June 2006 | Back to News
The U.S. Embassy Phnom Penh, in cooperation with the World Monuments Fund (WMF) and the Center for Khmer Studies (CKS), recently hosted the launching of the book Phnom Bakheng Workshop on Public Interpretation, edited by Jane Clark Chermayeff & Associates (JCC&A). This event, which took place Monday June 5th, at the main campus of the Center for Khmer Studies located at Wat Damnak in Siem Reap, attracted an audience of more than 100 people working to protect Cambodia's cultural patrimony, including representatives of the APSARA Authority, the Ministry of Culture, the ICC, UNESCO, and the diplomatic community.
Left to Right: Mark Storella (Chargé d'Affairs, U.S. Embassy Phnom Penh), Jane Clark Chermayeff (Principal, JCC&A), Khuon Khun-Neay (APSARA Authority), Philippe Peycam (Director, CKS), and John Stubbs (Vice President, WMF) spoke at the book launching at Wat Damnak.
The book features articles by presenters at the Phnom Bakheng Workshop on Public Interpretation, held in Angkor Park, Siem Reap, Cambodia, December 4-6, 2005.
From the back cover:
"Historically, Angkor’s temples have been understood for their architectural and monumental features, without sufficient consideration of their natural surroundings or their communities, past and present. The Phnom Bakheng Workshop on Public Interpretation succeeded in convening scholars from different areas of study to reveal the site’s socio-cultural significance. Such an inclusive exercise of ‘contextualization’ is a precedent at Angkor, contributing to the reclamation of ancient Khmer heritage by its conceptors and users, an approach that is central to the mission of the Center for Khmer Studies."
- Philippe Peycam, Director, Center for Khmer Studies