Cambodia | 2024 | Installation, Photography, Video

When art explores our bond with the ocean

Through photography, performance, and video installation, the Waves of Change initiative by Cambodian artists Philong Sovan, Vannak Khun, and Kanel Khiev highlights the intense and fragile relationship between a coastal community in Cambodia and the ocean, threatened by pollution and climate change.

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A threatened ecosystem, a fragile culture

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The Cambodian coastline, particularly the Koh Kong Krav region and the village of Avlatan, is a place where the sea shapes daily life. Fishing and tourism are essential sources of income for local residents, but these activities are increasingly threatened by pollution, overfishing, and coastal erosion. As these transformations continue, local communities see their traditions and their bond with the sea change, or even disappear.

The Waves of Change initiative addresses these issues by questioning our relationship with the ocean and the impact of human activities on the marine ecosystem. Through a dialogue between art and community engagement, the project encourages collective reflection on the need to preserve these environments.

Artist
Philong Sovan, Vannak Khun, Kanel Khiev

Partners
Marine Conservation Cambodia, Ministry of Environment, Department of Arts and Culture of Koh Kong

Participants
Local communities, fishermen, youth, artisans

Agency
AFD Cambodia

Three artists immersed at the heart of communities

workshops engaging local communities

105

participants engaged in the initiative

public event bringing together up to 200 people

Conceived by Cambodian artists Philong Sovan, Vannak Khun, and Kanel Khiev, the project is structured around key moments. First, eight participatory workshops bring together fishermen, artisans, and youth from Avlatan village, providing a space for exchange on their relationship with the ocean and the ecological challenges they face. Based on these testimonies, three artistic works are created: the performance Harmony and Destruction, the video installation Rethinking Surveillance: The Sea as a Mirror, and the photographic series Ocean and Humanity.

The initiative concludes with a public event featuring performances, screenings, and an exhibition, where local communities join the artists to share their experiences and perspectives. A visual documentation of the project will be used to maintain the impacts of this initiative, through exhibitions and educational campaigns.