March 20, 2009
Et l’ancienne maison,
Je sens sa rousse tiedeur
Vient des sens a l’esprit.
(And, the old house
I feel its russet warmth
Comes from the senses to the mind.)
-Gaston Bachelard
I often travel alone, but I particularly appreciated visiting Siem Reap, Cambodia by myself. Being alone in Siem Reap provided me the opportunity to focus on my environment and contemplate the experience more easily than if I had been traveling with someone else. This trip was precisely what I needed in between hectic work commitments. I would like to share the following images in a four-part series (due to the overwhelming number of inspiring snap shots). First, I will focus on the relieves from Angkor Thom. From there, I will focus the architectural processions from Angkor Wat, the intrigue takeover of the jungle from Preah Khan, and, finally, the elaborate carving details of red sandstones from Banteay Srei.
The following images are taken from Angkor Thom. They are representative of the lifestyles from the late 12th century Khmer empire by King Jayavarman VII. The emperor hoped to show and celebrate ordinary Khmer lives—the daily rituals of his people. Only ancient relics and sites represent and celebrate daily lives. In our society, we rarely involve our modern lives in architecture and interiors. Perhaps one day we will be inspired to express our ordinary rituals in more artistic and public ways. Then we also could celebrate our lives the way King Jayavarman VII intended, through artistic expression.
The peacefully harmonized kingdom will soon be disturbed by erosion, etc.; however, until that happens, we have the opportunity to learn and celebrate the preserved history of Angkor Thom, Khmer empire. There is a certain bliss here, and I wish everyone could experience it. I hope at least you can feel their meditative peaceful ways of living in these photographs.
Posted by D.B. Kim on March 20, 2009
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