Diamond CA&SA
鑽石屋
2016, 2019
Bamboo,Plastic,Plastic String
竹，塑膠布，塑膠繩
35×35×135 cm
竹，塑膠布，塑膠繩
35×35×135 cm
Koh Pich is an island located in the east of Phnom Penh, capital city of Cambodia. It used to be the area settled by the minority ethnic groups and served as the quarantine area for leprosy patients. In 2006, since the Cambodia government reached a development agreement with several investment companies, this island has become a hot spot for Taiwan and China’s construction companies. Their ambition has brought here a huge array of villas and apartments, with replicas of the Arc de Triomphe (Paris) and Marina Bay Sands Hotel (Singapore) springing up at a rapid speed.
The place I’ve stayed in Phnom Penh was quite near Koh Pich. I therefore got a lot of chance to participate in the island’s daily life. People come and leave this island. They could be divided mainly into Chinese construction companies, other foreign real estate buyers, Cambodian construction workers, and the Phnom Penh residents who only show up here when the night market is open. Any trace of the ethnic people or leprosy patients who used to live here could no longer be seen. The newly-built houses are vacant with few residents living in as if it’s a haunted island.
It is interesting that the appearance of local housing on the way from Phnom Penh downtown to Koh Pich has changed obviously since the entering of foreign merchants. Originally, in front of traditional local housing, people used to hang up a “jom-neang-pdtoah”. That is a mini bamboo hut, storing red paper-cut clothes, along with sweet rice cakes as the offering for the wandering ghosts named “Khmos pres”, who are said to be ghosts of children who died prematurely and are eager for the warmth of family. The offering is to provide them a shelter for a short period of time and to pray for the safety of people living in the house. It’s natural that these traditional rituals could still be seen in those newly-built apartments and villas open for foreigner buyers.
Out of deep respect for the local rituals, I’ve ordered custom-made mini “diamond CA&SA (an apartment built by a local Taiwanese construction company)” from a local jom-neang-pdtoah craftsman to offer the wandering ghosts a dwelling on Koh Pich before I left Phnom Penh.
Special thanks to Noun Sovitou
(This is a rough translation of the original in Chinese)
The place I’ve stayed in Phnom Penh was quite near Koh Pich. I therefore got a lot of chance to participate in the island’s daily life. People come and leave this island. They could be divided mainly into Chinese construction companies, other foreign real estate buyers, Cambodian construction workers, and the Phnom Penh residents who only show up here when the night market is open. Any trace of the ethnic people or leprosy patients who used to live here could no longer be seen. The newly-built houses are vacant with few residents living in as if it’s a haunted island.
It is interesting that the appearance of local housing on the way from Phnom Penh downtown to Koh Pich has changed obviously since the entering of foreign merchants. Originally, in front of traditional local housing, people used to hang up a “jom-neang-pdtoah”. That is a mini bamboo hut, storing red paper-cut clothes, along with sweet rice cakes as the offering for the wandering ghosts named “Khmos pres”, who are said to be ghosts of children who died prematurely and are eager for the warmth of family. The offering is to provide them a shelter for a short period of time and to pray for the safety of people living in the house. It’s natural that these traditional rituals could still be seen in those newly-built apartments and villas open for foreigner buyers.
Out of deep respect for the local rituals, I’ve ordered custom-made mini “diamond CA&SA (an apartment built by a local Taiwanese construction company)” from a local jom-neang-pdtoah craftsman to offer the wandering ghosts a dwelling on Koh Pich before I left Phnom Penh.
Special thanks to Noun Sovitou
(This is a rough translation of the original in Chinese)
鑽石島是位於柬埔寨首都金邊東部的島嶼，過去曾經是少數民族的聚居地，同時也被用來隔離痲瘋病患。2006年時柬埔寨政府與華人投資公司簽訂了開發案，目前這座島成為中國與台灣建商進駐的高級地段，包含了多座公寓、別墅，巴黎凱旋門的複製品與新加坡金沙酒店的複製品。
我在金邊的居住地點與鑽石島距離不遠，因此有機會觀察島上的日常生活，島上的人來來去去，由華人建商、外國買家、柬埔寨建築工人，與只在島上夜市開放時才出現的金邊居民組成。鑽石島上已經看不到少數民族與痲瘋病患的生活痕跡，島上蓋滿了嶄新的房子卻少有居住的人，有如一座幽靈之島。
有意思的是，從金邊市區到達鑽石島路上的建築物外觀也因為外國商人的出現而有所不同。在傳統的住家外，通常會懸掛著以竹片製成小房子，小房子底下掛著紅紙裁製的衣服，小房子裡面擺著甜米糕，供養名為「Khmos pres」的無臉遊魂，據信他們是來不及長大的幼孩，因此貪戀家庭的溫暖，供養是為了希望他們有短暫休息的地方，也是為了保佑家宅的安全。這些小房子自然無法在新建且以外國買家為主的公寓與別墅外看到。
於是在離開金邊前，我以鑽石島上台商建設的「鑽石凱薩」公寓做為原形，請當地的小房子匠師參考「鑽石凱薩」住房的規格，製做了一棟給鑽石島上來來去去的幽靈居住的所在。
特別感謝Noun Sovitou
我在金邊的居住地點與鑽石島距離不遠，因此有機會觀察島上的日常生活，島上的人來來去去，由華人建商、外國買家、柬埔寨建築工人，與只在島上夜市開放時才出現的金邊居民組成。鑽石島上已經看不到少數民族與痲瘋病患的生活痕跡，島上蓋滿了嶄新的房子卻少有居住的人，有如一座幽靈之島。
有意思的是，從金邊市區到達鑽石島路上的建築物外觀也因為外國商人的出現而有所不同。在傳統的住家外，通常會懸掛著以竹片製成小房子，小房子底下掛著紅紙裁製的衣服，小房子裡面擺著甜米糕，供養名為「Khmos pres」的無臉遊魂，據信他們是來不及長大的幼孩，因此貪戀家庭的溫暖，供養是為了希望他們有短暫休息的地方，也是為了保佑家宅的安全。這些小房子自然無法在新建且以外國買家為主的公寓與別墅外看到。
於是在離開金邊前，我以鑽石島上台商建設的「鑽石凱薩」公寓做為原形，請當地的小房子匠師參考「鑽石凱薩」住房的規格，製做了一棟給鑽石島上來來去去的幽靈居住的所在。
特別感謝Noun Sovitou
Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 2016
Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 2016
Mini “diamond CA&SA” with a local jom-neang-pdtoah craftsman family , Takeo, 2016