Cambodia 2011 Peace Project Event (Part1 The Story)

PREVI HEAR JOURNAL 2011 ! The Peace Project
PREVI HEAR JOURNAL 2011 ! The Peace Project
floating in a topaz blue
sky with a thin strip of
the temple of Previ Hear
beneath him. I think,
‘Either side will have
letters inscribed about
peace. The stencils have
already been printed in
Vientianne and are ready
to be applied once we have
finished the painting. Thai
language goes on the right
hand side. The Khmer
text goes on the left with a
translation of the
Universal Declaration for
Conflict resolution. Our idea
is to paint the image, and
then invite the military to
carry it into the No-Man’s-
Land. It is probably not
going to be that simple, but
the painting of a thousand
skies begins with one brush
stroke.’
We have cheap Chinese
paints which I bought in
Phnom Penh that we are
using. The brand says
Windsor and Newton but
it’s made in a suburb of
Shanghai. I realize it’s
inferior quality after the
second hour, but it’s too
late. It’s so transparent, no
matter how much I paint,
it just disappears into the
canvas. Now it’s too late to
do anything about this.
I think,
‘My next mistake is
believing I could buy
turpentine in the town. I
can’t. Damn it!’
We drive to three stores.
They don’t even know what
it is. I draw pictures of
turpentine. Do pantomines
and try to translate but
to no effect. The sun is
burning my forehead.
‘It’s sun stroke time and
I’m the potato chip!’ In two
days time we will be using
diesel to clean the brushes
and as an ersatz
fake painting medium
everything. On top of
that, there is no painting
medium. A tourist with a
group of Canadians stops
en route up the mountain
to chat and admire the
picture on the mountain.
One guy, Joe gives us his
card. It reads
READ CARD
On the mountain Sambo
and Sokkheng continue
to film Dominic talking in
his daily diary on truck.
As dusk descends with
a mixture of grey and
purple washes and the the
jungle gives way to palm
tress and red mud dirt
roads athe truck drives
onto the sun set, I ring the
Minister of Information.
The astaic on the other
end starts and stops. It’s
a waste of time. Mr Keyth
Kanderith is supposed
to be both friendly and
approachable. I dial three,
then four times but the
number just rings out. On
the fifth I ring him and he
says hurriedly,
‘Sorry - I am in a
meeting. Please ring back
in an hour.’
We are nearly back in
Sra’Aem, when I ring back
within the prescribed
hour. The number rings
out again.
That evening, as we
are sitting down at the
guest house a Japanese
man in his thirties with
spectacles wanders up,
moving from table to
table. He appears to be
a new guest at Sok San.
He looks lost and even a
little confused. He ambles
over to our table, asking
us first stuttering if
anyone speaks English,
then how he can get up
to the mountain.We have
to explain about the
shuttle system and that
no one can travel up there
without a pick up truck.
It’s the new rules. He is a
journalist writing Budget
guide to back-packing in
Cambodia.
I am thinking, ‘It’s really
low budget because he can’t
afford the pickup truck up
to the mountain summit.
He seems sweet but on a
“shoe string” budget.’
I suggest he accompanies
us on the tomorrow and I
will pay. He has a crumpled
business card which he
pushes into my palm. I
look at it without thinking
or reading it. I seem to
remember that it refers
to a freelance Journalist.
After he gives it to me, he
leaves, to move from table
to table, asking advice. He
then requests Sokkeng
to translate for him to
the concierge. Sokkheng
throws me a look of help
as if to say he’s about to
be taken hostage and then
disappears towards the
front desk.
Once Sokkheng has
returned, he decides.
‘Our best move is to place
Mr Vanna on our best side.
We need to improve our
relations with him.He is the
security on the mountain
and he is only doing his job.
Without him we cannot do
anything.’
I reply, It’s true we did not
have a permit to film, but
I did not know we needed
one. Can we trust him. ‘We
help him and he will help
us! Lets invite Mr Vanna
for a drink to build public
relations.’ Mr Vanna comes
in the evening to Sok San. I
satellite around him while
Sokkheng sits with him and
with a few beers, tries to
both placate and influence
him. He softens. We hand
him twenty dollars and he
says he will maybe turn a
blind eye and let us film as
long as we tell him which
locations we can film. We
give him the letter and
some money. This is how
the letter looks: --------------
----------------------------------
16th of November 2011
The President of the
Preach Vihear Authority
Dear Sir I recently
wrote to you requesting
permission to paint an
image
of Preach Vihea on the
temple site. The image also
has an image of Buddha
and a message of peace
on it. This permission was
granted and I thank you
for your understanding
and kindness. I am now
half way through finishing
the painting. I would like
to send a photograph of
the painting to you when
it is finished, situated on
the site. Many people have
admired it.
For the purposes of my
art I need to document
the process of making
the art and seeing it in
the area we make it in. I
would like to photograph
and film with video the
temple grounds and the
temple to give a better
understanding of having
the possibility of making
this art in this beautiful
area. I have only ten days
left here so if permission
is granted it would be
appreciated that it be
given soon.
I always take large
amounts of video and
photographs which I used
in the archives. This has
helped me very much to
communicate the message
of peace in my art work.
Without the photographs
or video I cannot keep a
proper record of what I do.
If we record by video I
would like to assure the
President of the Preach
Vihea Authority that:
1. I will not use the
material for commercial
purposes. 2. I will not lend
or give the footage to a
second party.
3. No disrespect to the
heritage and culture of
this world heritage site
will occur.