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Angkor Wat:

Travels in Cambodia

By Don Jung

My wife and I travelled to Cambodia last fall to see and experience
Angkor Wat, one of the wonders of the ancient world. It was a
splendid site, with wonderful mystique and grandeur. The stone
walls were painstakingly carved. It would be a challenge to sculpt it
in clay, never mind chiselling it out by hand with primitive tools. The
carved figures danced around the columns and framed the doors and
windows. They seemed to reflect a people that enjoyed celebrating and
held art in high esteem. It was amusing to see the many different hair
styles on the dancing women carvings and sculptures throughout the
halls. Many different religions over
the ages have layered on their own
unique gods, artefacts and art in the
many temples and monuments.

All through the ages that Angkor
Wat has existed, pottery has also
existed. The pottery was functional
and sculptural, many adorned with
intricate designs and carvings. It
seems the ones meant for religious

Elephant jar in the Khmer style.

Discovery.
Art Travel -

2008-2010

CERAMICS ecungions g

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Morocco
Burma

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Don getting shown around.

and more exotic uses like opium smoking were more elaborate. The
museums have a fair representation of the pots from various periods. A
distinct Chinese influence can be seen and it continues today in their
contemporary and revived pottery.

One of the rare and fortunate finds was a pottery centre. Who would
have thought that we would find a European potter in Siem Reap,
helping the Cambodians revive their long-lost heritage in ceramic
arts. Serge Rega established the National Center for Khmer Ceramics
Revival (NCKCR) in Siem Reap-Angkor. You can find out more
about them at http://www.khmerceramics.com. There’s also a good

Continued on Page 10, Cambodia

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TEL: 1-250-537-4906

Potters Guild of BC Newsletter -

March 2009 9