewinding is an invitation to reconnect with ourselves; to recover awareness and respect for the earth, which is the ecosystem of which we are part” ~ ESCIF
#Rewildsumatra is a call to action using Art as a bridge to reclaim and restore the incredible, unique rainforests and wildlife found in the Leuser Ecosystem - the only place in the world where orangutans, elephants, tigers, rhinos and sunbears co-exist.
Through raising the alarm about the loss of this precious ecosystems and biodiversity, and sharing news of the positive impacts that dedicated frontline conservation groups are having in reversing this decline, we want to build optimism and activism to support the long-term protection of Sumatra’s wild places and all the lives which depend on them.
By reclaiming and replanting forests previously lost to agriculture, we can expand the boundaries of the Leuser Ecosystem and return the land to its former glory, buzzing with life and supporting the lives and livelihoods of wildlife and human communities.
The release of the project will be accompanied by a short film produced by Studio Birthplace together with a soundtrack by Indonesian composer NURSALIM YADI ANUGERAH known for his interesting approach to instrumentation and composition as a DIY ethnomusicologist*, Nursalim has collaborated extensively with indigenous musicians to preserve and reinterpret their music through new compositions.
To contribute to the restoration of Leuser, Text MORETREES to 70085 to donate £5, or go to moretrees.info to plant a tree and #rewildsumatra
Splash and Burn is a cultural initiative curated by Ernest Zacharevic and coordinated by Charlotte Pyatt and is run in association with the Sumatran Orangutan Society and the Orangutan information Centre.
*Ethnomusicology is the study of music in its social and cultural contexts. Ethnomusicologists examine music as a social process in order to understand not only what music is but what it means to its practitioners and audiences. Ethnomusicology is highly interdisciplinary.