Rebuilding lives, reviving arts

To purchase Cambodian arts and crafts and to help Cambodian artists, please visit Artisans d'Angkor online shop at www.artisansdangkor.com

After years of war and genocide, a Cambodian company helps to rebuild the lives of rural villagers and restore Khmer arts to its once glorious state.

Saturday September 29, 2007
BY LEONG SIOK HUI
The Star (Malaysia)

With a chisel and mallet, Cambodian Dy Narong can wield magic.

Chipping off a block of pre-cut stone, Dy can effortlessly sculpt the enigmatic, smiling face of Avalokiteshvara (Buddha of Compassion) or the meditative face of King Jayavarman VII. Had he lived at the height of the Angkorian period (between 802 AD to 1432 AD), Dy would have been one of the master artisans who crafted the glorious temples of Angkor.

But this is 2007 and Dy is one of the many craftsmen behind Artisans d’Angkor (AA), a home-grown Cambodian company that churns out top-quality stone and wood reproductions of Angkorian statues and bas-reliefs, Khmer lacquerware, local crafts and silk products.

Siem Reap-based AA has stores in Phnom Penh, in Siem Reap airport, opposite Angkor Wat, and at a Silk Farm in Puok district, 16km from Siem Reap.

A decade ago, Dy was just one of the many uneducated, unemployed youths in his village, Wat Svay, in Siem Reap Province. Through a friend, Dy found out about Chantiers-Écoles de Formation Professionnelle (CEFP), a training school that teaches craft-making skills to rural youths to enable them to make a living.

How it began

Initiated by the National Cambodian Institutions, the French Foreign Ministry and the European Union in 1992, CEFP selects youths between the age of 18-25 from villages in Siem Reap Province to undergo a six-month, free training in techniques like stone or wood carving, lacquering, gilding and silk-weaving.

Trainees receive living allowances, clothing and tools.

“CEFP’s objective is to create a kind of network so that after training, you’re guaranteed a job,” explains AA’s art-design director Lim Muy Theam. “This is where Artisans d’Angkor, created in 1998, comes in.”

Initially funded by the European Union, AA serves as a marketing and retail arm for the artisans’ work. Since 2003, AA has become autonomous and is self-financed. Today, the private limited company invests in training workshops, provides tools and materials to trainees while CEFP conducts the courses.

AA also helps develop rural areas and curb rural depopulation. To date, there are 10 rural workshops in Siem Reap Province with 40% of AA’s artisans based in these villages and the rest based either in Siem Reap or the Silk Farm in Puok district. Five percent of AA’s craftsmen comprise the physically disabled.

In a country where the per capita income is US$448 (1/10 of Malaysia’s), AA’s 686 artisans earn between US$80 to over US$100 per month per person, depending on skills and experience. On top of the fixed salary, they earn extras from sales of each product. For example, a woodcarver earns US$15 for one Jayavarman VII bust that retails at US$79.

In a month, he could make five “heads” and take home an income of US$175, which is equivalent to what a Cambodian rural farmer can earn in a year.To prevent any exploitation, the artisans have employment contracts and the company’s social fund provides medical care and social welfare to employees.

“We don't have a boss,” explains Lim. “Our artisans formed an association called Artisanat Khmer and owns 20% stake in the company and take part in decision-making.”

The Cambodian government owns 30% share in AA, the board of directors cum management team holds a 10% while private shareholders make up 40% of AA’s ownership.

“The government audits us, checks on how much money is put back into investments, training and to the artisans,” adds Lim.

The artisan’s life

For Dy, who joined AA in 1996, the company did more than just put bread on his table.

“At first, I was just motivated to learn a trade that would provide me with a regular income,” admits Dy, 36, married with two children. “Then I met Cambodian natives (like Lim) who left the country during the war and returned to be part of CEFP and Artisans d’Angkor.”

Giving back: Dy Narong was trained as a stone carver at Chantiers-Ecoles 11 years ago. Today, he works with Artisans d’Angkor’s design department to produce prototype products. — Pictures by ARTISANS D’ANGKOR.

Dy was perplexed as to why these Cambodians who live a cushy life abroad would return to rebuild the country from scratch.

“After talking with them, I realised how rich our national heritage was and the importance of preserving it,” says Dy who takes immense pride in his work. “I understand that I play an important role in passing on and preserving our traditional skills.”

With 11 years of experience, Dy now works in the design department where he creates prototypes for potential products.

“I’m also involved in research work to design new products that convey our traditions,” says Dy who wishes to be part of AA for as long as he can. “We conduct studies to find the patterns, motifs, colours or materials we can use for our products.”

Dy's job took him abroad for the first time when AA opened their shop in Hong Kong. It was journey of many firsts for him – to step out of his motherland, and to leave his family and culture for a while.

“At home, I don't have satellite cable TV so I didn't know how other countries look like,” says Dy. “Hong Kong is so different and such an amazing and prosperous place! I sadly realised how far Cambodia has to go?”

Golden silk threads are produced at the company’s silk farm in Puok district, a 20-minute drive away from Siem Reap.

The long haul

But as for putting Khmer arts on the world map, AA is on the right track.

AA’s wares are displayed at Gallery Jayavarman VII in Paris. The company boasts a shop in Hong Kong International Airport (Terminal 2) and will launch another store in Singapore’s Changi Airport (Terminal 3) this November. At home, AA is opening a shop in the new Angkor National Museum.

Well-heeled foreigners who demand first-rate craftsmanship and unique pieces are among AA’s valuable clients.

In 2007 alone, 107 new artisans are undergoing training at CEFP. AA’s commercial department studies the market and predicts the increase (or decrease) in product demands at least two years in advance.

Not one to sit on their laurels, AA is charting its next course.

“To survive in this industry, we need to move beyond Cambodia’s tourist market,” admits Lim. For its first decade, AA responded to the tourist market by designing its collection based on the Angkor heritage theme, Lim explains.

“Our earlier objectives were to find an easier way to train apprentices and to revive traditional craft techniques that were lost because of the war,” says Lim. “And reproducing existing artworks was the best way to give these apprentices a better understanding of their own culture.”

But to stay ahead of the game, AA had to stay creative.

Starting 2003, the company started tweaking its silk collection by creating fashionable items that target younger customers.

Above and below: Crafts for sale at the Artisans d’Angkor flagship store in Siem Reap.

“We used to get comments that our silk collection is boring (with subdued colours like black, brown),” chuckles Lim. “So this season, I try to push brighter and fun colours inspired by popular traditions from the countryside.”

The tanned villagers love to don something cheery and colourful during festivals, Lim adds. This season’s silk products showcase cosmetic pouches, coin purses and scarves in lime green, orange and blood-red hues.

“As for the artisans, we have to think about how to give them a second step in training, not only to do reproductions but to master technically perfect skills,” says Lim.

“We understand that design is the key factor to identity and differentiation,” he adds. “But we have to be aware and grasp the fundamentals of Khmer culture and heritage and then transform the spirit of traditional crafts into new designs.”

Over the years, AA has been striving to change the lowly perception of Cambodian products.

“The key to our success is to preserve AA’s originality, its product quality and savoir-faire, and to forecast the trend of arts and crafts in the region,” sums up Lim.

As for Dy, his aspiration is simple.

“I hope to gain a deeper understanding of Khmer arts and make my knowledge accessible to the younger generation so that I can be sure of the preservation of Khmer’s cultural heritage,” he says.

If artisans like Dy are a measure of Artisan d’Angkor’s success, the company has certainly made it.

For more info on Artisans d’Angkor, click on www.artisansdangkor.com