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GREENPEACE

Haze: Coming Soon

Artivism campaign to demand action on transboundary haze pollution in Malaysia - 2023

Every year, transboundary haze blankets Malaysia, caused by corporate giants financing the destruction of peatlands and forests in Indonesia. This hazardous haze has been a massive threat to the climate, public health, and biodiversity for decades. We partnered with Splash and Burn to build momentum for Greenpeace Malaysia's campaign to hold polluters accountable. Through films, public murals, and an activist art exhibition, we convey the message that clean air is a fundamental right being violated.

Malaysia will engage in regional discussions to address the haze issue. Join us in demanding stronger actions and policies by signing the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act petition.

Sign Petition

Film

Haze-zilla is a satire highlighting the destructive impact of corporate greed and transboundary haze.The film brings to attention the urgent need for legal measures to ensure that Malaysian companies will not contribute to haze locally and abroad. Designed as a movie trailer with the tagline “COMING SOON”, the short film emphasises the message that this environmental crisis will continue to recur if we do not take action.

To make our production of Haze-zilla as green as possible, our city set was built from discarded cardboard boxes, with around 40 buildings for the giant to terrorize in. We used refillable cups and water bottles, served only vegetarian meals with reusable cutlery, and used digital scripts and call sheets. Plus, we calculated all carbon emissions from transportation and compensated 150% by planting trees through Tree Nation. Join us in creating a more sustainable film industry.

Abhilash Chandra, film director

“We did a throwback to those old Japanese monster movies by building a massive set out of discarded cardboard boxes for our entire city for the giant to terrorize in. At least 40 buildings were made from those boxes.”

Street Art

A series of public murals was created to alert people about the imminent haze, featuring artworks from artists Fahmi Reza, Cloakwork, Pangrok Sulap, and Ernest Zacharevic.

Ernest Zacharevic, artist and curator

“There are more efforts by companies to stop the conversation surrounding haze, than them actually contributing to the fight for clean air.”

Activist Art Exhibition

This series of art interventions culminated into an activist art exhibition titled “Haze: Coming Soon”, from May 5th to 14th at REXKL, in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. Curated by artist Ernest Zacharevic, the exhibition featured a collection of immersive installations, short films and artworks by an exciting line-up of artists including Cloakwork, Pangrok Sulap, Wong Kai Yi, Fahmi Reza, Trina Teoh and Bibichun.

The exhibition included a panel discussion on the topic of haze pollution and creative activism. The panel was moderated by environmental activist Melissa Tan, and invited environmentalists and creatives to share their insights. An interpretive dance about the haze was performed by Asia Ballet Academy.

Lawyer Jia Yaw highlighted the challenges of connecting action and responsibility to liability, stating, “Haze is not one party fanning the flames, it’s a collective responsibility of all parties’ inaction towards these companies”.

In 10 days, the exbhition brought together over 6000 visitors including policy makers, and gathered over 2000 signatures for Greenpeace's petition for a Transboundary Haze Pollution Act in Malaysia. These signatures will be sent to parliament to drum up our ministers political will for solution-oriented actions prior to the ASEAN transboundary haze meeting in Singapore next month.