JOIN US next week at Rainforest Lifelines

A powerful ceremonial gathering led by Borneo's Indigenous rainforest defenders.

THURSDAY 24th April, 2.30pm-4pm, Orleans House Gallery, London

SATURDAY 26th April, 11am-12pm, Manchester Museum

"Imagine all this being taken away from you..."' - by Feng Ho, with footage from Sarawak by Gaby Solly

🌿 Rainforest Lifelines: A Ceremonial Gathering for the Forest and Its Defenders

We’re honoured to announce Rainforest Lifelines — a powerful act of creative solidarity with Indigenous rainforest defenders from Sarawak, Malaysia.

At a time when the world feels increasingly disconnected from the natural world, Rainforest Lifelines is an invitation to pause, to reconnect, and to listen — deeply — to those who have lived in balance with the forest for generations.

What is Rainforest Lifelines?

Rainforest Lifelines is a ceremonial gathering co-created by Indigenous leaders from Sarawak and a UK-based creative team. It brings together storytelling, Sape music, collective reflection, and ritual — creating space to honour the rainforest, its defenders, and our interconnectedness with the Earth.

At its heart, Rainforest Lifelines is about solidarity — between peoples, places, and ways of life that are too often marginalised or endangered. It is an expression of care and resistance. It is a call to protect what remains, and to remember how to live in relationship with the land.

Film still from 'One With the Earth', Tate Modern 2023 (Fergus Dingle)

Why Now?

A delegation of Indigenous land defenders from Sarawak — including our friends from Save Rivers Network and Keruan Organisation — are visiting the UK this April. Their visit is part of a wider movement of Indigenous voices rising across borders to share urgent truths: about deforestation, land rights, cultural survival, and the global impacts of unsustainable timber trade.

As part of the Clean Up the Tropical Timber Trade (CUT) Campaign, Rainforest Lifelines amplifies these voices and calls for greater transparency, justice, and environmental stewardship.

Where & When

📍 Orleans House Gallery, Twickenham, London

🗓 Thursday 24th April

🕝 2.30–4pm Orleans Road, TW1 3BL

Hosted in collaboration with the gallery’s Cultural Reforestation exhibition.

More information

📍 Manchester Museum, Manchester

🗓 Saturday 26th April

🕚 11am–12pm Main Hall (outside the Wild exhibition), Oxford Road, M13 9PL

Part of the museum’s commitment to decolonialise storytelling and environmental justice. More information

You are welcome to quietly come and go during the performance. The ceremony will last 60–90 minutes and includes music, storytelling, and an Ash Blessing that all are welcome to take part in.

Mulu National Park, Sarawak (Gaby Solly)

Why It Matters

The forests of Borneo are among the most biodiverse places on Earth. They are also among the most threatened. For the Penan and other Indigenous communities in Sarawak, the forest is more than habitat — it is history, identity, medicine, home. When the forest is lost, something irreplaceable is lost with it.

Rainforest Lifelines is not a performance. It is an offering. A moment to feel, witness, and reflect on what is at stake — and what is possible when we act together.

We invite you to join us.

In solidarity, The CUT Campaign team