In 2001,
Reyum Institute started a research project on paintings in
Wats (Buddhist temples). The aim of the project was to
photograph the mural paintings found in most Wats in
Cambodia as well as collecting data about the temples
through interviews. San Phalla, who just graduated from the
Department of Archaeology in Phnom Penh was the first
researcher to conduct the field research. Because most of
temples tend to replace old paintings by recovering them
with new ones, or simply knocking down the buildings
themselves, we were faced with the urgency to document as
many temples as possible instead of studying each of them in
details. Thus we could not study each of them in details.
For more
than six years, from 2001 to 2006, San Phalla and other
fellow young researchers Tho Pisey, Thon Sopheak visited
more than 600 Wats in all over Cambodia and took over 20,000
photographs of temple paintings along with brief notes on
each temple. Our choice to document prove to be a good one
as today several temples we surveyed have been knocked down
and replaced with new structures without any documentations.
Most
paintings found in Wats depict Buddhist themes such as
Buddha’s last life before entering the Nirvana, or
his previous lives, known as Jataka. But more specifically, there are also
scenes from the Reamker (khmer version of the Ramayana) as
well as popular themes such as local folktales.
In 2004,
when we started to review the collected data, we came to
realize that not only we should organize it so that it can
be accessed and used by scholars and the general public, but
also the idea of compiling a book and mounting an exhibition
based on the photographs came along. The book and exhibition
would raise awareness about the topic among the general
public. And it is our hope that the data we collected so far
would contribute as a resource for further research and
advance our understanding of Cambodian culture.
We would
like to take this opportunity to express our profound
gratitude to all those who have given us supports and
encouragement. We wish to thank also the Toyota foundation,
the Rockefeller Foundation, the Albert Kunstadter Family
Foundation, the Prince Claus Fund for their financial
support to this project.
Exhibition:
Curatorial
conception: Ly Daravuth, Preap Chanmara
Researcher: San Phalla
English Translation: Siyon Sophearith
Research
and Documentation: “Wat Painting in Cambodia”
Conception: Ly Daravuth and Ingrid Muan
Researchers: San Phalla (2001-2006), Tho Pisey (2001), Thon
Sopheak (2002-2005)
With the support of:
The Toyota Foundation – The Rockefeller Foundation - The
Albert Kunstadter Family Foundation
|