Bog, swamp – what do these words make you think of? The world’s peatland habitats are often misunderstood, synonymous with terms like “swamped” and “bogged down”. But they deserve celebrating: they are beautiful, biodiverse and vital for carbon sequestration.
Announcing Peat on Earth, a thought-provoking new series of poems and spoken word films. Funded by a prestigious Connections Through Culture grant from the British Council, poets and filmmakers from Malaysia and the UK are collaborating to celebrate their countries’ unique peat swamps and bogs.
The Peat on Earth project seeks to challenge misconceptions about peatland habitats. We want to encourage people to think about these vital ecosystems in a fresh way.
At the heart of the Connections Through Culture programme is a desire to encourage collaboration between British and Malaysian artists. For this project, emerging poets from Britain (Matt Sowerby) and Malaysia (Kimchi Lai) have teamed up with filmmakers in their respective countries. The filmmakers are Ben Horrigan from Studio 91 Media and Leong Hon Yuen from Malaysia’s Factual TV. They each spent two days in May immersed in local peatland habitats. The next step is working on the resulting 10 poems and spoken word films.
As you might imagine, peatland habitats in the UK and Malaysia are very different. Ben and Matt visited Foulshaw Moss (Cumbria Wildlife Trust) known for its nesting ospreys and wide open spaces. In Malaysia, Hon Yuen and Kimchi visited the Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve (Selangor State Forestry Department). The reserve is home to the Selangor Pygmy Flying Squirrel and the Emerald-spot Fighting Fish within its wooded peat swamps.
Where to see the films and poems
The UK exhibition will take place on September 20th–21st at Manchester Museum’s Top Floor environmental action hub. Malaysian audiences can see the work in August in Kuala Lumpur. See you there!
Get in touch if you’d like more information about the UK or Malaysian exhibitions.
