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. There are only 14.600 left in the wild, the loss of forest habitat threatens their safety and their future.

The REWILD symbole is carved in to a palm oil plantation in Sumatra, Indonesia, within a new forest restoration site covering 360 hectares on the borders of the Leuser Ecosystem. The Leuser rainforest are one of the most biodiverse places on earth.

REWILD is also a short film by Splash and Burn and Spanish artist ESCIF. The film documents the activist art campaign within a new forest restoration site on the borders of the Leuser Ecosystem to reveal a Rewind symbol carved into a palm oil plantation in Sumatra, Indonesia
The narrative runs in reverse, rewinding the clock on deforestation to undo the damage caused by the unsustainable production of one of the worlds most versatile commodities. Beyond the industrialisation of the land, we end at the beginning, a thriving eco system alive with wildlife. The concept mirrors the real world action of the Sumatran Orangutan Society and their partners in reclaiming land on the borders of the Leuser rainforests to rewild them with indigenous trees, expanding the boundaries of one of the most biodiverse places on earth.
REWILD is produced by Studio Birthplace together with a soundtrack by Indonesian composer Nursalim Yadi Anugerah, known for his interesting approach to instrumentation and composition as an ethnomusicologist*

So many thanks to Ernest Zacharevic, Charlotte Pyatt, Orangutan SOS, Orangutan Information Centre, Nursalim Yadi and Studio Birthplace to make it happend.

/ photos by Ernest Zacharevic

To contribute to Sumatran Orangutan Society efforts in Leuser go to moretrees.info to plant a tree and #rewildsumatra