The Long Arm Project
Long Arm is a life-sized orangutan sculpture created by artist Casey Nadine Banwell, based on Leuser, a real orangutan cared for by Dr. Ian Singleton at The Orangutan Haven in Sumatra. Leuser was shot 62 times after unknowingly entering a palm oil plantation, leaving him permanently blind. His story is a powerful symbol of the devastating impact of unsustainable palm oil farming on wildlife and biodiversity.
This touring installation invites public engagement through sculpture, storytelling, and photography, culminating in a documentary that captures Long Arm's journey across the UK before being permanently installed at The orangutan Haven in Sumatra. The goal is to raise awareness, build compassion, and generate real-world impact by supporting conservation efforts.
"The Effigy Rises. The Wild Calls."
The Long Arm Project stretches across the UK like the "long arm of the law" - a symbol of nature’s call for justice, protection, and urgent action. The effigy rises as a powerful reminder that no destruction goes unseen, and that fierce, compassionate action is needed to save our closest wild relatives - and the natural world they call home.
Through a rising collaboration of artists, filmmakers, conservationists, and communities, and through a UK tour, interactive exhibitions, limited edition sculpture sales, and a documentary film, the Long Arm Project becomes more than art - it becomes a movement. It aims to inspire action, fund critical wildlife rehabilitation work, and protect endangered species and their fragile habitats before it’s too late.
The sculpture demonstrates the power of art as activism - using creativity as an influential force for change, awakening public consciousness, and standing as a testament to the role sculpture can play in the urgent fight for our planet’s future.
Long Arm: A Journey for Leuser
The orangutan - one of humanity’s closest living relatives - is facing imminent extinction, driven by deforestation, hunting, and the relentless spread of palm oil plantations.
The Long Arm Project brings Leuser’s story to the world - the story of a blind Sumatran orangutan who survived being shot 62 times after wandering into a palm oil plantation. Today, Leuser lives at The Haven sanctuary in Sumatra under the care of renowned conservationist Dr. Ian Singleton.
Through The Long Arm Project’s journey, Leuser’s voice reaches across continents - demanding awareness, inspiring compassion, and igniting urgent action for a future where wildlife and humanity coexist in balance.
Leuser
Leuser was originally confiscated in 2004 as an illegal pet when he was about 4 years old. He was kept by a soldier in the Indonesian military near Kutacane, in Southeast Aceh. Later that year, he was transferred to the Reintroduction Centre in Jambi province and eventually became a wild orangutan again in the forests there. Unfortunately, in 2006, the Jambi team was called out to reports of an orangutan being shot and captured in farmland near the park edge. When they arrived, they found Leuser low in a tree, totally bewildered by what was happening. They safely took him to the Quarantine and Rehabilitation Centre for treatment. The Jambi authorities also prosecuted the three farmers who shot at him, marking the first-ever prosecution we know of in Sumatra for injuring an orangutan. X-rays later revealed that Leuser had been shot 62 times and was blind due to pellets in his eyes—one in one eye and two in the other. Interestingly, most pellets were concentrated in his face and genital region. Today, Leuser is one of the more relaxed and friendly adult male orangutans of SOCP, though he sometimes gets frustrated by his blindness. His resilience—his unshakable spirit despite cruelty—led to the creation of the Long Arm Project.
