The Cambodian Arts & Beauty

Walk through the door of a traditional Khmer house in the center of an old warehouse building in Phnom Penh and center the intricate and fascinating world of Cambodian handicrafts – a centuries-old world reviving in fine fashion.
In front of you is a room of silks in muted, earthy colors woven on looms similar to those used hundreds of years ago. Look around and find carved dancing Apsaras, threatening garudas and other figures from a mythic past. On one side you see baskets, platters and plates woven of tough vines harvested from the jungles by generations of women. And look over there -silver bowls in the shape of elephants, deer, wild pegs, fish and goats. Here is traditional furniture; there, leather goods.
This is a Bassac Crafts Center, comprising a group of organizations that are leading the Kingdom’s crafts revival and working to establish high standards for quality.

These community development organizations -including the Sobbhana Foundation, Lotus Pond, the School of Fine Arts Association, Tabitha, Wat Than Crafts, Khemara House, JSRC, the Women’s Association of Cambodia and Krousar Thney- assist poor families and the disabled. Their crafts are for sale –retail and wholesale- with proceeds supporting efforts to revive the traditional crafts. Cambodia’s culture of handicrafts goes back to the early years of the county’s history, to the day when god-kings were erecting the massive monuments of Angkor. The ancient traditions of weaving, sculpting and carving were passed on from generation to generation. Most of this came to a halt in the 70s, when the Khmer Rouge considered the arts elitist and artisans were forced into the fields. But the revival is well underway.

establishment, the Foundation has trained more than 4.000 women in weaving, embroidery and sewing, passing on skills and at the same time reviving the arts of Khmer ancestors –silk weaving, basket making, wood carving, silver working and stone sculpting.

were used primarily by Royalty and the upper class for ceremonial purposes, funerary and religious rituals.

easily see bicycles packed with the day’s harvest returning to the villages. They do all the work. Chun Neng, 18, cross-legged in a traditional sarong, skillfully strips thin threads for weaving, running them along a razor–sharp knife.

A few meters down the road five teenage girls sit in a thatched lean-to at roadside, with a fat pink-and-gray pig asleep at their feet. They weave small bowls with "legs" used to make offerings at pagodas, weddings and other occasions. Each makes three bowls a day, and sells them to help contribute to the livelihood of the family. They sit along the roadside; they giggle to attract customers. Their marketing plan is simple, but effective, as their day’s production sell quickly. It is a small triumph of art and business in a distant rice paddy, but it is part of a larger success across the country, the revival of tradition, and the rebirth of native art.

Carvings:
Wood carvings reflect strong spiritual beliefs with roots in animism – from the pillars of a house to the elaborate motifs of moons, stars, fruits and flowers. Houses are built with great attention given to the pillars, each having its own spirit, that of a woman and the roofs feature elaborate carved motifs. Miniature "spirit houses"-used to make offerings of food, flowers and incense- are strategically placed at homes and other buildings. Boxes and other carvings are used for ornamentation and furniture.