The Artisans of Angkor

Artisans Angkor is a Cambodian social business creating job opportunities for young people in rural areas, while reviving traditional Khmer craftsmanship (stone and wood carving, painting on statues and on silk, lacquering, and silver plating).  The organisation, founded in 1992, is located on Stung Thmey Street, 2 minutes walk from the Old Market in Siem Reap center, Cambodia.  Two sites are open to the public in Siem Reap – one specializing in crafts located on Stung Thmey Street and the other specializing in silk at the Angkor Silk Farm (20mins drive from Siem Reap center, in Puok district).  In December of 2015, during Christmas break, we were fortunate enough to visit both of these sites and witness the incredible artistry of the men and women working here.

The Artisans of Angkor main workshops are just down the street from the Golden Temple Villa, and amazing hotel I stayed at earlier in December, when I came to Siem Reap for the Angkor Wat Half Marathon...it was fun to revisit this area of town.  The tour here is free, and the guides are so friendly and knowledgeable (they deserve, and did receive a really good tip).  During both my visits to Siem Reap, I was constantly amazed by the level of English in this town...everyone seems to speak English, and not just broken, simple language, but fluent with a great vocabulary.  It is VERY impressive! 

Many of the workers and artisans have physical disabilities - one of the reasons they struggle to find employment, and so sign language is commonly used to communicate.  We found the Khmer writing fascinating.

We learned that two types of wood are used for woodworking.   Wood from a rubber tree, which is lighter in colour and lighter in weight, and teak wood, which is much darker and heavier.  The kids were really drawn in to the work of these artists. 

Lacquered painting of the Monkey King.

One of Eva's favourites, a silver plated bird - so pretty.

Watching and learning about the silver plating process.

Wood carving - elephants.

Stone carving - we acquired a real appreciation for all the ornate stone carvings we saw on the temples.  The process is incredibly labour intensive and lengthy.

Viktor, learning about the wood carving process.

Eva, posing with the Aspara dancers.

We took a brief break for lunch, but at 1pm we boarded the bus to visit the Angkor Silk Farm, in Puok District.  Again, the bus and the tour were free, and incredibly interesting.  We did purchase some items from the gift shops, as all the proceeds go right back into the workshops and apprenticeships.  We learned that the women at the silk farm (and this most likely applies to all the artisans) work 8 hours a day, and are paid the equivalent of $10 USD/month...yes, I had to ask twice, because I thought I misunderstood.  According to our guide their working conditions and compensation are much better, than other workers in their field.  I still find it very hard to believe, but after witnessing the simplicity of life, the bare necessities these beautiful people survive with and poverty of the general population, I do believe it. It really made us stop and think about the excesses and luxuries we have in North America and other developed countries around the world.  We take so many things for granted.

Women sorting the cocoons. 

The houses are built on stilts that are surrounded by water.  If I remember correctly, it's to ensure that no spiders crawl into the houses and damage the silk worms and their cocoons.

The life cycle of a silk worm.

Real, live silk worms.

Drying of the cocoon, and yes, they do have to kill the worms inside in order to harvest strong, unbroken silk thread.

Unravelling the cocoons to harvest the silk.  The silk worms are being cooked inside the cocoons during this process...

  ...and now they can be eaten...

Yes, we all tried one - except for David.

Tastes sort of like cheesy tofu, not my favourite protein source.  An acquired taste, I think. 

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Learning about natural dyes.  Mother Nature is incredible!

The dying process. 

Curry seeds, used as red dye, and a great natural makeup.

Weaving.

Beautiful colours and patterns.

Viktor, testing out the colour of the curry seeds.

Beautiful natural colours of Cambodian silk.

Checking out the displays of traditional Khmer masks and costumes.

 Women workers.

 Getting on the bus to head back to Siem Reap.

It was a perfect day.  So interesting and a really good change of pace from all the temple touring.  We gained a sincere appreciation for the artistry and precision of the workers and artisans in Siem Reap.