The Lain Lain Project: embracing differences, rediscovering ancestral wisdom

An image of a Semai elder in Perak playing the pensol (nose flute), which is part of Ronnie Bahari's photo series at The Lain Lain Project exhibition in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Ronnie Bahari

The term “lain” (meaning “other” in Bahasa Malaysia) frequently serves as a divider, as seen in phrases like “lain-lain,” which refers to individuals outside of the specified or “main” ethnic groups.

The Lain Lain Project, an exhibition recently launched by the Kuching-based arts and culture collective Borneo Laboratory at GMBB in Kuala Lumpur, aims to reverse this trend.