In the mid-19th century, Alfred Russel Wallace, a British naturalist, went on scientific exploration where he discovered the largest living laboratory in the world located in the eastern part of today’s Indonesia, now known as the Wallacea region. During his scientific journey in archipelago, from 1854 to 1862, he documented his findings in a book titled “The Malay Archipelago” – a classic story not only of the most ecologically-diverse areas on the planet, but also of diversity in culture, language and people identity in Nusantara.
In the spirit of “The Malay Archipelago” and Alfred Russel Wallace as the shared UK – Indonesia legacy, British Council organizes an arts and science exhibition to take you through the richness of biodiversity and culture in Wallacea region. The exhibition will be divided into three chapters, just like reading a book, you will learn and experience different emotion and story in each of the chapters.
Chapter I will take you to explore the life story of Wallace, his adventure with his assistant named Ali to document flora, fauna and culture in archipelago as well as his ideas on evolution and the creation of the Wallace line. This chapter will also allow you to learn about the uniqueness of Wallacea region.
In the Chapter II, you will learn about Wallacea region today, especially about the challenges that it faces. Because of its capacity as the most ecologically-diverse region in the world, Wallacea region is prone to threat such as deforestation, flora and fauna extinction, illegal animal hunting and many more. However, this Chapter will also take you to learn more about organizations and communities who work tirelessly to preserve the rich heritage of Wallace region and Wallace’s works.
At the end of this chapter, you can write down your hope and vision on how to preserve Wallacea region and attach your notes to one of our interactive installations. We call them heroes, the people who are inspiration to all of us to keep preserving and exploring the special region of Wallacea. Be inspired and learn more about them in Chapter III.
Works that will be exhibited include ‘Nadabumi’ Creative Technology Exhibition by Invisible Flock (UK) x Digital Nativ (UD), Storytelling Exhibition, and ‘Craft as Art’ Exhibition by ‘Meet the Makers’ Community.