Amy SanfordVoice of America
Washington
12/06/2006
Amy Sanford, born Ly Sundary put up an exhibition of mixed-media installation and photographs in Laconia gallery, Boston, Massachussets from the beginning of May until the end of June.
The theme of this exhibition is: Calling Cambodia. Amy Sanford seeks to reconnect with her father, Ly Chamlorng, killed in the Khmer Rouge regime. Amy's desire to connect with her father whom she never knew through indivudual written letters that combine to form the exhibit.
One of the letters says: Papa, I wish I can telephone you, but I do not know how to dial the past. Amy says that the letters are a series of ideas, emotions, questions that she wishes to share with her father at the present time, even when he was dead, and that it is a way of keeping her father alive in her memory again.
Amy Sanford searches for the past which she has never known and her yearning to know a father who nurtured her, and saved her life by sending her to live with his American friend and his spouse, her adopted parents when she was only two years and a half old.
Her artistic work is made up of over 50 hand-crafted letters written on copper foil. Each printed message is meticulously hand-stamped to contain questions from the present, to understand the past.
The questions reflect Amy's frame of mind, so normal to Khmer Rouge regime's victims: what really happened to their loved ones, and where are their remains?
The messages in the letters are wrapped and protected in copper wire nests suspended in mid-air throughout the gallery.
The sea of floating nests invite viewers to walk through and read each message.
The copper wire nests are 14 centimeters in diameter, and they are at different levels. The suspended wires reflect her suspended emotions, emotions which cannot be developed, and these emotions torture her, they are suspended in time...
The idea of writing these letters is a way for Amy to work through her emotions of missing her father, of loss and a way to try to evolve these feelings to something more positive, a psychological therapy in the Western world, being in a process of freeing herself. In Amy's own words, her feelings are universal, feelings that anybody who experiences loss due to war can identify with those letters.
The young artist says that at the opening reception of her exhibit May 5, persons after persons went to her with heartfelt words how these pieces affect them, and thought of relatives who died, or they know someone who is missing and lost.
She says that those letters touch everybody. She says that one Irish woman went to her, and she was very emotional. The woman told Amy that lost her father, a fisherman, drown at sea, when she was 12 years old.
Amy's letters are the woman's messages which she wanted to send to her father. Amy's exhibition is accompanied by a series of photographs of Cambodia by photograper, Bill Moore.
Amy Sanford's artistic talent includes sculptures, 3 dimentional, with woods, metals, and ceramics. Her installation uses sounds of ksedied, and bathed in golden color, depicting the sunset, as the sun starts to set, a suspended moment...
The theme of this exhibition is: Calling Cambodia. Amy Sanford seeks to reconnect with her father, Ly Chamlorng, killed in the Khmer Rouge regime. Amy's desire to connect with her father whom she never knew through indivudual written letters that combine to form the exhibit.
One of the letters says: Papa, I wish I can telephone you, but I do not know how to dial the past. Amy says that the letters are a series of ideas, emotions, questions that she wishes to share with her father at the present time, even when he was dead, and that it is a way of keeping her father alive in her memory again.
Amy Sanford searches for the past which she has never known and her yearning to know a father who nurtured her, and saved her life by sending her to live with his American friend and his spouse, her adopted parents when she was only two years and a half old.
Her artistic work is made up of over 50 hand-crafted letters written on copper foil. Each printed message is meticulously hand-stamped to contain questions from the present, to understand the past.
The questions reflect Amy's frame of mind, so normal to Khmer Rouge regime's victims: what really happened to their loved ones, and where are their remains?
The messages in the letters are wrapped and protected in copper wire nests suspended in mid-air throughout the gallery.
The sea of floating nests invite viewers to walk through and read each message.
The copper wire nests are 14 centimeters in diameter, and they are at different levels. The suspended wires reflect her suspended emotions, emotions which cannot be developed, and these emotions torture her, they are suspended in time...
The idea of writing these letters is a way for Amy to work through her emotions of missing her father, of loss and a way to try to evolve these feelings to something more positive, a psychological therapy in the Western world, being in a process of freeing herself. In Amy's own words, her feelings are universal, feelings that anybody who experiences loss due to war can identify with those letters.
The young artist says that at the opening reception of her exhibit May 5, persons after persons went to her with heartfelt words how these pieces affect them, and thought of relatives who died, or they know someone who is missing and lost.
She says that those letters touch everybody. She says that one Irish woman went to her, and she was very emotional. The woman told Amy that lost her father, a fisherman, drown at sea, when she was 12 years old.
Amy's letters are the woman's messages which she wanted to send to her father. Amy's exhibition is accompanied by a series of photographs of Cambodia by photograper, Bill Moore.
Amy Sanford's artistic talent includes sculptures, 3 dimentional, with woods, metals, and ceramics. Her installation uses sounds of ksedied, and bathed in golden color, depicting the sunset, as the sun starts to set, a suspended moment...
6 comments:
I father was a Ltc.in the Cambodian Special Forces and my other two uncles were also in the army, one uncle was a 1Lt.in Medic and the other uncle was a Cpt. in Military Police. All were murdered cold blood by the Khmer Rouge in 1979. Most of family were wiped out during this barbaric regime Led by Pol Pot, Eang Sary, Dutch, Ta Mok and the man in mask King Norodom Sihanouk of course.
So, I feel your paint. This is a devastating lost for all of us.
My father was a Ltc.in the Cambodian Special Forces and my other two uncles were also in the army, one uncle was a 1Lt.in Medic and the other uncle was a Cpt. in Military Police. All were murdered cold blood by the Khmer Rouge in 1979. Most of family were wiped out during this barbaric regime Led by Pol Pot, Eang Sary, Dutch, Ta Mok and the man in mask King Norodom Sihanouk of course.
So, I feel your paint. This is a devastating lost for all of us.
I think you can sue any of the Khmer rouge leaders who are now still alive and have monies. Eg Sihanouk, Kiet Chhon, Hor Nam Hong and Ieang Sary. Do not waste your time to sue those without monies. With the monies you can win from KR trial, you can use to celebrate a buddhism service to your loves one.
Dear Amy,
It is quite amazing what you are trying to do. It would be helpful if you could reveal names of your parents and other sibling. Names and residences in the past is a trace to the discovery of others.
Best of lucks to you.
Dear Amy,
And All Khmers, who lived under the Khmer Rouge Regime of Pol Pot,
We had experienced the untold sufferings and harship during the nearly 4 years'rule of Khmer Rouge.
There are millions of sad stories as every khmer wrote it in their heart, and will never forget.
But so far it has not been clear about the fact that who had actually set up the scene of genocide as those who directly involved in the massacare of millions of khmers have beening pointing their fingures at one another.
Many of Khmers are pushed into a state of confusion and cannot have factual evidence to explain to themselves about the killing. Some of them can just remember that there were a number of factions, forming up the Khmer Rouge Angkar (organization) when they fought a civil war to topple the pro-US Lon Nol Regime. As one can still remember, the Khmer Rouge factions at that time were: Pro-Vietnamese Khmer Rouge Hardliners, Pro-Chinese Khmer Rouge Hardliners , the moderate Khmer Rouge and the Sihanoukists (or the Royalist faction.
From these about facts, one can conclude that the massacre must have been conducted by the 4 factions.
At present, the Pro-Vietnamese faction are enjoying their happy life and power in the government ever since they were installed in power in 1979.
Millions of Khmers were massacred, and only less than 10 former Khmer Rouge leaders are going to be taken for trial in the so-called Khmer Rouge tribunal.
The international community has tried their best with the spending of large amout of fund to get justice for the Cambodian people, but the picture of injustice will remain in their memory as those who really massacred the Cammbodians though by Ideology or by actual commission of genocide have not been listed in the trial list.
Please give us real democracy!
Reform Cambodia Royal Police where the oppression start!
We need democracy to get real justice!
Do not give us fall justice!!!!!!!!
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