Artisans & People
CHHUN Kimlen:
26 years, Guest Relation Manager.
I started working at Khmer Ceramics in 2019. I used to work as an English teacher before and at that year I was feeling that it’s time to make some changes in my life. Starting to work in the Centre was the change that my soul was craving.
At the beginning I knew nothing about “ceramics”, I thought it’s connected to Dental Service. Day by day I was learning more and more about ceramics, production and Khmer Culture. I even learnt to do ceramic pots myself. I realized that it’s an extremely complex art and I’m delighted with the products we make.
For me every day is full of pleasant events.
CHHUN Kimlen:
26 years,
Guest Relation.
I started working at Khmer Ceramics in 2019.
For me every day is full of pleasant events.
MANN Toeuk:
32 years,
Pottery Teacher & Clay Sculpture.
I was born with a disability (deaf), and although I could barely hear …
SEK Theum:
32 years,
Pottery Teacher.
I am from Battambang Province, was born deaf and could not hear or speak…
CHOUB Hun:
37 years,
Glazing Specialist.
I was born in a small town in Thailand in 1985. During the years I learnt a lot about Khmer Culture, local carvings and ancient khmer language.
ENG Ythor:
29 years,
Accountant.
In 2013 I was receiving my Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting. In 2013 I was receiving my Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting.
MEAN Sreyleak:
30 years,
Guest Relation Stock Controller.
In 2014 I’ve just finished the University and was searching for a job. Our team creates a delightful atmosphere of friendship, kindness and support.
NOEB Panha:
32 years,
Production Director.
I learned the basic at pagoda school, following Monks teaching. I work with my heart, I love every piece we do and can see the soul that me and my colleagues put in every piece.
CHENG Ulinda:
22 years,
Multidisciplinary Expert.
I’ve loved playing with clay since I was a child. I’m grateful for every day at my work. I do arts, communicate with amazing people. I feel truly connected to my culture and people.
SOM Darith:
32 years,
Producing clay & pouring ceramics.
I always felt a deep connection with the Earth. I consider it a real art to create clay that will live long-long years after firing just from the dirt that we source in Kampong Thom.
PALL Sinath:
42 years,
Smoothing the Shapes and Glazing.
As I started working in Khmer Ceramics I was really surprised to see glazed ceramics. That’s amazing to feel part of something bigger and see the results of my job in real life.
SOEUN Oun:
27 years,
Prototyper, Pottery Teacher.
I was born in … and by the will of fate fully deaf-mute. I feel that I found the perfect place.
MEAN Polly:
21 years,
Pottery Class Teacher.
From childhood I had a dream of speaking English fluently. I feel like we are teaching each other: I teach them pottery, they teach me about the world.
HORM Sokmaly:
28 years,
Pottery Class Teacher.
I was born with a speech impediment that made it difficult for me to communicate with the people around me. Then I attended …
37 years, Glazing Specialist.
I was born in a small town in Thailand in 1985. At that time there were special organizations, who helped Cambodians who immigrated to Thailand during Pol Pot’s Regime to return back to their motherland. So at the age of 6 me and my family arrived back home.
As I grew up I started working as a cooker in one of the local Hotel Restaurants. One day I decided to quit and was searching for a new working place. By coincidence, I’ve seen an advertisement on the street that Khmer Ceramics is hiring.
First, I started as a packager and slowly moved up the career ladder. After packaging, I started to make molds for ceramics, then I was rolling slabs for ceramics plates. With time I started to make attempts to work with glazes. The Director noticed that I have a natural talent for glazing and from that time that’s what I’m doing. I really like the process and it’s such a fulfilling feeling when you take the fired pieces out of the kiln and can enjoy the result. During the years I learnt a lot about Khmer Culture, local carvings and even some ancient khmer language.
CHOUB Hun:
MEAN Polly:
21 years,
Pottery Class Teacher.
From childhood I had a dream of speaking English fluently. I feel like we are teaching each other: I teach them pottery, they teach me about the world.
ENG Ythor:
29 years, Accountant.
In 2013 I was receiving my Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting. One of my friends already was working in Khmer Ceramics and she recommended me to apply for the position of Accountant. I was accepted. The first thing I noticed was the community. Everybody is always so friendly and caring. With time, I started to understand ceramics and the idea of Reviving the Ancient Heritage of Cambodia and its culture. For me I see the quality of the products, the way each item is produced and it makes me feel proud of the place I work in.
30 years, Guest Relation Manager & Stock Controller
In 2014, I’ve just finished the university and was searching for a job. I was recommended to come to Khmer Ceramics and ask if they had a position for me. I was lucky.
When I started working in the Centre I knew nothing about ceramics. I remember my first time trying to experiment with clay, it was an unforgettable feeling of being able to create anything I can imagine with clay.
Now I’m working as a Guest Manager, meeting guests and helping them to feel comfortable at the Centre. Sometimes I teach pottery classes. Everyday is magnificent: I meet amazing people from different countries, tell them about the products that reflect the culture of my country and share my love of ceramics. Also, our team creates a delightful atmosphere of friendship, kindness and support.
MEAN Sreyleak:
NOEB Panha:
32 years, Production Director.
I learned the basic at pagoda school, following Monks teaching. I began to work with Khmer Ceramics as a simple seller without background in 2012. I was taught about the skill of Cambodian potter’s. I was and still subjugate by the beauty and magnificence of Khmer original ceramics. The director saw my skill in the ease of communication with people; they offered me the opportunity to be Guest Relation Manager. As I was working as a Guest relation Manager I was learning to do ceramics myself, I was copying the products other potters around me were making. After 2-3 years I started working on the Ceramics Production. Now I control the quality of the products, produce ceramic pieces myself and do the kiln firing. I love the process, I feel like that’s my plant that I’m growing. I work with my heart, I love every piece we do and can see the soul that me and my colleagues put in every piece.
22 years, Multidisciplinary Expert.
I’ve loved playing with clay since I was a child. There is a river in my hometown, where I used to go there everyday to build peculiar creatures from local dirt. At that time I knew nothing about ceramics and how it is made. However as I grew, my interest grew with me. My sister started working in Khmer Ceramics, and I started coming to learn pottery every day after school. I remember that mesmerizing feeling as we were glazing pottery and it was changing colors after the kiln. It felt like a reflection of life, when you follow the recipe, do your best, but at the end you never can fully predict what’s going to happen in the kiln and the result is unpredictable. So… Ceramics always felt like magic to me.
At the age of 18 I finally started working in Khmer Ceramics. Nowadays I do a variety of tasks like developing the designs, controlling the stock, helping with the pottery classes, firing students’ ceramic pieces. I’m grateful for every day at my work. I do arts, communicate with amazing people. I feel truly connected to my culture and people.
CHENG Ulinda:
SOM Darith:
32 years, Producing clay & pouring ceramics.
I always felt a deep connection with the Earth. And when I started working with clay 4 years ago, I suddenly felt so grounded, all my inner world plunged into peace and tranquility.
I really have a deep connection with clay, I understand how to make clay sustainable for ceramics production, what to add and in which proportions.
I consider it a real art to create clay that will live long-long years after firing just from the dirt that we source in Kampong Thom.
42 years, Smoothing the Shapes and Glazing.
As I started working in Khmer Ceramics I was really surprised to see glazed ceramics. In the Floating Village, where I’m from, most of the ceramics aren’t glazed, it’s always the clay color. From my childhood I was considering it to be a lost technology.
I feel really inspired to see Khmer Ceramics reviving the ancient technologies of ceramics production of my motherland and to become part of it. I enjoy the working conditions and my colleagues, who are extremely sympathetic and kind.
Now I’m working on the part that mesmerized me the most at the beginning – glazing ceramics. In addition, I make the final raw forms look smooth, so the final ceramic shapes look perfect. That’s amazing to feel part of something bigger and see the results of my job in real life.
PALL Sinath:
SOEUN Oun:
27 years, Prototyper, Pottery Teacher, Sculptures Designer.
I was born in … and by the will of fate fully deaf-mute. While growing up, I realized it’s not going to be easy for me to find a good job. However one day I was passing on the street and saw an announcement that Khmer Ceramics is looking for workers. I decided to visit the place and it appeared there were other deaf-mute people already working. I felt it was the “sign” and “my journey” began.
At the beginning I knew nothing about ceramic dinnerware production. My colleagues taught me everything and I enjoyed learning new skills. Even now, after 8 years of work, I feel so inspired to learn new things about ceramics and pottery.
Nowadays I mostly develop the prototypes for the production, making molds, designing Wooden Buddhas and Bronze Statues. In addition, I teach pottery classes. Meeting people from all over the globe made me realize that even though we are different, all people have so much in common. And I’m grateful for this experience.
I love the atmosphere of peace that I feel at my job. Here I can fully focus on the process and use my imagination to the maximum. I feel that I found the perfect place.
32 years, Pottery Teacher.
I am from Battambang Province, was born deaf and could not hear or speak. My family was looking for a deaf school for me in Battambang. After I graduated from the school for the deaf, I came to find work in Siem Reap, a beautiful province with a rich history in Cambodia.
As a deaf person, it is not easy to find a job. Coincidentally, one day I met the same deaf person, and we talked about finding a job. He also recommended me to apply here because he also works in this company. When I got a job here, I secured a position as a potter. Over the past 7 years, I have gained a lot of knowledge and experience in pottery. I always share this knowledge with people around me, as well as tourists who visit here.
SEK Theum
MEAN Polly:
22 years, Pottery Teacher.
From childhood I had a dream of speaking English fluently. I was going to English classes, trying to speak and learning how to read. Around half a year ago my friend told me about a position that she thought would fit me perfectly. When I heard about an opportunity to communicate with people who can speak English, that felt like all my dreams were coming true. However I have never done pottery before. At the beginning it was hard, I had to spend hours a day to learn to do ceramic pieces on the pottery wheel. Luckily, my colleagues are genuinely kind-hearted & talented people. They taught me everything, and I continued to practice with a variety of techniques, experimenting with shapes and carvings.
I love meeting new people from different countries. I feel like we are teaching each other: I teach them pottery, they teach me about the world.
28 years, Pottery Teacher.
I was born with a speech impediment that made it difficult for me to communicate with the people around me. Then I attended an organization school where I could communicate with others using sign language and writing. When I started to work at Khmer Ceramics, I was assisting to another potter, because I didn’t know how to make pottery at first. However, my colleague helped me a lot and provided careful training. I practiced every day until I became a skilled potter. I enjoy this skill and love creating new things.
HORM Sokmaly:
MANN Toeuk:
32 years, Pottery Teacher & Clay Sculpture.
I was born with a disability (deaf), and although I could barely hear and speak one word at a time, I attended an NGO school where they taught Khmer and English to the deaf. When I first started working here, I didn’t understand how to make clay dishes, but my colleague patiently explained the process to me. Now, I have acquired a lot of knowledge about creating new and unique shapes and carvings. I genuinely enjoy and appreciate this skill.
31 years, Master Potter.
I’m from Kompong Chnang region, were pottery is a tradition; however technique is very simple and we have forget many of the teaching from our ancestor. This is due of the many years of conflict in our beautiful country. In 2006, I met the founder of the Khmer Ceramics centre in my province; I was immediately fascinated by the idea to revive the art and knowledge of my own ancestors.
The founder had made many researches about our techniques and knows many things that we forget; he was also very attentive to my knowledge, and I bring him some pieces of the puzzle to reconstruct our big family of potters. I decided to follow the crew to Siem Reap were things are happened, and it was a great decision. I’m a part of this wonderful project, and the revival of ceramics come through my hands; each single day I teach to trainees and have the opportunity to seed the future of the great art of Ceramics in Cambodia. I have since build my family, in fact I realize my dreams here!
SENG Roeut:
ORM Kompheak:
34 years, Prototype Designer.
I do not had the chance to go at school, we just learned how to read and write at home. When I began to work, we were thinking about feed our family, no matter about the work we do. I saw a job posting on the road, and I joined the Khmer Ceramics Team in 2006. At the beginning, it was a work like another, just with better working standard. Step by step, I grow, started to understand and like what I was doing. It made me alive, I really discovered another way to live. From simple handy worker, I learned the skill of prototyping, learned how to carve, the different matters, how to use them, very exciting things My family life also completely changed, I increased our financial incomes which is good; however my biggest benefit was that I constructed myself, and discovered how important each of us is. It is good for all my family to live in security.
32 years, Clay Technician.
I started to work very young; we do not have the opportunity to go at school. At this time the peace was not fully settled in Cambodia people were very poor due to this conflict situation. We live few hundreds of meters from Angkor Wat which was for us a simple temple; I was not aware about the magnificence of our culture.
I discovered my own culture through the work at Khmer Ceramics, we are teach about what our ancestors done, and how they done it. It is really a down to earth experience, as working with Khmer Ceramics gives us a good living standard, due to the good working conditions. On the other part we learn a lot regarding our culture. I’m very proud to participate at the revival of my own culture. We must maintain this very well as our knowledge is traditionally transmitted by teaching our own experience to trainees. We really have a future in here and we can build our family I a secure environment.
TUOCH Sayon:
THOIT Sokphar:
36 years, Potter.
I was raised in the temples of Angkor, in Angkor Kroy village, when tourist begin to come for visiting our Angkor Temples I spend my days try to sell them some bracelet we done at home. I’m the older daughter of our family, so I always looking for ways to earn living to feed our family. It was a little hard to see and work in the temples build by our ancestors knowing nearly nothing about our history, our roots.
I found a job with good condition at Khmer Ceramics, so I take it. I was totally amazed by what I discovered in here! I began to be really passionate about our culture. I devoted myself in this passion, I was also released from the financial pressure to feed my family as condition in here are exceptional. I worked full time on the revival of Cambodian porcelain with our master and work on the conception of Artisan’s collection.