Vernacular Architecture Exhibition
Siem Reap, June 2002 - Phnom Penh, January 2003

Displayed at CKS's conference hall in Siem Reap, and later traveling to Phnom Penh, "Vernacular Architecture" was the first exhibition of its kind in the field of architecture in Cambodia.

Curated by the CKS Deputy Director François Tainturier, with the assistance of Madeleine Giteau, an art historian from the Ecole Francaise d'Extrême Orient, and the Honorable Eang Soeung, known for his typology of traditional wooden houses in the 1960s, this well received exhibition displayed and interpreted photographs of houses from different parts of Cambodia. Hok Sokol, an outstanding young Khmer architect, played a key role in the exhibition, contributing detailed architectural drawings as well as computer-generated graphic design.

Khmer vernacular architecture refers to the wooden structures used in daily and domestic life by villagers and monks throughout Cambodia. Prominent structures include monastery buildings, such as the vihear, the prayer hall; the sala, the common room (where monks eat and study); the kuti, the monks' residence; the kdoueng, mills for rice; and others. Often decorated with rich ornamentation, these beautiful structures demonstrate remarkable skills in carpentry and styles that vary from one province to another. Construction techniques also incorporate beliefs, rituals, and traditions that Cambodian people have respected for generations.

Like many aspects of Khmer culture, these traditions are mainly orally transmitted, and have weathered both major historical tragedy and rapid socio-economic change. The perpetuation of these orally transmitted vernacular traditions is being seriously challenged, threatening a significant part of Cambodia's cultural and built heritage. Old traditional wooden houses are increasingly being dismantled and their timber structures sold for their resale value; while pagodas are torn down and replaced by concrete structures that have far less distinctive style.

This popular exhibition sought to raise awareness of the unique significance of Cambodia's built heritage, and to pay tribute to the traditional vernacular buildings and building techniques remaining throughout Cambodia in order to encourage their preservation. 

Performing Arts Conferences

In its mission to strengthen the relationship between the humanities and the arts, CKS serves as an ideal meeting ground for facilitating exchanges between local and international artists and researchers. The Center hosted the following two performing arts conferences.  

Asian Cultural Council/ The Rockefeller Foundation
2nd Forum on Arts and Culture in the Mekong Region
February 17-23, 2003
Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, Cambodia
CKS hosted the Second Asian Forum on Culture and Arts in the Mekong Region, in February 2003, in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. Supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, the aim of the conference was to develop a strategy for future partnerships among individuals and institutions involved in the domain of the performing and visual arts in the Mekong region. A particular focus was the context of the performing and visual arts in Cambodia. The Forum involved over 50 participants, including cultural institute directors, individual artists and scholars, donors and former ACC grantees involved in Southeast Asian arts and culture.

CKS's spacious conference hall in Siem Reap enabled local and international artists to present and discuss the development of their work through videos, tapes, slide presentations and live performances. Performing arts is a dynamic field in Khmer studies whose multidisciplinary study affords a deeper understanding of Khmer culture.

Emphasizing the importance of preserving traditional arts forms in counterpart to, and alongside promoting new expressions of creativity, the Forum highlighted in its conclusions the need for well-researched documentation and increased outreach for the performing arts to serve as an educational, cultural expression of the Cambodian community, both locally and internationally.