The very lovely Theary Seng

Traditional outfit with not so trad details (can detailing!!)

Betsy - gorgeous!!

artsis Tith Veasna

Nita I couldnt believe your funky attitude and walk!

oh yeah for the blue spray paint and Sata's last minute pattern cutting skills

Beautiful Cheath

Ladies and Gents I give you the Bride and Groom!

Mi-o the fisherman

The whole gorgeous gang of Rubbish Project models right before going onstage..

Betsy and Nath

I have been saving teabag labels for ages, they are so beautiful!

the creatiuve genius behind the choreography -
Leang Seckon and Madame Dy Saveth

Practise makes puuurfect

this is Jean-Philippe. He wasn't exactly modelling, although it is obvious he can strike a pose! He was in control of everything sound-y and electrical-like.

The large stage in fromt of Bob Passion's BHOR art centre. In the afternoon we were treated to an actor-led tour of the installation. And Bob kindly asked your Rubbish Proj peeps to provide stuffs for one room. Seckon put two large collages, which included a lot of recycled materials, and we put some lamps from the workshop 18months ago, and some fashion outfits. wahoo!

Our partners

We are very thankful to

Eric of Scan Hotel

our very good friend Sharon Wilkinson

Rithy Panh, celebrated movie director and founder of the Bophana Centre

and last but definitely not least to Theary Seng, Executive Director of
The Center for Social Development
CSD are our major sponsor for this trip to the beach, and we would like to take this opportunity to say many thanks to you, Theary, for your enthusiastic support of The Rubbish project. It was also so wonderful to have you with us modelling in the show!!

Going down to Sihanoukville on the bus

The very famous halfway point to the beach is on a bluff where people stop to give offerings

owwww we're all so *gorgeous*!! A bus full of models and superstars and... others! And yes that is a picture of a monkey and a puppy playing!

preparing for Sihanoukville

yar we actually just got really silly

We weren't sure of too much, only that we were working on getting enough sponsorship to get us down to the beach on a bus!! And, that once there we could WORK that trash on the stage!

in preparation for the beach we had a meeting, tried on our HANDBAGS...

checked out our costumes from last year, loved them a little...
hugged Sharon Wilkinson, who gave us a donation to help us get to the beach...

and now we have another thing to do

we will be fabulous and a la mode and in vogue

we are going to the beach

in two weeks

...breathing...breathing...

to join Bob Passion and the bHOR art centre

in their great art project for environment education which is 22-29 November ...

we will be fashion and fashionable.. and covered in TRASH... AGAIN!!

exciting

and so we had a meeting... last night.. and it poured but that was fine

next post photos of the meeting

these images are from the CAFA students who spent three months thinking about sustainibility and climate change, and this exhibition was the result.
This image of the Mona Lisa was in fact a video, moving image with an actress - an interpretation of what would happen with climate change. fairly soon she was sitting in the rain, shivering and shivering. So cool!

The Beijing Flower of Sustainibility, in plastik fantastik!

This isn't such a great shot of what was a really nice part of the results of the residency .. one could take a button and there were some blank ones that we could write on. I wrote "kia kaha" on one, and took one that I cannot read! But it looks fabulous!!

This installation was about possibilities of reducing climate change and global warming, by Indonesian artsist Andreas Siagian.

from Bulgarian artist Petko Dourmana

The Dialogue on Arts and Climate Change was a very creative meeting of like minded souls - even though we were artists, architects, designers, performing artists, scientists and environmentalists.

The first day of meetings took place at CAFA- The Chinese Academy of Fine Art.. it was so amazing to be there, on a very beautiful autumn day. Worthy of special note was their extremely well-stocked art supplies shop! We brought a lot of guff back here with us.

The image above is the Beijing Flower of Sustainibility, the gorgeous result of the residency of German artist Insa Winkler and Danish philosopher Oleg Koeford with the students at CAFA.

To Beijing

Next week your Rubbish project representatives are off to Beijing!

Seckon has been invited to join the Dialogue on arts, culture and climate change next week in Beijing. This dialogue is part of an effort to bring artists and cultural workers from the Asia-Europe Meeting countries together with scientists for discussions on issues of climate change and sustainibility. It promises to be a very interesting time.

He is looking forward to networking with other artists, hearing what other people atre doign in terms of a response to the environmental catastrophes that we all share in making and bearing, and he will also share about what we have been up to - most recently the Naga earlier this year.

This is a project of the Asia-Europe Foundation.

Links to more stories about the naga installation

May Titthara has put up his story about the naga with a page of photos

Expat Advisory Services has this piece about World Water Day in addition to their original article about the Naga.

Fuschia Boy who lives in Siem Reap blogged us with a few photos we haven't seen - thanks Fuschia Boy!

The FCCC had us in The Wires, their monthly online newsy-letter....

...aaand KI Media have the Cambodge Soir story here in english

and thankyou to Venerable Hiek Sopheap of the Association of Buddhists for the Environment for coming to Siem Reap especially to help us celebrate the naga, making a great speech, and for this story

This lovely visitor to Siem Reap has blogged us, as she happened to be in town for the night of our Naga party at the FCC, as did this person.

incredible interpretation of Naga Girl story

the Naga being dismantled

Some beautiful naga shots

These beautiful photos were taken by Seckon when he was back in Siem Reap to dismantle the Naga.

with thanks to our photographer... Lina

Hi everyone,

Please look at Lim Sokchanlina's photos on his flickr account

Lina, you took so many gorgeous and interesting shots which i *love* .. and all in the midst of mayhem! I am really taken with some of the compositions you thought of, and what you noticed.

Lina was a student of Stephane Janin, who I think you will agree is INSPIRED

Thankyou Lina for volunteering, and for helping us with so many things - not just with photos - but your photos are really lovely and we are saying *thankyou* so much for that...

And we wish you every success for the future with your work, Lina.

The Naga Installation on the Siem Reap River, for World Water Day

This beautiful installation by The Rubbish Project, although completed by a worthy team of committed and energetic volunteers would not have occurred at all without artist
Leang Seckon.

Seckon, your energy, creativity, drive and artistic integrity cause me to admire you more and more the longer I know you. You are Simply Fabulous!

Who would have thought it possible to complete this beauty in 8 short days?

225m long
1.3m diameter...
about 40 lengths of nylon all the way along her

We lost track - but in the vicinity of

300 000 staples
more than 100 000 pieces of handcut plastic
around 10 kilometres of nylon
150 kg of recycled plastic
more than 600 lights
and certainly a lot of hours of working together!!!

This is the first time to our knowledge such an installation has been constructed in Cambodia or by a Cambodian artist. And we think the timeframe it was achieved in (8 days and a few more for installation and lighting) makes this Naga a symbol of the pure goodness that occurs when grassroots volunteerism meets the arts and the concern we all share about the environment.

Let's love our water, people, and use less plastic and dispose of it more carefully!

Saturday morning

We are so Burberry! The bag.. the undies.. the shirt and one other person had the satin necktie..

flags looking beautiful as everyone knew they would!

more preparations

who is that gorgeous girl with the piglet curls?

work it - strut it- work it-

so fabulous, even just in the practice!

just chilling - a very hot morning

Saturday morning preparations

Everyone agreed the dance performances were electrifying and world class - problem is we all were busy and have no photos of their actual performance - any kind souls who were there and would like to email to me pls do so... floddy at gmail

Madame Dy Saveth - the brains behind the model training choreography and training.

Christi Abby and jessi - just gorgeous! You all were stars on the night

Sata, Belle, and her mother. Where do you all come from - so talented, so beautiful, so purehearted.. you must have dropped straight from heaven!

Tomorrow is World Water Day: Reflections

.. and the Naga is almost ready.

Last night felt bitter sweet as we realised it was the last chance to take photos of her without her lights. The beauty of the structure I have found powerfully affecting as she unexpectedly takes on different light, and shadow. In pieces under Darryl's house she was beautiful, but bursting onto the Siem Reap River, bursting from the plastic which lies hidden beneath so many waterways, she has a new power.

The reflection the greened Siem Reap River affords was unexpected. Perhaps the deepest pleasure comes watching everyone coming down the street do a double take, stop to look, ask, take photos, show their grandchildren. Woohoo!!! Cambodian people are getting the link from the powerful traditional icon which the naga is, to the current environmental crises in Cambodia. Seckon's brilliant allusions are easily understood. A naga has appeared covered in plastic to point to us caring more for our environment. Somehow, surely together in true Cambodian style, communities can coalesce - first discussing then changing the way we are living on this beautiful land that is Srok Khmae.

This is my first experience of the life that an artwork of this size possesses... resonating the energies hundreds of people who helped birth her. There is a powerful parallel between the collective focussed work that produced this object, and how we need to really look at and address environmental issues.

Anyway, pls click for more on World Water Day and our page

Short video of the flags being raised in front of FCC Angkor

naga with head...

Flags up at the FCC Angkor

All laid out on the lawn

A man up a tree.
Two men at the bottom of the tree holding the ladder

Seckon and the fish

With the completion of the structure of the naga our attention has turned to the festivities this Saturday night at the FCC Angkor. This evening as the sun set behind this beautiful building, the flags were raised on a cable between two trees

This is the day for a wee celebration

Today Sata made a delicious lunch which we ate in grand relaxation in front of the McDermott Gallery and just across the road from our nagalicious installation. Seckon, Sivann and I dined in fine style on fish soup and rice... mmmmm. Thanks Sata so much for your tireless imagination with the cooking! Best of the best, that's what we've had this past ten days...

Meanwhile...
...we feasted our eyes and hearts on this gorgeous apparition rising from the Siem Reap River. World Water Day is only two days away now, and our naga is ready with her environmental message...

YEAH!!

That's what we're talkin about!!!

Plastic Island.. not quite Fantasy Island

I just stumbled across this article on The Independent site... plastic is a problem that is not going to go away.

Our "Jiengs"

I just have to give a nod and huge *ThankYou* to the guys who have been staying at Darryl's house with us, who have tirelessly worked with us, for longer days than twelve hours can measure.... to tie 40 strings of nylon to each bone... that is 250 bones!

Together we have shared the experience of watching the Naga take shape, the moments of near-despair at the size of the task given the timeframe, the great food cooked together at home, the exhaustion of starting work before 7 and finishing late evening every day, the joy as people arrived to help and lend a hand cup-cupping (stapling) and cutting plastic.

Together we now see our naga taking on a new form in the river, and we can see she will send a clear environmental message for World Water Day 2008 - that we cannot continue to use so much plastic and throw it without a second thought to our waterways without problems.

And nothing will make them happier than seeing their shots on the internet .. so here they are for all the world to see... and Seckon and I thank you guys for lending us your energy and goodness.

*MWAH!!*

Sata and Sivan in great hilarity as we move more of the finished Naga portions to the river adjacent to the FCC Angkor. Sort of drowning in white fluff, aren't they?!

This piece is for the front of the Naga on its chest. There seems to always be something round, decorative and flowery on a Naga's chest. This time it is the design of Sata, assisted by some of our volunteers. Looking gorgeous!

Now our piles of leftover plastic have flecks of gold. Amazing to think that 150 kg of recycled plastic was only just enough for our Naga! The past couple of days we have been trawling through our pile of ends and rubbish to find pieces big enough to cut and staple!

Sata is making these fabulous woven plastic bags... and today he made a bag tree!!

Take me to the river, wash me in the water...

She is stunning against the backdrop of the FCC. The movement gives her life somehow. under Darryl's house feels empty and lonely as we move her to the river and put her in place.

These men live near the great Tonle Sap Lake, and have many years' experience driving bamboo into the lakebed - strong enough to support even houses. The Naga is in good hands.

We hadn't figured on such a beautiful reflection..
I guess many things will come to light we didnt expect as the naga takes on a life of its own as a work of art.

watch the naga being put up on the river

Thanks to our sponsors

Many thanks firstly to our major sponsor, ANZ Royal. It was exciting to see the ATM screen yesterday! Soon all ATM receipts will also show the publicity design for the Naga. Thankyou ANZ.

Thanks also to the WWF who sponsored the cost of the Rattan, from their Sustainable Rattan Harvesting and Production Project. The form of the rattan is very beautiful... combined with the flowy lines of nylon and the plastic batting in the breeze the Naga will be stunning.



We are so happy that the MRC support the Naga project in celebration of World Water Day 2008. Please look at their website for more on their important work across the Mekong countries.

***BIG *** Thanks to all our volunteers

final day of constructing

An army of people turned up this morning, from Angkor College, Angkor Association for the Disabled, and the CWCC. You guys have all been so amazing... and I promised to put your pics on the internet so here goes...

The Makara

Makara: A water or sea monster with the head of an elephant, who, in ornamentation, often disgorges the naga. The Makara has fangs and a trunk, with the body of a crocodile and the trunk of an elephant.

These are the flags which will hang in front of the FCC Angkor as part of the exhibiton and festivities celebrating the Naga Installation. The Makara, which is red (see below in the elephant dream story), is a mythical water creature.

Great systems, great community energy, great day on Sunday

Seckon talking to Angkor College students after their great efforts Sunday morning

"Churning of the Sea of Milk"- inspired.

Perhaps we could say our guys are a choice selection of the 54 deva... Perhaps a modern day re-enactment of the Churning of the Sea of Milk with the Naga King named "Vasuki".

The one whereThe Rubbish Project people go quietly crazy after being too closely involved with plastic for too many days in a row

once a man had a dream...

...in the dream a large ocean came against him, like a tsunami wave. He couldn't stand against it and was helpless with the force of the water, which threatened to drown him.

As he was losing hope an elephant came to him in the water and rescued him

these past weeks we have been discussing the dream, looking for and waiting for the elephant. Especially earlier this past week, when we felt like the task of making the naga was too big for the timeframe we had, we asked each other, where is our elephant?

.. and then we realised we have our elephant!

and it's all going to be so fine.

well we have gone from a mountain of "pdao" (rattan) to being able to imagine it all done. Seckon keeps marvelling that what started as a joke is now being made! "Maybe I want to put a naga in the Siem Reap River- 200m long!"

Looks like the naga in this banner has grown a fishtail!

Lina is our official photographer. He has a great eye already - Lina - do you like my photo??

Vann, of Rajana arrived last night... welcome nuther set of hands!

and they are coming back this afternoon yehhaaaaa!

Angkor College students - *thank you *!!!

They brought their gorgeous selves to help this morning and we completed SIX pieces of the naga in one morning - amazing. And they are coming back this afternoon! That'll be several kilos of Play Mien required, and several big boxes of staples!!!

Info on Naga provided by Darryl Collins

Naga in Cambodia: mythical water serpents

The naga appears in many forms. The serpents may be specially named such as Ananta, the mythical ‘sleeping couch’ for the reclining god Vishnu; or Mucilinda, the multi-headed coiled serpent that shelters Buddha.

In Khmer representations, this mythic multi-headed serpent (with 3, 5, 7 or 9 heads) has long been associated with water and its benefits and is symbolically the guardian of prosperity, and treasures. It is a common motif in many temples, where it decorates the entrance balustrades, bridges, moats and reservoirs.

The ‘naga’, for example is not only associated with creation myths of Cambodia, but is also the serpent that shielded the Buddha whilst he meditated, raising him from floodwaters by utilising the coils of its body. This serpent also operates in local folk beliefs as a protector of buildings (usually from fire), due to its association with water, and is frequently found in a stylised form as finials at the ridge ends of roofs.

An ancient inscription from Bat Chum ascribes a certain sanctity to the waters of the Siem Reap river by stating that “with the exception of the sacrificial priest, no-one may bathe in the waters ... born at the summit of the holy mountain of Mahendra’, while an 11th century inscription at Kbal Spean describes it as the ‘torrent of Rudra, river of Siva, this Ganga.” In another reference, the legendary ruler Preah Thong is cured of leprosy by the holy waters of the Siem Reap river identifying him with the equally legendary Khmer Leper King (Sdach Kanlong).

More recently, the ecological habitats associated with the Tonle Sap Lake - an enormous body of water south of the town, have drawn naturalists and scientists to study its wildlife. This lake regulates a flow of water that reverses the Tonle Sap river and ultimately feeds into the Mekong river at Phnom Penh. The lake itself is an important breeding ground for fish, a major source of protein in the Cambodian diet. Flooded forest wetlands have become a focus for eco-tourism aficionados.

Naga from Oudong Gha.464
wood
Collection: National Museum of Cambodia
photo: Nguon Sophal©

Forty students from Angkor College have joined us this morning which saw us running to buy more staplers and scissors! I should be counting how many thousands of staples and plastic squares!!

Watching the workshop volunteers become involved with the naga is fascinating. For all of us, as something we are making corporately takes shape, we relate to that object, it moves us, it seems alive somehow. For me, I am enthralled by the beauty of the naga, with how different it looks at all times of the day. She has spirit, personality. And come World Water Day she will not only appear on the Siem Reap River as a beautiful artwork, she will also deliver a clear environmental message.

nightlight

aesthetically pleasing

shoes with plastic

Naga workshop is gaining momentum!

Saturday saw a lot of people join our workshop under Darryl's house. First a team of ANZ employees - ANZ Royal are our major sponsors. Thanks so much!

In the afternoon an army or lovely staff from Amansara Hotel arrived by van and gave their all for several hours. We are very grateful to Amansara for joining with us wholeheartedly in the making of the naga, and also providing technical support for lighting.


Quite a few young people are loving clipping plastic onto the nylon; cutting the plastic lengths for the naga skin. One group of young women is coming early and leaving late. Every day Seckon gives them a song and we hope today they will give us one!

The flags

Our group of fulltime volunteers are really enjoying watching the naga taking form.. exciting for some to visit Angkor for the first time. We are eating very well, too!

The more we work with the plastic the more familiar we become with its anatomy, its properties, with how to work with it. Gotta love this last shot!

today we got to playing

A little singing and silliness took us a long way today... replenished our energies and then I saw what happens when the sun goes down behind the Naga!..... Sata again!

singing...

This afternoon we got to singing songs... We had the lovely AAD and CWCC people again today - thanks to all of you SO much for coming to hlep us day after day. We do appreciate it so very much.

Banners and Bamboo

Well after feeling slightly despondent this morning (due to the amount that has to be done to make this thing 200m long in the time we have left) we are this evening ecstatic because two thirds of the bamboo posts have been driven into the riverbed!!! And two of the banners are up along the river near the FCC (which can be seen in the above photo).

Night and morning

Those of us staying at Isana are becoming quite involved with the Naga. She is taking shape, and with that process she is taking on her own personality.

We are working hard to get this all done in time. This means working at night.. this means Seckon going to two schools this morning to see if they are interested to join, this means trying to find hands that will clip staples wherever we can find them.

Rajana staff today will join us, and other friends will travel from Phnom Penh to give us their hands. If you're in the area call us! 012 683040

when night fell we were amazed... it looks so beautiful

Sata's book

Sata turned up yesterday from PP, with this book made from rubbish. he has been working at Stung Meanchey with the kids at the dump school. Seckon had been wishing we had a camera the day we went, but now we have something better... people should not have to be so close to toxic rubbish.

heads up

It's looking sooo beautiful

It's looking beauifuller and beautifuller. We are so thankful to all the people coming each day becasue it is going to be a stretch to finish 200 m of nagalicious naga....

The Naga on YouTube

We will now upload small videos onto YouTube.

The first one is Seckon speaking about the Naga.



I'm not sure yet how to save videos smaller from my camera, so if anyone has ideas pls email to me or leave a comment

Enjoy...

Thanks again guys for showing up and lending us a hand.. please come back any hour of the day or night! We'll be there, probably still stapling plastic onto that gorgeous naga form!

Sata

Sata thanks so much for coming to join us, giving us your gentle wonderful energy - you are so talented!

the artist

Leang Seckon

Isana

Thankyou so much for opening your home to us. It's a gentle space, giving us energy for a task that still feels very big. We are so enjoying your beautiful garden, your home and your warm hospitality - of course always with peppermint tea ...

Sata stringing one of the heads with nylon,
onto which will be stapled the handcut plastic squares.

Last night we were so HAPPY to welcome four gorgeous Youthstar people, who came after their dinner to staple plastic for more than two hours.. and say they will be back tonight! You are so welcome, and we are always struck with the utter professionalism and goodwill of any Youthstar people we come across. Anybody in Siem Reap area who wishes to join please just call us.

We are busy... yesterday we worked all day then after dinner.. stopping exhausted at ten pm. But everyone is, in true Cambodian style, throwing themselves into the task with humour and enjoying doing this great project together. It is a privilege.

Seckon strung up the heads - all ready for plastic! Borei and Sata carried on, along with Somoeun, expertly and carefully making sure each nylon was taut and evenly spaced. They are going to be perfect!

Aesthetically pleasing

We are quite stunned at the beauty of the Naga already. The Rattan structure is light, and the nylon and plastic adds nothing much, and with the breeze she sways and twitters

Thankyou so much to these lovely students from Build Bright University in Siem Reap... they turned up yesterday with their effervescence and raised our spirits right when we were realising how long 200m is, and how much surface area there is when the diameter of the ovals is 1.3m and there are 40 nylon strings to have plastic stapled on... Thanks so much, hope you like these pics!

Thankyou AAD so much for bringing your lovely people to help cut plastic... you guys are FANTASTIC! And we can't wait to see you walk your Trash Fashion in the show on the 22nd of March...

Each oval "bone" is strung together with about 40 nylon lengths, the bones must be exactly 4.1m apart ... oh yes... and onto every length is stapled, with two or preferably three staples, pieces of plastic which have been cut.... quite something, this Naga.

photos... Naga arriving on the truck!

It was quite something... the big truck took a whole day to get here with our Naga bones... then it got as far as Wat Damnak but could not turn the tight corner. Everything had to be moved onto a smaller truck and brought down to Darryl's house, at the end of a small lane.

Angkor Association for the Disabled

Thankyou to the AAD who have sent a team of seven of their members today to cut plastic and generally lend a hand with the naga.

AAD are quite famous for a fabulous dance fashion show they were a part of last year in conjunction with Epic Arts, called Celebrating Differences. Frank Schlichtmann made a really gorgeous short film about it. Last year Frank made a DVD of looping images for The Recycled Fashion Show. We are really happy that it will be projected onto the wall of the building the evening of the World Water Day party.

The AAD team will join our fashion show for the 22nd March with new costumes they are designing this week from trash! So great to have you all working with us.

the rattan has arrived!!!

It's all activity and hives and bees at Darryl's house. This afternoon the Rattan arrived.. the bones of our naga. It's looking beautiful... now we just need to make it.

I have that familiar feeling of community energies coming together.

Tonight we met with FCC to discuss details of the party on the 22nd. They have been very generous to sponsor a party for World Water Day, with accompanying exhibition to celebrate the installation of the Naga in the Siem Reap River right in front of the FCC. You can read more about it here.

The CWCC have some clients who will come to help tie long nylon between the bones, and then to staple the plastic over... our first estimates were that we'd need 16km of nylon. Many thanks to CWCC for helping.

Our workshop started today! Peppermint tea and biscuits for everyone cos cutting plastic is hard work... Seckon travelled to Roluos to talk bamboo posts with people who are driving them into the lakebed all the time (read: they know what to do about that!). We'll need around 50 we think, from which the naga will be suspended.

Iceberg

It's going to be a beautiful Naga.
We are in Siem Reap, waiting for the Rattan naga bones to arrive tomorrow morning.

We found this lady, who has a business selling recycled plastic to Vietnam.
She is excited about the Naga. There are a lot of businesses like this in Cambodia - recycling is good money. The bags are cleaned somehow and packed into compact bales like this one, then sold onto somewhere inVietnam where it is recycled.

The amount of plastic in the world is amazing.
Going to the Stung Meanchey dump.

While everything is breaking down the plastic lives forever.
It has some kind of godlike quality which defies normal processes.

In fact the dump is quite a beautiful place!
It takes you certainly to another place in your head.

Plastic fantastic.

Deadly place... every year people are killed and injured working close to the trucks.

Toxic place...
skin chemicals sky big
big wide sky
blue beautiful
grey breaking downness
muddy roads
-it rained last night while we were at seckon's opening-
how can we just be allowed to drive onto this mountain?
masks and landcruisers
recycling businesses and dump restaurants
children are here

amazing
people close to the toxic land

Arts Eco Forum

"As a community we are forced - more than ever - to consider the natural environment around us. Within this context, how are artists engaging with ecological issues and the natural environment? Australian cultural worker Bernice Childs will share examples of recent case studies from Australia and then open the forum for Cambodian and International artists to share their work. Hopefully this dialogue will be the beginning of future collaborations between artists and curators based in Australia and Cambodia.

Bernice Childs is one of Australia’s leading community cultural development workers, with over thirty years of experience."

Delightful Bernice held an arts-eco forum last week at cafe Living Room. Very interesting. We were there, along with a few artists and other interested people. I'm sure more discussion around the environment will continue in the arts community.

Hi Majesty has a website which we would like to recommend, you can see it here

We are so thankful to Your Majesty, King Norodom Sihamoni, for your letter supporting the Naga installation and the Rubbish Project.

We hope that your Majesty will love the end result of our project.

Thankyou so much

Leang Seckon and Fleur Smith

A letter of support from His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni, dated 7th March 2008

the Naga, sponsored by the WWF's Sustainable Rattan Harvesting and Production Project

The Sustainable Rattan Harvest and Production Project of the WWF

We are sooo excited to be associated with the WWF
Last year WWF allowed us to use their logo; came up with small funding and were so lovely to join with us in the Recycled Fashion Show (here you can read their report about it).

When we approached them this year to see if they would like to be involved with us again for the Naga, they told us of their Sustainable Rattan project. At that stage we were planning to make all the "bones" of the Naga from Bamboo, but their powers of persuasion were such we decided to join with them and make the Naga from rattan! We are working with one of their partners to develop the Naga bones. We feel very happy to promote this project. Rattan is a great source of sustainable income as the rattan market in Cambodia is steadily strengthening each year.

in the news

aaaaand we are in the Sin Chew Daily (if you can read Chinese and here if you like to translate by goodle))

We are now offical! You can find us on the Siem Reap town website

Things are moving along so well.. Today we will travel again to Russey Chroy to see the bones of the Naga coming together

Fleur and Seckon

news...community spirit ..

We are soooo excited!! Last year when we organised the Recycled Fashion Show our experience very much was of that wonderful Phnom Penh community spirit coming together to make something very special happen, all with the aim of raising awareness of environmental issues in Cambodia.

This year as you know we will install the Naga on the Siem Reap River for World Water Day on 22 March. It's an ambitious project, that's true. But we are having the same sense of everything coming together and it is only because people are often so LOVELY and show Imagination and Generosity!

This week we are thrilled to have secured the ANZ Royal as our major sponsor. Many thanks to the ANZ for their great support of the Naga. Though they have been operating in Cambodia a few short years, they are already well known for their support of community projects.

Just today we also had other good news - The Mekong River Commission supports the Naga Queen project in celebration of World Water Day 2008. With the mighty Mekong being a living vein running through this country we are sooo delighted the MRC have joined with us for World Water Day.

And the World Wildlife Fund have a rattan project from which all the rattan for our Naga will come. The WWF were so lovely to us last year- especially seeing as Seckon and myself basically cold-called them, explaining our hopes for the Recycled Fashion Show. We must have seemed kind of crazy!

Seckon and I went to Siem Reap a couple of weeks ago, making connections, talking to people and happily FAO (the Food and Agriculture Organisation) and the Angkor Holiday Hotel have also given us donations!

And all this would be only less fabulous were it not for the lovely FCC Angkor who are true rockstars and are throwing a PARTY for the installation of the Naga, 6:30pm on the evening of 22 March, World Water Day.

Radio Free Asia

Click here to read an online article by Radio Free Asia, about the Naga

Auction Thanks

The Art Auction was a great night!! You can see the Expat-advisory photogallery here

Many thanks to everyone who came, supported, gave and bought art!

The auction was a splendiferous success, raising over $3000 towards the cost of the Naga. Once again we see the warmth of spirit of our community here in Cambodia, and we are looking forward to seeing the Naga on the Siem Reap River March 22!

The Mekong Times published this in Friday's issue...

The naga and flags

This is SEckon's latest painting ... inspired of course by his imaginings of World Water Day with the Naga (here made from leather in shadow puppet style) in front of the five flags he made. The flags will hang in front of the FCC Angkor for our celebrations on 22 March.

Queen Naga

news

Jinja has kindly added us to his flickr

We are very busy getting ready for the auction and so far have some beautiful works donated by fabulous artists with generous hearts... thanks Sopheap for this lovely painting

We are back!!!
Please join us if you are in town

Leang Seckon's creation, photos by Vandy Rattana

beautiful photos by Vandy Rattana .. better late than never seen

pics Youthstar sent to us

Seckon forgot to wear a nice shirt to the Prey Veng Youthstar celebrations... but hey, guess he can get away with that - it's the Rubbish Project after all!

It didn't stop him making a great impromptu speech at Chea Klang district and also in Mebon where he talked to students who had spent many hours dreaming up lovely things to make with objects which otherwise would be discarded. We are hoping to link up the people who made the blue straw smoks with Rajana Association, who sell things made by countryside-based producers.

and moooooore

More Inspiration from Prey veng Youthstar

This says Baritarn jia jivit or the Environment is life.

All these objects were made by the youth clubs in the two villages.

A Youthstar volunteer has been living in each village for the past year .. they have been teaching khmer and english, and running these youth clubs. There was such a beautiful atmosphere among the people in each place - they had obviously bonded into a cohesive unit.. and there was very little litter lying round.... GO YOUTHSTAR VOLUNTEERS!!!!!

And go the Rubbish Project...

More pictures from Prey Veng and Youth Star's celebrations yesterday. The blue "smok" is made of straws. The lei or ceremonial necklace is made of fine cuttings of noodle packets. So many things can be made from rubbish becoming almost unrecognisable as they live again!

The students in Prey Veng did their own take on the Recycled Fashion Show... GORGEOUS!! Folded recycled straws, old paper and plastic, and found objects from their environment formed these gorgeous outfits which were modeled in style. Posters showed the environmental education component of the volunteers' work.

It's been a while, and Youthstar in Prey Veng

We have been not blogging for a while!

After the fashion show we took a break; Fleur went to NZ for winter with her family, Seckon has been working hard producing gorgeous works, having exhibitions, Dy Saveth is also working on new projects.

We are under way talking with people about our ideas for 2008 and getting EXCITED!! ... but now for something completely different which blew us away yesterday out in Prey Veng Province, a couple of hours east of Phnom Penh.

www.youthstarcambodia.org invited us to attend two of their celebrations in Prey Veng Province - in Chea Klang and Mebon Districts. A couple of months ago we went to talk to the Youthstar volunteers about The Rubbish Project and showed them photos of The Recycled Fashion Show. They were so inspired by Seckon's talk about the environment and what we have been doing, that 10 of the volunteers took our ideas to their projects in the villages they have been living in.

Have a look at www.youthstarcambodia.org for more details of their excellent work. It was so moving for Seckon and me to be there yesterday, and to soo young people taking their lead in their community talking about environmental issues.

Just having trouble uploading pics so willl post this and try again

GORGEOUS BROLLIES from the Show

more pics

we did it!!

Poster

dress rehearsal, 2 days to go

we are all so excited.... 2 days to

go and the show is going to be amazing!

8pm at Elsewhere, #175 Street 51

FREE ENTRY!

bannertastic

thanks to a very community-minded individual who facilitated the making of the beautiful banner at the top of the page and simply emailed it to me.

... trying to figure out how to use it now!!...

you know who you are and thankyou so very much... sending you all a

virtual bunch of flowers!

Java exhibition - thanking Dana Langlois

Thankyou Dana for suggesting we use your space at Java Cafe and Gallery (56E1 Sihanouk Blvd for the best bagels in the world). It is a thrill to see our rubbish lamps up there, and a few entries for the Competition - now less than a week away.

Thursday night we threw a little party so all the people who had made the exhibits could come see them, and we had a great presentation by Kora of Community Sanitation and Recycling Organisation, CSARO about their work. We are trying to showcase the work of CSARO this year, as they are a most excellent local NGO. this is a place you can buy GOOD COMPOST!!

All the organising for the show next week is building and building and we have had so many people helping, and giving and seen so much community spirit. It's really a joy to see the best of the Phnom Penh love coming out.

Slight problem is that the rains are pouring down.... last few days for hours.... everyone who has influence over the weather please wield it!

more pics from Vandy Rattana

Seckon and Dy Saveth explaining the workings of the competition. Shot of the lamps after the workshop by Bronwyn Blue of I-Ching.

Bronwyn thanks so much - you really inspired us all to make beautiful lamps... and they will hang
in the trees of Elsewhere on the night ...

More photos of the lamp workshop, this time by photographer Vandy Rattana

we have a diverse group of people participating in Bonghain Mode Samram - abuse survivors, staff of Rajana (a local handicrafts NGO), artists and musicians and some expats. About 40 people attended this meeting for participants and interested people.

Belle, who is a traditionally trained modern dancer, will perform a dance at the Bonghain Mode Samram fashion show, along with her musician friends. They are designing her costume and are constructing traditional Khmer instruments completely from rubbish for this performance.

MORE gorgeous vamp lamps!

We were so grateful that Phnom Penh based photographer Vandy Rattana came to the workshop and brought his camera! Thanks so much Rattana for giving us these beautiful shots!!

moooor lamps...

VAMP LAMPS

We had a workshop last weekend, with all our participants for the bonghain mode samramfashion show. The ever-fabulous Bronwyn, of i-ching decor http://www.ichingdecor.com/ had us making lamps from Rubbish and here are some of the results

a rubbish story

Once upon a time there was a Cambodian artist by the name of Leang Seckon.

He grew up in the Prey Veng countryside, singing the songs of the 60s and hearing and telling old khmer stories as he and his friends made plays to amuse themselves while watching their fearless buffaloes.

One day, when he was older, he had the chance to travel along the feted

Stung Sangker River, which he had imagined all his life. He was shocked to find that the entire length of this celebrated river was covered in plastic, even up in the trees,

as the water had recently risen and fallen. What will happen to all the fish in the river? What will happen to all the rivers in my Cambodia, if we throw plastic into the water?, he thought.

Seckon was already interested in environmental issues, making art pieces and collages from found objects and rubbish. So, not long after this journey along the Stung Sangker, he started talking about an idea with his friend Fleur, and The Rubbish Project was born.

Seckon and Fleur imagined they and their friends could organise artsy events to raise awareness of environmental issues in Cambodia. Soon they were joined by the iconic and gorgeous

movie star Dy Saveth, and the rugged smooth singing star Zono. In fact the more they talk about this project they find more people are enthusiastic to join.

The next event will be Bonghain Mode Samram,

a fashion design competition where all entries are created from rubbish, or found objects.