“Phnom Penh Evolution”, Photography Exhibition on the Ongoing 'Transformation of Phnom Penh'

Monday, August 30, 2010

From September 2-30, 2010
This event is organized by the Bophana Audiovisual Resource Center with the support of The Swiss Foundation Pro Helvetia, Paris City Hall and the French Embassy in Cambodia.
As part of the Month of Architecture in Phnom Penh, Bophana Audiovisual Resource Center will present an exhibition called the “Phnom Penh Evolution,” which will display images of the city’s rapid architectural transformation that has taken place within the past year. The exhibition will feature the work of four Cambodian photographers who has been under the supervision of the Swiss professional photographer Anna Katharina Scheidegger. The photographers PHA Lina, LIM Sokchanlina, TITH Narith and PRUM Seila will share with us their artistic points of view on the architectural transformation. Through this exhibition, the Center hopes to encourage citizens to contribute to the dialogue regarding future sustainable development.
“Phnom Penh Evolution” visually captures the vitality of the city that was once called the “Pearl of Asia.” The city of Phnom Penh is currently at an important crossroad: its urbanization can follow a similar progression as other South East Asian cities (in which their development has been determined by factors such as foreign investments or political interests), or the city can decide to focus on sustainable development. The complexity of the current situation has been exacerbated by the rapid transformations of the city, serving as a reminder that actions must be taken to safeguard the memory of the city.
Four Cambodian photographers have been invited to express their personal understanding of the transformations that have occurred to the city’s urban landscapes. They were able to produce their works by participating in photography workshops held at the Bophana Center over the course of one year, under the supervision of Miss. Anna Katharina Scheidegger.
The exhibition will feature well-know locations throughout Phnom Penh including, but not limited to, the riverside, the Olympic Stadium, and Road 19. It will also include a short photographic essay that will portray the changes of downtown area of Borei Keila where old buildings have been demolished for the construction for new, modern buildings.
Through this exhibition, the Center hopes to showcase some of the best works produced by these budding Cambodians as well as to highlight urban development (of the city) through visual representations. The purpose of the exhibition is to motivate Cambodians to fully undertake in the development so that they can be a part of the discourse concerning urbanization and modernity; the Center truly believes that the exhibition will serve as an effective tool in facilitating development. Furthermore, the project will become a valuable archive for professionals, such as engineers and architects, whose work deals with urban planning. The photographs will be recorded and saved in the Center’s database, so that it is accessible to anyone who may be in need of these resources.
A series of films concerning the architecture of Phnom Penh will be shown during the Month of Architecture. From Bophana Center
Contact : communication@bophana.org