It's amazing what you can squeeze into a day when you have a focus and a purpose ! Today I managed to squeeze several things into my study trip ! A visit to the 'Made in Cambodia' markets proved to be worthwhile and it is the first time in Siem Reap since I have arrived that has shown any ethical or moral considerations to textiles and to the overall environmental sustainability of the industry. It is a small handmade market where profits go back directly to the designers and stay in Cambodia. Many of the makers also have some form of disability such as they are unable to speak, are deaf, have been affected by land mines and/ or are disabled in some way, shape or form. With no government assistance, these designers have found a way to use their skills, hand make items and sell them to the public. Everything for recycled paper, crochet plastic bags, jewelry made from the ring pulls on cans, pencil cases made from old tyres. I also liked the environmental element in that they created using existing resources that were both plentiful and didn't cost anything. These everyday items would of normally made it to landfill and it was very interesting and reinforced the fact that anything can be made new again with a little bit of skill and a creative idea. Of course I made a few purchases and even the paper they wrapped my item up in was recycled and the carry bag was re purposed newspaper with funky hemp handles Then it was on to Bantey Srie temple, which is known for its pink sandstone. It is probably one of the most well preserved monuments in the entire Angkor complex, and had some intricately carved details........ it's hard to believe that it has well and truly stop the test of the time as history says it was built around the 10th century After the temple visit we stopped at the Gold Silk Pheach Farm, they are a community that is some what smaller then the previous farm I had visited with about 100 weavers working there but they are well known for their Ikat weaving technique. Ikat weaving (Matmee) is a form of resist dyeing where plastic string is tied to the weft yarn before it is woven, and dyed. Once dyed, the fabric is then woven and the weave looks the same from front or back. The ladies that I spoke to had been tying bits of sting on the weft yarn and they had been working on this process from time frames of 3 months to 6 months. As you can see the patterns and designers are very intricate. Once dyed, a worker comes along with a razor blade the cuts the plastic resist. Even the cutting process is extremely long and can take up to one week to cut the plastic resist away . However the result is well worth the effort and patience as the patterns are stunning . The gift shop attached the the silk farm also had a stunning array of garments / items that had been made from the by product of silk. Everything from a silk cocoon dress, to a silk woven dress made from off-cuts and even a bunch of silk cocoons that looks liked flowers in a vase. Next stop was the Kmher Tradtional Textiles farm, where there was another community of spinners and weavers. This group was not only working with silk, but they also had cotton fibres as well. I saw whole families sitting down and removing the cotton fibres from the cotton bush ( a little boy that was only 2 was also doing this ) and for a community who has no running water or electricity I found this labour intensive process not surprising. However, everyone was busy working, it was hot and humid and they were just getting on with their work and had big smiles on their faces. I met a lovely lady who was 69 and had been winding bobbins of silk and spinning since she was six. She let me have a go at the process of spinning raw silk onto the bobbin, and she used her forefinger and fingernail, to run along the thread and remove any impurities . After about 5 minutes of sitting on the floor doing this task, no only was I uncomfortable and hot, but the thread felt like it was burning my hands as it passed at a rapid rate. Again it put a whole new perspective on handmade spun and woven items. I am glad I had a chance to try this skill, but I am also glad that it is not a skill I have to teach ! I was also given the opportunity to sit at and use one of the bamboo wooden looms that was weaving a simple plain weave with silk thread all in one colour. Not only could on not even fit on the loom bench seat ( seriously how small are these women ), but I found the coordination of the weaving peddles, the throwing of the shuttle and betting down quite a process. All of these women at the village had been taught the skill of weaving by there mothers and it was a natural progression that they start weaving once they can master the skill and could reach the peddles on the loom. Again it reinforced the importance of passing down skill, so the future generations do not lose touch with their grass roots and heritage. There were no 'written' instructions on the process or the weaving pattern the women were following, and yet again it outlines how tradition in these practical skills are naturally observed taught and followed.
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An early morning start, allowed me to visit the infamous Angkor Wat temple that was built during the early 12th century. The stone carvings are magnificent as it depicts the Hindu mythology, and the structure itself took over 30 years to build. We also had time to visit another temple not quite as well known called Ta Prohm, and images from this temple can be seen in the 'Tomb raider' movie. I was then able to visit the countryside of Western Baray where I went to the Angkor Silk farm. Here I was able to see the entire process of silk creation from growing and harvesting the mulberry leaves , the breeding process, the cycle of a silk worm, spinning the silk, dying the silk and then weaving the silk on the wooden looms. I learnt that the silk produced by the silk worm in Cambodia is different to that of Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. The silk worm here produces quite an off white thread, and will only eat the small sticky mulberry leaves. Raw silk is also much quicker to spin, and the irregularities or natural slubs give it its raised appearance. Fine silk is also 'spider like' and take a much longer processing time and this is also reflected in the price of a fine silk garment. The dyeing of the silk before weaving use to be done using natural dyes, but due to their irregularities and most are now dyed using a chemical process and the dyes themselves coming from France as they have the richness and intensity of colour that is desirable . However before synthetic dyes natural substances such as the banana leaf and the curry seed was used. A lot of the weaving is still done on site, but the temptation does exist to send it to neighboring Asian countries to be woven by machines. The cost is a real factor, and the cheaper pieces of silk found in the market place, are not hand woven. The Angkor farm offers free workshops to the women to come and learn the process of weaving. The process takes about a month to perfect and then after that the employee is expected to weave for 6 months with no wage. After 6 months she can earn an income and is encourage to explore more detailed patterns and designs in her weaving. The farm itself employs around 400 women to weave and even educate the women's children by providing a free education whilst the mother works the loom for up to 12 hours a day. There are several weaving farms in Cambodia, and the art of this traditional skill lives on and is still being performed on old bamboo frames. Weaving is only done by women and they are encouraged to pass on this craft to their children
I flew out of Sydney, via Canberra to go to Singapore , and then caught a plane to Siam Reap, hence I did not plan any activities for my arrival except recovery !! I flew at night, hoping I would sleep but unfortunately that did not happen ! Anyway arrived in Siam Reap, adjusted to the heat and humidity. Found my accommodation right in the heart of Siam Reap and then decided to investigate the local surrounds. My accommodation is just near Old Market and a popular tourist destination called Pub Street, so a Cambodian curry was definitely on the cards before looking around at the food market and the checking out the immediate surrounds Obviously I am keen on the textiles of Cambodia but also teaching food technology, meant that I was also very interested in this aspect as well. I was intrigued by the lack of hygiene with some of the food stalls, and it will be a great topic of conversation with my hospitality classes when I get back. I loved how the women work from such small spaces and pile everything into their section of the stall. Not such as a fan of having meat sit out unrefrigerated though. As I was walking a 'fish massage' sign caught my eye, where you sit and place your feet in a tank and the fish nibble at your dead skin so of course I had to give that a try !! As I was heading back to my accommodation I was lucky enough to stumble across the Mekong Quilts store- which is a non profit organisation that sell hand crafted textiles where the direct economic benefits of sales goes back to the women who produced them. The company itself also sponsors initiatives such as micro-financing, education scholarships, health and hygiene programs as well as agriculture programs. So I bought a beautiful handmade notebook to take notes in, so not only is it handmade locally but I also like the ethical responsibility of local designers receiving all the profits and the company sponsoring programs that will benefit these women .
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