Wen Di Sia is a writer and researcher based in Malaysia. She was trained as a journalist, spent a decade in advertising, and now dedicates herself as a collaborative partner to Peninsular Malaysia’s Indigenous (Orang Asli) communities through Gerimis Art, a collective she cofounded in 2018. The collective collaborates long-term with Orang Asli artists and communities to co-create artworks, publications, exhibitions, and materials that highlight their histories, adat (customs), and ecological wisdom, while advocating for the rights and the return of their customary territories.
Her Climate Imagination Mini-Fellowship project, “The Seasons of Ulu Jelai,” takes place within the Malaysian state of Pahang. It is a collaborative project that aims to document, visualize, and archive the seasonal calendar of the Semai people of Ulu Jelai, which includes their annual hill paddy cultivation, the fruiting season, monsoon fishing, and other seasonal activities. Co-leading the project with youth from her Semai host family, Wen Di will host a learning and exchange session in the village of Ulu Jelai with Semai elders and youth. The knowledge gathered from this session will culminate in a visualized seasonal calendar presented in Semai, English, and Malay languages, incorporating graphic design, illustrations, and photos. The seasonal calendar will be displayed in a gallery in Kuala Lumpur for public outreach and awareness. The project will combine Traditional Ecological Knowledge with present-day community experiences of climate change and adaptation.