Explore Khmer Design with Design Kompany and guests of the Kbach track of Cojournal, which is an interactive conversation that takes place (mostly) over Telegram, and sometimes also spills over to long-form exchanges we have on email and even calls on Zoom.
Virtual & In Person artists’ residencies are designed for you to get to know the Khmer aesthetic, through immersion or in conversations with other participants. Residencies offer people a chance to rethink their own creative practice and get out of the usual thinking-doing silos. You can find out more about how to engaged with Phnom Penh and Siem Reap 1, 2 and 4-week residency opportunities, over at this page.
Join our Cambodia-based Cojournal to be part of conversations about this aesthetic.
Kbach Zine Club is one track of the Cojournal, which began as a project of Dipika Kohli’s Kismuth books in 2014-15 when Design Kompany’s co-founders found themselves relocating (didn’t mean to, quite) to Phnom Penh. In the years since many diaspora have passed through our digital and real life office spaces, to ask questions about how this was going for us and why we stayed (and stayed and stayed). so much to share, but not in blogs or video blogs, rather, we invite the new and different others to connect in small Telegram spaces. Max 4 per group, so as to host and engage you in more interactive, participatory discussions.
It’s a conversation.
A new prompt every Monday, fashioned from emerging conversations, sets the week up for more dialogues.
This is a way for us to keep the momentum going and flow the discussions towards those places that interest all of the members, in each circle. We can also respond to your requests to gather documentation or other bits and pieces you may need for your research. We can ‘zine’ your academic work into a publication, something we produce regularly is Art & Copy. There are endless possibilities, but it starts with… you.
WHO IT IS FOR. This is a chance to participate from wherever you are in the modern and adapting style of the aesthetics by influencing those who are shaping a new generation’s contemporary Khmer style. It’s fascinating how easily a brand new direction can take shape, just because somewhere someone says something, and elsewhere, another responds. The dialogue is the best part of the creative process, here at DK, and hosting space to facilitate quality communication is what Cojournal aims to do.
Contact us for an application >
Who are we?
Design Kompany is a Seattle-registered LLC. Our World Headquarters is in Phnom Penh, because of the Cambodian aesthetic that you can see typified in the kbach. Patterns and rhythm, ornament: these things are curious to the Western-trained artist. We got here in 2013.
What is ‘Khmer design?
Good question. Getting to know about this aesthetic through osmosis, learning and sharing a little here. There are many scholarly pieces out there and a book that seems to be the authority on this. I found it twice. Once at a nail salon. Once at a Fine Arts university’s library.
You go where you go for inspiration.
Sometimes, you stay where you are.
ក្បាច់ខ្មែរ
Source: https://km.wikipedia.org/wiki/ក្បាច់ខ្មែរ
ក្បាច់ខ្មែរគឺជាក្បួនខ្នាតសិល្បៈមួយដែលបានចែកជាបួនប្រភេទ
- ក្បាច់អង្គរ សម្រាប់លំអជាពិសេសលើសំណង់ធំស៊ីម៉ង់ ឈើ … ពីព្រោះក្បាច់នេះមានលក្ខណៈរឹងមាំ ហើយងាយក្នុងការធ្វើពុម្ព ឬ ធ្លាក់នៅលើផ្ទាំងថ្ម ឈើ….។
- ក្បាច់ភ្ញីទេស សម្រាប់ប្រើនៅលើគ្រឿងតុបតែងសំណង់ និងសម្ភារៈប្រើប្រាស់ដែលគេធ្លាប់នៅលើស៊ីម៉ង់ ប្រាក់ ស្ពាន់ ឈើ …. ឬប៉ាក់ឌិនលើកំណាត់វាំងននលើសំលៀកបំពាក់នាដករ នាដការិនីរបាំផ្សេងៗ ។
- ក្បាច់ភ្ញីវល្លិ៍ ជាក្បាច់សម្រាប់ជំនួយបន្ថែមបំពេញបន្ថែមទៅលឋានរូបភាពផ្សេងៗ ដូចជានៅលើជញ្ជាំងអង្គរវត្តក៏ឃើញមានក្បាច់ភ្ញឺវល្លីនេះបំពេញបន្ថែមលើឋានរូបភាពនេះដែរ ។
- ក្បាច់ភ្ញីភ្លើង សម្រាប់ប្រើក្នុងពិធីបុណ្យផ្សេងៗក្នុងសាសនា និងបុណ្យប្រពៃណី ព្រោះក្បាច់នេះមានលក្ខណៈជាអណ្ដាតភ្លើង ដែលជាគ្រឿងសក្ការៈបូជានិងប្រទីបបំភ្លឺផ្លូវទៅកាន់សុគតិភព។
Kbach
Kbach (Khmer: ក្បាច់) or Khmer ornamentation is made of traditional decorative elements of Cambodian architecture.
While ‘kbach’ may refer to any sort of art-form style in the Khmer language, such as a gesture in Khmer classical dance, kbach rachana specifically refers to decorative ornament motifs.
Kbach are also used in decorating of Cambodian silver crafts, furniture, regalia, murals, pottery, ceramics, stone carving, in a singular artistic expression.
The zine pictured above is Art & Copy, “A June Afternoon”, which was an interview by Dipika Kohli with DC-Cam Director Youk Chhang.
Dialogue with us in Cojournals in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap & Kampot.. To begin, start your membership. Here’s a link.
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