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Pidan is a piece of cloth traditionally hung above statues of the Buddha. It can be made from different types of cloth, of different colors, sizes and design. Some pidan are made of plain cloth, while others are made of multi-colored cloths, golden cloths, monk robes, or many smaller pieces of hol cloth. Sometimes they are made from silk using the same weaving technique as hol clothing but with different motifs. We call this "hol pidan". The Pidan Project Team (PPT) aims to set-up a permanent "Pidan" exhibition in Phnom Penh to introduce pidan, a magnificent Cambodian pictorial ikat silk cloth, to both international and domestic audiences. We aim to support the revival of this unique Cambodian cultural and artistic tradition because in the wake of decades of civil war, the pidan tradition has nearly disappeared. Antique pidan are rare in Cambodia because they were either destroyed during the wars or taken out of the country to join foreign art collections. Skilled pidan weavers are getting old and once they pass on, the techniques and complicated motifs of pidan will vanish with them. Following the suggestion by REYUM to find out the meaning of "Pidan" pictorial ikat silk cloth for Cambodians for knowledge and preservation of "Pidan" , we, the members of PPT: Ms. KOMI Kaoru, Dr. MIYAMOTO Kazuko, Ms. MIZUSAWA Aya, Ms. SEKIGUCHI Harumi, Ms. TANAKA Sachiko, Ms. TATEYAMA Kyoko, and Dr. YONEKURA Yukiko, consulted REYUM how to conduct this research. REYUM introduced us Mr. Siyonn Sophearith and he kindly agreed to conduct this research in summer of 2007. When he had finished this Pidan report, we noticed that it included so much precious information regarding "Pidan" unknown to the public. This is why we wanted to publish it and to hold an exhibition. * For more info about PPT
With the financial support by the Tokyo Club
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