Reminiscing about members of the Drakhar band ... by one of its former members

The Drakhar band

An anonymous reader of KI-Media wrote the following note after seeing the photo above:

Thanks to whoever post this photo.

The year was around 1963 we were so crazy about the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

From the left: My little buddy Chattany (Shorty) was so dedicated to playing solo guitar, damn near flunk out of high school.

Sitting down center: the ever troublesome boy on Rue Pasteur, and my comrade in arms Khoun Chunn (passed away 2 years ago in LB, CA) played bass. Khoun was an Army officer with the Khmer Republic, and a kick-ass artillery commander, and a close air support coordinator with the US airstrike, we fought the VC and KR together in those eternal days and nights down the big river south of PPenh. We stopped singing in English but we call for bombs in English to save PPenh and the rest.

R.I.P buddy we miss you!

The guy with the mustache is Thol the drummer (who took my place as I moved on from the Drakhar to play with other notorious bands).

My memory just failed me I do not recall the name of the boy on the far right, he must be the singer for the group.

Memory..like the corners of my eyes... misty watercolor memory... of the way we were...!

Scattered pictures... of the smiles we left behind...smile we gave to one another... for the way we were.....!

Chattany I know you are still alive, this is your classmate from Class de sixieme, Lycee Sisowath, remember, we originated the idea of a band together back then.

Be happy and stay out of Jail you hear me!

Ah Khmeng Wat!

The Beatles: Baby It's You (1963)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iaf_To1xEe0&feature=related

Cambodian Artists To Share Peace-Building Efforts

Catherine Filloux has written four plays about Cambodia, in addition to “Where Elephants Weep,” which proved widely popular. (Photo: by Vandy Rattana)

Nuch Sarita, VOA Khmer
Washington, DC Friday, 20 August 2010

“We will discuss with the guidance of peace-building scholars and practitioners a range of questions about the relationship between the arts and conflict.”

An American playwright who focuses on Cambodia is set to take part in a symposium with other Cambodian artists that looks at the relationship between the arts and peace building.

Catherine Filloux, a French-Algerian American who wrote the popular musical “Where Elephants Weep,” told VOA Khmer recently that Cambodian theatre artists Chhon Sina and Ieng Sithul will also travel to New York for the Theatre and Peace Building in Cambodia Symposium at Fordham University.

The symposium will be held Sept. 20 and Sept. 21. Following that, the artists will take part in a conference held by Theater Without Borders, called Acting Together on the World Stage: A Conference on Theatre and Peace Building in Conflict Zones, from Sept. 23 to Sept. 26.

On Sept. 20, she said, “We are going to be having an open rehearsal of Chhon Sina’s new play...‘Phka Champei,’ about a sex worker and victim of domestic violence who lives in a slum in Phnom Penh.”

The following day, “there will be a panel in which will be discussed issues of theatre and peace building, and we will do an excerpt from Chhon Sina’s play, and we will also have Ieng Sithul perform,” she said.

Filloux has written four plays about Cambodia, in addition to “Where Elephants Weep,” which proved widely popular.

Her plays include “Eyes of the Heart, Photographs from S-21,” about a woman who suffers from psychosomatic blindness after the Khmer Rouge regime; “Silence of God,” about Pol Pot; and “The US Complicity in What Happened in Cambodia.”

The second conference will discuss how current Cambodian artists worked following the Khmer Rouge “and have used art as a way to express human rights and also as a way to heal,” Filloux said.

Other participants come from countries like Peru and Ireland, as well as Native Americans from the US. All will have a chance to discuss parallels in their rebuilding efforts.

Rithisal Kang, a Cambodian Fulbright scholar in the US, will also attend.

“We will discuss with the guidance of peace-building scholars and practitioners a range of questions about the relationship between the arts and conflict,” he told VOA Khmer. “I believe we will learn and gain understanding of the nature of conflict, causes of violence and the meaning of peace.”

‘Farmers & Freshies’ - Opening of painting exhibition on Thursday, 29 July 2010 at 6pm

Dear friends and art lovers,

Sa Sa Art Gallery is pleased to invite you to the opening of painting exhibition ‘Farmers & Freshies’ by Nov Cheanick and Ouk Sochivy on Thursday, 29 July 2010 at 6pm at our Gallery at #7, St 360, Phnom Penh.

Many thanks,
Lyno

Vuth Lyno
Sa Sa Art Gallery
www.sasaart.info

In Modern Stoneworks, an Echo of the Past

A Cambodian sculpture, a naga-protected Buddha. (Photo: Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer)

Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Friday, 28 May 2010

“If the sculptures showed us clearly what they were about, we would just have a look and then walk away. But with these abstract pieces, we have to spend time and think about what they want to tell us."

Though the temples of Angkor Wat have some amazing stone carvings, contemporary sculpture in the country has not been widespread.

But a group of 14 young Cambodian sculptors wants to change that. They currently have 26 pieces of modern stone sculptures on display at a new exhibition hall at the Royal University of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh.

The sculptures, whose meanings can be hard to decipher if not for the display tags, are the result of more than a year of hard work for the artists.

Sasha Constable, the curator of the first exhibition of its kind in the country, said the show is aimed at encouraging more young Cambodian contemporary artists and the Cambodian public to better support this kind of art.

“There is not really a market for contemporary Cambodian art within the Cambodian community,” she said in an interview at the opening session of the exhibition on Thursday night. “I really hope that will change soon, because it’s a shame really that the elder are not supporting the younger generations of artists when there is so much talent here.”

The sculptures depict animals, like fish, and forms of the human body, such as the clasped hands of a woman in front of a headless torso.

Ouk Chimvichet’s work includes “Wonder,” the carving of a male face with earrings and long hair curled into a question mark.

“The meaning of the sculpture is to have transsexual individuals consider thoroughly whether they should get their sex organs and identity changed,” the 30-year-old sculptor told VOA Khmer.

Chhea Bunna, another sculpture graduate from the Royal University of Fine Arts, brought seven of his pieces to the show. He said his efforts were to move Cambodian sculpture toward the international trend in modern art.

“When I was at school, I was taught only how to make traditional sculptures, so I want to leave these artworks of mine for the younger generations,” he said. “If we do not make something new and the next generations have to learn the old ones, we cannot move forward. The art of other countries is updated, so I want our art to go forward as well.”

Khmer traditional stone sculptures are internationally acclaimed for their detail and beauty, as shown on the walls of thousands of ancient temples across the country, especially at Angkor Wat, a national icon.

So Chenda, dean of the Royal University of Fine Arts, said the young sculptors’ work taught them about the efforts of their ancestors in building the famous temples and also showcased Cambodian ideas and imagination.

“These young sculptors are full of innovative ideas,” he said in an interview. “And they not only preserve our traditional artwork, but they also help develop our art as well.”

The exhibition is supported by Friends of Khmer Culture, a public charity registered in the US. Visitors can purchase individual pieces, and a percentage of the sales will be used for equipment and material for the university. The exhibit runs through June 6, after which it will move to the Hotel de la Paix in Siem Reap, through Aug. 8.

Culture Minister Him Chhem said Cambodia needs such artwork to help push local art onto the international stage.

“We want to see our artists and their work recognized overseas,” he said.

Taket Meta, an university student who was attentively examining a stone sculpture, said this kind of art made him think and try to read the mind of its creator.

“If the sculptures showed us clearly what they were about, we would just have a look and then walk away,” he said in an interview at the exhibition. “But with these abstract pieces, we have to spend time and think about what they want to tell us.”

Artistic Creation Blossoms In Vacant Lots [in Long Beach]

URBAN ACROBATICS. Three members of the Collage Dance Theatre troupe rehearse a dance routine before their collaboration with the Khmer Arts Academy Cambodian performers on March 19 and 20. The scaffolding is erected at the corner of Anaheim Street and Walnut Avenue as part of the Arts Council’s A LOT series. (Gazette photo by Thomas Wasper)

Friday, March 12, 2010
By Darcy Leigh Richardson
Editor
Grunion Gazette (Long Beach, California, USA)

Many may look at a vacant lot and equate it with blank, empty space filled with negative connotations.

Starting March 19, residents should be prepared to alter their perspective about these lots.

The Arts Council for Long Beach plans to transform empty, blighted, urban lots into beautiful, thought provoking, awe-inspiring spaces of creative art.

Deemed the “A LOT Series,” the first installment will feature a free original performance from Collage Dance Theatre and Long Beach’s Khmer Arts Academy at 6 p.m. Friday, March 19, and Saturday, March 20, in the lot at the corner of East Anaheim Street and Walnut Avenue (across the street from the Mark Twain Library, 1401 E. Anaheim St.).

Craig Watson, executive director of the Arts Council, said the series is possible because of a $75,500 two-year grant from the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.

The grant was specifically marked for arts organizations creating public art and performance in empty lots, Watson added.

“The idea is to take art out of the galleries, museums and theaters, and to make it more accessible to the community,” Watson said.

“We’ve done (installations) in empty storefronts before, but we’ve been wanting to do something outside for a while, especially in underused neighborhoods. We’re partnering with the RDA (Long Beach Redevelopment Agency), and since 45% of the city falls into the RDA area, we have a lot to work with.”

The lot is in the center of Cambodia Town, and the dance performance, called “Expulsion,” will chronicle the story of how a family escapes the Khmer Rouge Communist regime in Cambodia.

Serey Tet, managing director of the Khmer Arts Academy, said the organization was founded in 2002 to offer young Cambodian-Americans and Cambodian immigrants the opportunity to learn traditional dance.

“The Khmer form of dance is 1,000 years old and functions as a medium connecting heaven to earth,” Tet said.

“The dancers’ movements are slow and the story’s lyrics are translated using hand gestures. The gestures express beliefs and the cycle of life.”

The Khmer Academy’s collaboration with the Collage dancers will be very different for the Cambodian performers, Tet said.

Choreographed by Sothavy Khut, the dancers will wear more modern costumes and perform to contemporary music while incorporating the traditional Cambodian dance movements and gestures.

“We think the story of Khmer Rouge is very important because most Cambodians that are here (in Long Beach) are survivors of the Killing Fields,” Tet said. “There are good and bad memories, but sometimes parents won’t talk to their children about it. We don’t want our children to forget any of it and to understand what it was about.”

Heidi Duckler, artistic director of Collage Dance Theatre, said performing in outdoor spaces isn’t a new concept for the dancers. In fact, it’s where they are most comfortable.

A two- and three-story scaffolding has been built on the lot that dancers will use during the performance.

“The lot is a wide open space with a white picket fence around it,” Duckler said.

“The lot is covered in gravel, so it has a very urban feel. The Cambodian dancers, four females, will begin the evening with their story and then our four male dancers will tell the story of Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel. Both are about exiled, but for different reasons.”

When the performance ends, a panel of arts leaders will discuss public art, and how place and history is expressed in the performance.

“The concept is about the potential that empty space has for all of us,” Duckler said.

“There are different ways that the arts can focus on current and relevant issues that speak to historical times.”

Cardboard seating will be provided, but attendees are welcome to bring chairs, blankets and picnic dinners.

For more information, visit www.artslb.org.

Artist life under the Khmer Rouge regime

Dancers under the KR regime

06 March 2010
By Chan Lyda
Radio France Internationale
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

The KR regime was a bitter historical regime for Cambodia. Some choose to remain silent to forget about their past, but for Mrs. Sim Yim, a former artist, musician and singer under the Democratic Kampuchea (KR regime), she did note evade the truth about her artistic life under this regime.

Click here to listen to the audio program in Khmer (MP3)

Young Cambodians salute golden era of 1960s filmmaking

Left to Right: Somvan Sodany, Vichara Dany and Kong Sam Oeun
Dy Saveth and Chea Yuthorn

Wed, 21 Oct 2009
DPA

Phnom Penh - At 26, Davy Chou is too young to have first-hand experience of the golden age of Cambodian filmmaking, which flourished in the 1960s and early '70s. But the curator of a nine-day event celebrating this neglected part of Cambodia's cultural history has a powerful personal link: his grandfather who disappeared in Cambodia in 1969 was one of the leading film producers of the time.

The '60s saw the start of a 15-year period when the local industry generated hundreds of films. Then tragedy intruded in the form of the Khmer Rouge, and Cambodia's film industry was destroyed in 1975.

"It's a very unique and very sad story," Davy Chou said of the period being marked in the exhibition, Golden Reawakening - '60s Cambodian Film Festival and Exhibition, which began in Phnom Penh Saturday and runs through October 25.

The festival, the first of its kind in the country, is screening 11 films from the period and also exhibiting film posters, photographs and biographies of the leading stars of the day at the Chinese House, a restored colonial building near Phnom Penh's port.

Former king Norodom Sihanouk was a prolific filmmaker and has provided one of his works. Davy Chou said that for most of the 1950s, Norodom Sihanouk was the sole filmmaker in Cambodia, but that changed around 1960.

"Then suddenly during 15 years, there was a boom in the film industry, and they produced - and it's difficult to say an exact number and I think that we will never know - at least 350 films, maybe more than 400 films," he said.

"Today, because of the Khmer Rouge regime, we can find 33 films, so it's less than 10 per cent," he said.

The destruction wrought by the Khmer Rouge still hangs over most aspects of Cambodia. The ultra-Maoist regime's efforts to destroy the country's rich cultural heritage make its baleful influence hard to escape at the festival.

Photographs portray a young, vibrant filmmaking scene with confident actors and actresses in '60s garb globetrotting to Singapore and France, but almost none of the stars from that time are alive. Davy Chou said most died during the 1975-79 Khmer Rouge era, when up to 2 million people, or up to 30 per cent of the population, are thought to have died from execution, starvation and overwork.

"If we count the top 10, we can just find two actresses today," he said, mentioning Dy Saveth, who continues to act, and Virak Dara, who lives in France.

He said other stars such as Kong Sam Oeun, Vichara Dany, Chea Yuthorn and Som Van Sok Dany died under the Khmer Rouge regime.

Dy Saveth was the doyenne of Cambodian actresses in the 1960s. The star of more than 100 films, she was a guest of honour on the exhibition's opening night. As the monsoon rain lashed down outside, she told the German Press Agency.

LB exhibit shares visions of Khmer lives

04/11/2009
By Greg Mellen Staff Writer
Long Beach Press Telegram (California, USA)

LONG BEACH - On the walls are multimedia, photographic and painted works. In a side room is a photo collage of transgender life in Cambodia along with several books by Cambodian-American authors, including Long Beach's Navy Phim and Oni Vitandham. In the center of the main room is a traditional-looking Cambodian figure with the Superman "S" on its chest.

The 2nd City Council Arts and Performance Space is into all things Khmer with the debut of a new show called "Transformation II: Bringing Contemporary Khmer/American Art to Long Beach."

The show features Khmer and Khmer-inspired paintings, sculpture, photography, dance and performance art. There will also be documentary films and a writers' forum with published Cambodian-American writers.

The event is being presented at the 2nd City Council space at 435 Alamitos Ave.

The show builds upon a show that was presented in July, 2008, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, at the Meta House Gallery.

That show paired the work of five California and five Cambodian artists, most of whom had never been in each other's countries.

Lydia Parusol, the art manager of Meta House, described the shows as the "first dialogue in an artistic way" between artists from the two countries.

In Cambodia, where most of the population is under the age of 30, in the wake of the Killing Fields Genocide of the late 1970s, a new and vibrant artistic movement is under way and artistic expression is blooming from its ancient but often constrictive roots.

"In Cambodia there are young artists who are trying to go from traditional sculpture to more critical thinking," Parusol said. "They are reflecting society and themselves in the present Cambodian culture."

And on the walls of the gallery, the fusions of old and new Cambodia are represented in many ways, reflecting a "bridge between traditional and modern art," according to Parusol.

Denise Scott, who splits time between the United States and Cambodia, saw the original "Transformations" show and knew she had to bring something similar to the U.S. and specifically to Long Beach because of its large Cambodian-American population.

Furthermore, she wanted to present the show over the Cambodian New Year which occurs in mid-April.

"Transformation II" includes the work from the original show, but then builds on it with performance art and plans to show 12 documentary films that look at the vibrant emerging arts scene in Cambodia, including some major public arts projects and individual artists.

Scott says the two Transformation shows are just the beginning of what she hopes will be an ongoing exchange.

Plans are already in the works for another show at Meta House, with five to seven American artists traveling to Cambodia to not only show work, but engage in artistic exchanges and possibly working with Cambodian artists to create new works.

Scott also plans to have a return show in Long Beach next April.

At this year's Long Beach show, only one of the Cambodian artists was able to obtain travel documents.

The artists featured have studied at Cal State Long Beach, the Royal University of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh, the Chicago Art Institute and Brown University, among others.

greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291

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