Rise and Fall - Vuth Lyno

For Riverscapes IN FLUX, I did a week-long residency with a warm, hospitable and generous family in this community as a way to begin to understand the people’s relationship with and dependency on the river. What interested me was this community’s modular and uniquely high stilted housing system that accommodates the natural annual flooding in the rainy season. At this time, the Tonle Sap is forced by the Mekong’s current to reverse direction, thus providing necessary water to the flood plain around the Tonle Sap Lake. During the 2011 floods, Kompong Pluk suffered but was able to cope with the “unnatural” levels of flooding with better flexibility than many surrounding communities. I also was moved by the community's deep connection to Neak Ta, the omnipresent natural spirit that allows harmonious living with the river and forest. My installation reflects both the simple modular structure of their homes and the humble constructions of the spirit houses. Here the sound-scape of the river-scape at Kompong Pluk can be heard - layers of sounds from people’s everyday lives with the water, fishing, storytelling and ceremonial practices for the river spirits.

Curated by: Erin Gleeson

Vuth Lyno




Working primarily with photography and sound, Vuth Lyno, born in Phnom Penh in 1982, is interested in ideas around social transformation and national progress in Cambodia. He obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology in 2007 as well as a Master’s degree in Social Science in 2009 at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia. He is a founding member of the artist collective Stiev Selepak / Art Rebels and director of Sa Sa Art Projects, Phnom Penh. He has organized numerous exhibitions and events in Cambodia, most recently “The Sounding Room” in collaboration with Incidental, UK. His group exhibitions include “14+1” (2007) and “Blue Angels” (2008), both of which were held at the French Cultural Center Gallery, Phnom Penh, and the solo exhibition “Thoamada” (SA SA BASSAC, 2011).