From 1975 to 1979 – for three years, eight months and twenty days – the Khmer Rouge, through enslavement, torture, mistreatment, and incompetence, were responsible for the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million Cambodians – perhaps 20% of the total population at the time. During the regime’s rule, Pol Pot and his totalitarian party sought to silence and eradicate Cambodia’s artistic, intellectual and elite class. The Khmer Rouge had a motto for their victims: “To keep you is no benefit. To destroy you is no loss.”
Three decades have passed since the end of the Khmer Rouge. Since then, most survivors have been suffering silently. That silence is now ending, step by step, as a handful of top Khmer Rouge officials are finally being tried by the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia.
In May 2011 I will to do a workshop at Phare Selpak art school in Battambang, Cambodia. The heart of my art workshop is found in the conversations – in this case, between two people who are important to each other: a son or a daughter asking his or her mother about her childhood, her most important memory, her worst nightmare, her most important achievement. Helping people to connect and talk about the questions that matter most to them is a powerful and sometimes even life-changing therapeutic tool.
The aim is to help Cambodian participants discover the underlying thoughts and feelings being communicated in their artworks. It is hoped that participants will gain not only insight and judgment about art but also a better understanding of themselves. For older Cambodians, this understanding may help them to confront a terrible past. Conversely, for younger Cambodians, this understanding may extend to the way they relate to their mothers and other people who lived under the Khmer Rouge.
The first part of the therapeutic session is to train young participants to conduct conversations with their mothers. A set of questions will be given to the participants to ask their mothers.
The second part of the session will involve the young participants in writing their mothers’ story on black papers then fold them into origami shapes. We then make an installation with the folded papers into a tree shape.
Phare Selpak is a wonderful school helping street kids to find a passion in the arts. They are most known for the circus school which had toured in Europe. They also have classical dance and music training as well as visual art school. Unfortunately the art school does not have much support nor help. Yet many of the new emerging young artists today come from that school.
I would like to bring them professional quality art supply and work with them. To bring them beautiful papers. If you wish to donate art supply for the school beyond this workshop, please keep in mind that they are fine art students, do not send craft supply rather professional paint, brushes etc. this will give them the means and also a sense of professionalism of the field they chose.
Also art books are welcome, I am thinking of art catalogs because they have a diversity of artists and many photographs. Most of the students do not speak English, it is best for them to be able to look at pictures. I prefer art books or catalog about modern art/ contemporary.
