As a younger generation of Cambodians begins to embrace and celebrate their recent past, they face a new war – that of foreign investment and development that often favors dollar signs and the wrecking ball over preservation and education.
Established in 1908, Kep-sur-mer, as it was known during French occupation, sits 152 km south of Phnom Penh and 24 km west of the Vietnamese border overlooking the Gulf of Thailand. Less visited than it's hedonistic neighbor Sihanoukville, and smaller than nearby Kampot, present day Kep is an easy-going jungle-meets-ocean village. There is an aura about Kep that exudes relaxation; and perhaps this has always been it's allure as a vacation destination of the past. Or, perhaps it is Kep's past that makes the present day town so charming. Unique to Kep are it's villas – modernist relics which number around 100 – abandoned, crumbling, overgrown and wild. Playful with their referencing of early modernism, one can easily spot the Bauhaus, Neutra and Corbusian influence; but unique to Kep, such influence has been blended with functional adaptations to Cambodia's climate and traditional Angkorian heritage. Some of the villas are unmistakable to visitors, easily spotted along the singular main road that runs through the town, while others are more elusive, hiding amongst the vines and dense teak forest, perching upon the hillside.
The villas in Kep were constructed between 1953 and 1970. During this time, Cambodia experienced a golden age of architectural modernism backed wholly and aggressively by the late King Father Sihanouk who ruled Cambodia after the French seceded power. The movement was led by the Cambodian and ENSBA (Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris) trained Vann Molyvann and lesser lauded Lu Ban Hap. The style, which blended elements of the modern movement with Cambodian tradition, came to be known as New Khmer Architecture. Tragically, the style came to an abrupt end in 1970 when the King was overthrown and the country was plunged into decades of war; first with it's own Khmer Rouge and then Vietnam. Today, however, there is a reviving interest in this era (and the villas) and a call for preservation of the few structures that remain.
For the rest of the article by EVDS alumnus Alexander Doerr on FailedArchitecture.com, click here.
Image by Onno Kaldenberg