On Sunday, I booked a tour at the Borneo’s Tree of Life Exhibition with the family, after reading a news article about @chienleephotography and his works. I’ve never met this talented man behind the beautiful imagery displayed at this public exhibition, but from the ground-breaking pictures and fascinating story behind each powerful portrait, it gave me insights to his dedication and passion as a biologist and educator.
His in-depth knowledge about Borneo’s rainforest and the high diversity of life surrounding it was captured with such skills and precision. My children, who were initially dragging their feet when I told them where we were going, were wide-eyed to GMBB’s Curator, Ying Xian’s explanation of his art.
Ying Xian continued to unravel stories behind each photograph as we all listened intently. The experience in this darkroom was further sensorily enhanced with sounds of the real rainforest (captured by Chien Lee) and the subtle scent which @myolfac3 had created in her interpretation of Borneo.
It was hard to pin one favourite picture out of the 30 shown at this gallery. But I chose this particular one to post up first.
Although large iconic wildlife often capture the most attention, the bulk of a rainforest's diversity lies in the smaller invertebrates, with thousands of new species being discovered every year. This tarantula with electric blue legs (Birupes simoroxigorum) was first found in 2017 in Western Borneo and only formally named in January 2019. Unfortunately many rare and beautiful species such as this become easy targets for the exotic pet trade, which had decimated many wild populations. Sniff.
Go and immerse yourself into one of the thickest rainforests in Malaysia at the Borneo’s Tree of Life Exhibition happening now till 30th June 2021. It’s FREE and you can book a tour via bit.ly/BorneoExhibitionTour. Follow @gmbb.kl for more updates on their numerous activities and events.
#GMBBKL
#MoreTogether
#BorneosTreeOfLife
#WildlifePhotography
#PonsPick
#SapotLokal
