An invitation to experience Cambodia’s transformation through the arts Cultural Delegation 10 days-9 nights Siem Reap . Battambang Phnom Penh January 29 - February 07, 2018 August 06 - August 15, 2018 January 28 - February 06, 2019 An Invitation On behalf of Cambodian Living Arts, I would like to personally invite you on an exclusive journey through the Kingdom of Cambodia. Our Cultural Delegations give you an insight into Cambodia like no other, through a unique blend of tourism and personal encounters with the people who’ve contributed to the country’s cultural re-emergence. With almost 20 years of experience, CLA has grown into one of the leading arts and cultural institutions in Cambodia. What began as a small program supporting four Master Artists has blossomed into a diverse and wide-reaching organization providing opportunities for young artists and arts leaders, supporting arts and culture education in Cambodia, expanding audiences and markets for Cambodian performing arts, and building links with our neighbors in the region. We would love for you to come and experience this transformation through the arts for yourself. Our Cultural Delegation will give you the chance to see the living arts in action and to meet artists, students and partners working to support and develop Cambodia’s rich artistic heritage. Through these intimate encounters you will come to understand the values and aspirations of Cambodian artists, the obstacles they face, and the vital role that culture plays in society here. Come with us and discover the impressive talents of this post-conflict nation and the role that you can play as an agent of change to help develop, sustain and grow the arts here in the Kingdom of Culture. We look forward to welcoming you! Phloeun PRIM Executive Director Cambodian Living Arts Our Itinerary This 10-day tour offers a unique opportunity to experience Cambodian life and culture through the lens of the arts and the artists, students and leaders who are creating it. Our itinerary includes the major highlights across Siem Reap, Battambang and Phnom Penh, with some wonderful surprises along the way. Additionally, we plan a balance of optional activities and opportunities for free time so you can dive deeper, or explore independently. We work closely with our local artists and partners to ensure we provide you with a truly unforgettable, immersive experience. DAYS 1-4 DAYS 5-6 DAYS 7-10 Our journey starts in We travel on to Phnom Penh is modern Siem Reap, site of the Battambang, a charming Cambodia’s cultural, breathtaking temples and peaceful city with commercial and political of Angkor. The province unique architecture and center, and home to CLA’s has a rich history of a lively visual arts scene. main office and team. We artistry, and given Battambang is also complete our journey its anthropological where our founder Arn here meeting some of the significance it is no CHORN-POND spent country’s most innovative surprise that it is home his childhood in the late and recognized artists, to many historical and 1960s and early 1970s. as well as some of the cultural experts and young students of the next traditional musicians. generation. DAYS 1-4 Siem Reap Siem Reap Battambang Angkor Phnom Penh Famous for Angkor Wat, Siem Reap is also a center for the traditional arts, and home to our Heritage Hub. The country’s premier travel destination, the city has something for everyone including spectacular sights, delicious cuisine, and unique entertainment. BAYON The smiling faces of this temple have been dubbed by some as the “Mona Lisa” of Southeast Asia. The temple is located at the center of the temple complex and represents the intersection of heaven and earth. Discover Angkor’s Secrets Explore the immense temple complex of Angkor Wat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This opportunity to travel back in time to the Khmer Empire serves as a great introduction to a number of Khmer artistic masterpieces set in stone and brick from the 9th to 14th centuries. ANGKOR WAT A must see for any visitor, Angkor Wat is Getting the most surrounded by a moat and crowned by five lotus-like towers rising from ground of Angkor level. The walls of the temples are To make the most of our trip, our adorned with bas-reliefs and carvings, experienced and charismatic guides depicting stories and characters from will lead you to sites mostly at dawn Hindu mythology and representing and dusk, when the light is stunning some of the finest Angkorian-era art. and temperatures are much cooler. This means some early mornings, but TA PROHM trust us, it’s worth it! This temple has been relatively untouched in an effort to preserve rather For those especially interested in than restore. The beauty of Ta Prohm is the Angkor historic site, there will a result of the elements, with massive be optional tours offered in the trees taking root on and around the afternoons. ancient structures. The Heritage Hub Cambodian Living Arts’ space in Siem Reap is called the Heritage Hub, and is a center for the practice, research and development of Cambodia’s intangible cultural heritage. The work of the Heritage Hub links to all of our other programs, ensuring that everything we do continues weaving the thread of Cambodian artistic heritage. The Heritage Hub is set inside the grounds of Wat Bo, a pagoda, or wat, housing a community of Buddhist monks in the heart of Siem Reap City. Living traditions A visit to Siem Reap gives you the opportunity to see both Cambodia’s ancient history and the relevance of religious and artistic traditions to contemporary Cambodia. You will visit active pagodas and get insights into the lives of the monks, artists, students and others who use these spaces on a daily basis. DAYS 1-4 Siem Diverse Reap Performances and Experiences WAT BO SHADOW PUPPETS The art of large shadow puppets is one of the Kingdom’s oldest traditions, believe to SOUNDS OF ANGKOR have developed during the pre-Angkorian Imagine temple walls coming to life as a period. These large puppets are made of troupe of 20 artists showcase instruments cow leather that is carefully cut by hand to discovered on the Angkorian bas-relief make the characters and scenes from the by ethnomusicologist Patrick Kersalé. Reamker, the classic Cambodian retelling The talented musicians will lead listeners of the Hindu Ramayana epic. through a journey from the 8th century to present day classical Cambodian music. KANTOAMING Believed to date back to the time of the PHARE, Buddha, Kantoaming is one of Cambodia’s THE CAMBODIAN CIRCUS rarest art forms. In this funeral lullaby, a Phare is a beautifully choreographed blend group of instruments featuring gongs, of traditional and modern theater, music, drums and a unique Khmer reed instrument dance, acrobatics, juggling and contortion, called the Srolai play music to guide the all set under a Big Top. The shows tell spirit of the dead back to its homeland for poignant and entertaining Cambodian rebirth. In 2016, Kantoaming was performed stories using movement as medium. All by Master SENG Norn in New York as part performers are trained at Phare Ponleu of An Occupation of Loss, an installation by Selpak, an NGO providing arts education in Taryn SIMON. Battambang. DAYS 5-6 Battambang Arn’s Siem Reap Angkor homeland Battambang Our founder, Arn CHORN-POND, spent his early years in Battambang, Phnom Penh where his family ran a popular Yike company, a type of Cambodian theater. During the Khmer Rouge regime, he was separated Battambang is known from his family and was sent for its charming, laid- to a child labor camp in the countryside. During our stay back atmosphere. Its in Battambang, Arn will draw beautiful architecture on some of his memories of reflects the different the city. phases of its history with New Khmer, French-Classical and traditional Khmer THE KHMER MAGIC MUSIC BUS homes and buildings Arn spends much of his time in Cambodia touring lining either side of the with the Khmer Magic Music Bus, his latest initiative river. Battambang is to get traditional music out into villages that would also Cambodia’s visual otherwise lack access to it. Traditional songs and dances remain popular around the country, arts and circus hub. attracting young and old alike. DAYS 5-6 Battambang Emerging artists Battambang captivates visitors with a buzzing visual arts scene, and is home to many young and emerging artists. A Battambang resident will guide you through its galleries and historic sites, meeting local artists and gaining insight into the life experiences that shape their emerging work. Phare Ponleu Selpak, an organization providing arts education to disadvantaged youth, is also based in Battambang. Art for sale For those interested in purchasing an original work to recall your artistic exploration of Cambodia, many of the visual artists we will meet will have work for sale. Most galleries are able to ship internationally. Siem Reap Angkor Battambang Phnom Penh DAYS 7-10 Phnom Penh The country’s capital and the base for most of our operations, bustling Phnom Penh has a lot to offer in history, culture and entertainment. In the midst of rapid change, the city now has excellent restaurants TUOL SLENG and hotels yet is still GENOCIDE MUSEUM Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum is an informative and considered one of the deeply moving museum located at the notorious friendliest capitals Khmer Rouge prison S-21. Set in set in a former in Asia. This is an high school, it is an important site to understanding opportunity to see Cambodia’s difficult past. A live performance of Smot, a hauntingly beautiful form of chanted Cambodia come into poetry often performed at funerals, completes the its own.