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What is the difference between human-made lines and nature-made lines?

Proyek Wallace Line: Imagining coexistence with non-human life through the intersection of perspectives

In an era of threatened biodiversity, Proyek Wallace Line begins with a question about the difference between “lines drawn by humans and lines drawn by nature”. Human-made lines such as borders, class, and race often lead to division and conflict. But what about the lines made by nature?

The Wallace Line, as portrayed in books and media, is a place of rich diversity and coexistence among living things. Inspired by this, we launched interdisciplinary, collective research that explores it’s ecological, humanistic, and geographical features of the Wallace Line.

What is the Wallace Line?

Did you know that Bali, the familiar travel destination, holds a special secret?

The Indonesian islands of Bali and Lombok are only about 20-30 km apart, but surprisingly, the ecosystems on either side of this border are entirely different. Around 150 years ago, British biologist and explorer Alfred Russel Wallace was exploring the Malay Archipelago as part of Britain’s expanding imperialism. During his journey, he crossed by boat from Bali to Lombok and discovered a striking change in the ecosystem. He then drew a clear species boundary in this region, extending all the way up to the Philippines. This boundary later became known as Wallace Line.

The reason behind this phenomenon lies in the continental movement: as the Asian tectonic plate, including Bali, met the Oceanic plate, on which Lombok is located, this huge, long line was created. Intrigued by this unique secret of Bali and Lombok, we set out to explore it firsthand.

Reconstructing the story of Wallace’s Line from a decolonial perspective by listening to voices from the field.

Launched in 2024, Proyek Wallace Line consists of a scientist, divers, a translator, marine activists, a researcher on Southeast Asia, and a teaching artist — individuals who have long been engaged in practices of coexistence with ecosystems. We revisit the cultural, artistic, and ecological issues of Bali and Lombok, from a decolonial perspective.

We also learn about this richly diverse land by listening to the local artists, activists, people from fishing villages, and children. After exploring the ecological, humanistic, and sculptural features of the Wallace Line, we will publish a book on our multidisciplinary collective research.

Estimated project timeline

March-June, 2025

Writing manuscripts

June-September, 2025

Editing publications

October, 2025

Publishing books

Field Research in Bali and Lombok, Indonesia

February-March, 2025

The detailed schedule is subject to modification as the research progresses.

Members

Our Journey

Supporters

A Collaborative Project with Citizen Participation

Proyek Wallace Line focuses on solidarity and participation as key methods of building a coexisting ecosystem. We are joined by supporters who engaged in the project in various ways.

Proyek Wallace Line Supporters began with an information session on February 14, 2025, and has grown to nearly 60 members today. Proyek Wallace Line Supporters play a key role in realizing the value of this project by providing ongoing support and input throughout the process, from fieldwork to newsletter production to book publication.

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