Artisans Angkor
Artisans Angkor is a Cambodian social enterprise that offers young people work opportunities in rural areas, while at the same time breathing new life into traditional Khmer crafts (stone and wood carving, figure and silk painting, lacquering, silvering).
The organization, which was founded in 1992, is located on Stung Thmey Street by the Old Market in the center of Siem Reap , Cambodia.
Two locations in Siem Reap are open to the public: one specializes in handicrafts and is located on Stung Thmey Street, the other, which specializes in silk, is located at Angkor Silk Farm in Puok District. Seven shops selling handmade items by Artisans Angkor are located in the center of Siem Reap, at the Angkor silk farm, in the Angkor cafe across from the Angkor Wat temple, in the center of Phnom Penh city, and in Siem Reap and the Phnom Penh International Airport .
history
It is a semi-public company that started in 1992 with the educational project “Les Chantiers-Ecoles de Formation Professionnelle” (CEFP) of the Cambodian Ministry of Education. The aim of this project was to rebuild the country after the war by training young people in the building trade (masonry, plumbing, tiling, painting). Therefore, "Les Chantiers-Ecoles de Formation Professionnelle" developed an educational approach to teach disadvantaged young Cambodians with little education these skills.
In the mid-1990s, this training was expanded to include traditional Khmer crafts, as that essential part of the Khmer cultural heritage had almost disappeared. At the end of their training these young people who had been trained in the construction industry had numerous job opportunities, but since tourism in Cambodia was not yet well developed at the time, it was more difficult to find a job in the handicraft sector.
The European “REPLIC” program financially supported the establishment of a project called “Artisans Angkor” between 1998 and 2001, which was to serve as a place of work for young Cambodians who had been trained by CEFP in the craft sector. In 2003, Artisans Angkor became an independent, semi-public Cambodian company with the support of the Agence Française de Développement (French Agency for Development). The profits generated by the company will be fully reinvested in new training programs or the creation of new jobs in the province of Siem Reap.
The company has developed its own training program in the craft sector (independent of CEFP) and offers Cambodians from 18 to 25 years of age free professional training in stone or wood carving, painting or silvering. The training is open to young people, mostly from remote rural areas near the Artisans Angkor workshops; they have to pass some manual tests and motivational tests. The apprenticeship period, during which the trainees receive remuneration, lasts between 6 and 9 months and at the end of this training the trainees receive the title of “craftsman”. If they wish, they can then join Artisans Angkor, where they are guaranteed employment opportunities.
In 2013, Artisans Angkor employs more than 1300 people, 900 of whom are artisans who work in 48 different workshops in Siem Reap Province. The company pays higher wages than average wages in the sector and offers its workers health insurance and other benefits.
Handmade silk
Artisans Angkor is known as an excellent silk producer. He has 23 silk workshops in Siem Reap Province.
The site of the ⊙ Angkor silk farm (also known as the “National Silk Center”) in the Puok district is open to tourist visits. A unit of the CEFP trains silk weavers here. It revives old traditional techniques that were once used when silk production, whose beginnings in Cambodia go back to the 13th century, was a quasi-exclusive profession for women in rural villages. Among other things, the so-called “Hol Lboeuk”, one of the most famous Cambodian fabrics, was manufactured using the old technique of “Ikat”.
Traditional craft
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Stone and wood carving are the skills most famous in the Siem Reap region as they are reminiscent of the nearby pagodas and Angkor temples with their bas-relief carvings. Most of the temples in the Angkor region that were built between the 11th and 12th centuries have such carvings. The statues often depict characters from Buddhist or Hindu mythology such as Buddha , Shiva and Vishnu .
The craftsmen at Artisans Angkor are also proficient in multi-color printing and painting, which follow different processes depending on the base material (wood or stone). Painted goods and multi-colored products are often covered with bronze or gold leaf.
For silk painting, the craftsmen stretch the silk on a frame and then use tracing paper and a block to draw the motifs on the silk according to the template. Finally, the colors are applied to the silk by hand and the work is completed with a brush.
Silver plating had practically disappeared from Cambodia for several centuries. In the mid-2000s, Artisans Angkor decided to expand his skills into this craft. To make a silver-plated casket, the artisans design the top and bottom parts from thick copper. The upper part is cut from a basic mass and then hammered until it has the desired appearance. The base is made in the same way. The two pieces must fit together perfectly to make a box that is then carved and decorated. Finally, the object is immersed in a silver bath, which gives it its shine and silvery appearance.
Restoration of Angkor's historical sites
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The authorities for the protection and management of Angkor and the region of Siem Reap (also called " APSARA Authority") hired Artisans Angkor to restore various historical sites of Angkor under the supervision of archaeologists.
Skilled artisans had to reproduce some missing parts of the carved bas-relief of Kbal Spean , as well as the famous heads of Devas (gods) and Asuras (demons) that can be found at the entrance of the south gate of Angkor Thom . These are important figures in the popular legend of the whirlpool of the milk ocean . Artisans Angkor also reproduced and erected three sandstone lions on the Terrace of the Elephants in Angkor Thom.
This work helps preserve the Angkor World Heritage site, which is visited by an increasing number of tourists - around one million a year. This mass tourism poses a threat to the foundations of the temples and restoring some parts of the site is a way of preserving the original parts.
UNESCO awards
The association has won several awards for special craftsmanship in South and Southeast Asia, which are awarded by UNESCO as a symbol of recognition and which officially certify that individual or a series of handicraft products "meet very high quality standards, are innovative and culturally authentic, as well as being produced in a socially and ecologically responsible way ”.
In 2005, the Deluxe Chorebap Scarf made by Artisans Angkor and the Josa salad bowl were awarded the UNESCO-AHPADA (Asean Handicraft Promotion and Development Association) Seals of Excellence.
In 2006 the UNESCO Seal of Excellence for handicrafts (Southeast Asian program) was awarded to the Silk Sunset Shawl and the wooden Natural plate by Artisans Angkor.
In 2008, the UNESCO panel of experts awarded two of Artisans Angkor's products, the wooden candle holder and the Krama PicnicTray , with the “Seal of Excellence for Handicrafts”.
Two new handmade silk creations from Artisans Angkor recently received awards in 2012: the Elephant and the Jungle Chic pillowcase.
A few months earlier, in August 2012, Artisans Angkor became a member of the World Crafts Council , a non-governmental organization. In addition, she also joined other craft organizations to promote and support craft traditions and legacies worldwide.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ C. Maisonnave-Couterou, R. Biache: Report to the French Ministry of Education about the implementation results of the project "Les Chantiers écoles de formation professionnelle". (PDF) March 1, 1996, accessed on July 26, 2018 (French).
- ↑ Andreas Baumann: Report: A piece of Cambodia to take away. Generalanzeiger Bonn, May 28, 2017, accessed on June 14, 2017 .
- ↑ C. Maisonnave-Couterou, R. Biache: Report to French Ministry of Education about the implementation results of the project "Les Chantiers écoles de formation professionnelle". (PDF) March 1, 1996, accessed June 20, 2017 (French).
- ↑ George Wiessala: The European Union and Asian countries (= Contemporary European Studies . Band 16 ). Sheffield Academic Press, London et al. 2002, ISBN 0-8264-6091-7 , pp. 147 (English).
- ↑ Andreas Baumann: A piece of Cambodia to take away. In: Generalanzeiger Bonn. May 28, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2017 .
- ↑ PRESS RELEASE: UNESCO presents the 6th annual Seal of Excellence for Handicrafts across Asia. (PDF) UNESCO, October 1, 2006, accessed on June 14, 2017 (English).
- ↑ Press release: Artisans Angkor awarded by UNESCO and becomes a member of the World Crafts Council. July 13, 2013, accessed June 14, 2017 .