“Sleepy.” “Laid-back.” “An escape from the big city buzz.” Pick up any guidebook and that’s about the limit to which Kampot will be depicted. It’s not untrue of the town: the communal sigh of relief among passengers as the bus rolls in over the tranquil river is often audible. These observations. however, hardly reflect the deeper, richer qualities of the town and its people. Spend a little time here, listen carefully, and soon you will hear and feel a buzz of an altogether unique kind. This is the collective energy of Kampot’s new wave of artists – illustrators, writers, musicians and curators – who, in the past few years, have steadily begun to redefine the town as an all-inclusive, unrestrained, creative mecca.
Having moved to Cambodia in 2013, Kampot-based illustrator and tattoo artist Natalie Phillips has watched as the city has prospered in population and, subsequently, creativity.
“A lot of people are investing in Kampot right now and the art scene seems to be growing along with the town. In the last six months we’ve gotten an art venue (Lightbox gallery), two tattoo shops and a screen-printing studio. Around town in bars and cafes, I’ve definitely met a lot more artists that have recently moved here.”
While population growth is indeed necessary for any cultural “scene” to flourish, it seems Kampot has reached that magic balancing point, at which it now has the capacity to support such subcultures, while retaining the peaceful charm that initially attracted the creatively minded.
Katharina Glynne, founder, curator and events manager at Kampot’s Lightbox gallery has been organising and showcasing art exhibitions and workshops since its conception in mid-2014. Last year’s Made In Cambodia event (featuring performances from Tiny Toones, KlapYaHandz and Skateistan) attracted impressive audiences from both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, significantly accelerating wider recognition of the gallery, as well the artistic potential throughout the town. With infectious passion and enthusiasm, Katharina elaborates on the creative opportunity afforded by Kampot’s current state of developmental equilibrium.
“Kampot has a history of attracting creatives – especially expats – because it’s quiet. It’s been considered for many years as a hideaway for people writing novels or those who prefer spending more time at their canvases than dodging tuk-tuks in Phnom Penh. So I think it’s made a fertile ground for growing an arts scene over the years. But it’s only now that a centralising force is drawing these people together that a community is actually being fostered. What we’re seeing is not just creative individuals working away at their own endeavours, but people collaborating to create and celebrate arts and creativity. What’s really exciting about Kampot is that it’s sort of teetering on the side of development – it’s growing rapidly, but not too much is yet going on. Therein lies the charm of Kampot, but therein lies the opportunity to make something happen.”
And if there’s one name which is synonymous with “making things happen” it’s the multi-tasking, visionary frontman of Cambodian Space Project, Julien Poulson. With his animated imagination on permanent overdrive and several fingers on the pulse, it’s unsurprising that his recent experience in Kampot was enough to spark yet another creative initiative to add to his repertoire.
Julien describes the idea behind his latest baby, Kampot Arts and Music Association, as a platform to “create an umbrella to place many of the arts projects I’m personally involved in. It’s also an opportunity to create a professional association to represent, present and promote local work to the international audience. The idea to set up KAMA in Kampot really leads on from the good experience of working here to create Hanuman Spaceman last year, and I feel the time is right to do this. It will take time to take shape and deliver results, but we’ve got a long-term plan and vision, as well as a great environment to work in.”
Originally planning to workshop, present and premiere the “psychedelic jungle cabaret” Hanuman Spaceman in vocalist Channthy Kak’s remote village in Prey Veng province, Julien said he opted instead for Kampot “because of all the facilities available and our local contacts, including Katharina Glynne, who did a lot of the leg-work ahead of the team arriving. The opportunity to work with Kampot Traditional Music School was also amazing and the results were beyond our initial expectations.”
Julien says it was way back in 2007 when he first noticed the potential in the Kampot arts scene through visiting and learning about the work of Epic Arts, a UK-founded inclusive arts organisation. Having watched the town transform over the years since, Julien remarks, “The place has changed a lot, evolving into a popular backpacker destination with far more hipster types around, Western style cafes and groovy stuff… a great place for a continually developing arts scene, and because of this, attracting all sorts of artists from abroad. Hopefully, this influx will have a positive impact on the local Cambodian artists too, and we’ll see new ideas emerge.”
Indeed, the growth of an arts scene catalysed and maintained by a predominantly Western community raises a number of questions regarding its impact on the local community. Katharina maintains that, so far, her experience of involving and engaging Khmer audiences at music and arts events in Kampot have been nothing but positive.
“One thing that I have noticed with the creative events that Lightbox and others have done, and this whole creative energy that has started to circulate around Kampot, is how well it’s been received. There’s a real energy and excitement towards the cultural happenings that are emerging amongst not just the tourists and the expats, but especially amongst the locals – young, old and everything in between. We’ve had people as young as two years old, all the way through to my neighbour, the grandpa of the neighbourhood who’s hovering somewhere around the late 80s, attend our events with enthusiasm and speak excitedly about the creative energy that seems to be emerging.”
She adds, “What we’ve been especially aware of at Lightbox is that we want to make events accessible, open and approachable, above all, for the Khmer audience, so we’ve always focused on advertising bilingually with images that are clear and appealing, and we’ve found that the flyers are well received.”
Phnom Penh’s well-established French-born street artist Chifumi attests to this observation. Reflecting on his time creating murals in Kampot shortly after painting at the MIC event, he says, “The atmosphere [following MIC] was totally insane, so we absolutely wanted to stay longer in town and paint on the streets. As it is not in Phnom Penh, it was really easy to get permission – dealing with the walls’ owners was no problem. The locals were really friendly and the neighborhood was so nice. All the community and neighbours were pleased to see us there. Local kids were playing around and we quickly became an attraction. As we were painting three days in a row, they started to get to know us and came day by day to check the works’ progress, staying with us for very long periods, just watching.”
By all accounts, Kampot is irrefutably undergoing an artistic revolution of some kind, with positive outcomes for the most part. However, is there a chance that the very draw card of this humble city may eventually lead to its undoing? As Kampot’s laidback, sultry vibe continues to attract more and more creative individuals, this expansion must surely incur some serious long-term implications for the city’s artists, whose income is at least partially dependent on low competition.
Natalie reflects, “The only negative outcome I could see to a larger art scene would be unrealistic expectations – it can be hard to make a living as an artist anywhere in the world. I’m not sure how many creative types the town can support, if that’s your sole source of income.”
Furthermore, as the city’s art scene grows, so too does the population as a whole. Katharina asserts, however, that this is something of which the citizens of Kampot are fully aware and ready to steer in a positive direction, through collaboration rather than competition.
“What myself and quite a few other people in the community recognise is that we have the opportunity for really ethical, positive development in Kampot. We don’t want to turn into the next Sihanoukville – as much as we love Snooky! It’s unlikely though. Kampot is geared towards developing in an artistic and cultural sense. A place where people can come to celebrate alternative events and work together to keep building upon and nourishing the creative community we have created here.”
