Angkor Wat carvings – WMF

In 2012, just after 10 years of living and working in Cambodia, I had the opportunity to be part of a project with the World Monuments Fund again (WMF had originally invited me out to Cambodia in November 2000 as an artist in resident). 

Working with local stone carver CHHAY Saron, we were commissioned to create 4 stone sculptures, replications of carvings that would have adorned the roof of the corridors in the central area of Angkor Wat Temple. The completed carvings were to be placed on the roof to show people what the skyline would have looked like when Angkor Wat was completed in it’s full glory.

There were only a handful of fragments left of these carvings so Saron and I spent a long time researching the different nuances of the remaining pieces. The Conservation D’Angkor had some fragments and EFEO Angkor (Ecole Francais D’Extreme-Orient) very kindly shared the only drawing of a whole sculpture from their archive. 

During the 1980’s Saron was a soldier, he lost his right leg to a landmine during the conflict and during his rehabilitation re-trained as a carver (wood and stone).  Saron did the majority of the blocking out for the 4 sculptures and I carved the fine detail (other than the Kbach details). This was one of the most challenging, interesting and fulfilling projects I have been fortunate enough to be part of and look forward to the day the sculptures have ‘weathered’ enough to be placed in situ at Angkor Wat Temple.