2. Arts & Crafts
The arts and craft in Cambodia
owe its origin in the ancient days
when god-kings established the
huge monuments of Angkor.
Cambodia is a country in
Southeast Asia famous for its art
and crafts.
3. The Cambodian arts and crafts
are worth appreciating wherein
weaving, carving and sculpting
are given great importance. The
concept of silk weaving, basket
making, wood carving, silver
working and stone sculpting are
some of the ancient traditions of
Khmer people that last till date in
the region of Cambodia.
4. Weaving of basket is one of the
popular crafts in Cambodia.
The women of the Seam Reap
province in Cambodia weave
platters, baskets, plates and
bowls from dawn to dusk mainly
for export.
5. Yet another famed craft in
Cambodia is the intricate wood
carving. Every house in the
village ensures that their pillars
are beautifully carved with
detailed designs of the moon,
stars, fruits and flowers.
6.
7. Silk weaving in Cambodia has a
long history. The practice dates
to as early as the 1st century,
and textiles were used in trade
during Angkorian times. Even
modern textile production
evidences these historic
antecedents: motifs found on silk
today often echo clothing
details on ancient stone
sculptures.[1]
8. There are two
main types of
Cambodian
weaving.
The ikat techniqu
e (Khmer: chong
kiet), which
produces
patterned fabric,
is quite complex.
9. The second weaving technique,
unique to Cambodia, is called
"uneven twill". It yields single or two-
color fabrics, which are produced
by weaving three threads so that
the "color of one thread dominates
on one side of the fabric, while the
two others determine the colour on
the reverse side
10. . Silk-weaving has seen a
major revival recently, with
production doubling over the
past ten years. This has
provided employment for
many rural women.
Cambodian silk is generally
sold domestically, where it is
used in sampot (wrap skirts),
furnishings,
and pidan (pictoral
tapestries), but interest in
international trade is
increasing.[1]
11. Cambodia's best-
known stone carving
adorns the temples
of Angkor, which are
"renowned for the
scale, richness and
detail of their
sculpture". In modern
times, however, the art
of stone carving
became rare
12. Largely because older sculptures
survived undamaged for centuries
and because of the use of cement
molds for modern temple
architecture. By the 1970s and
1980s, the craft of stone carving
was nearly lost.
