In the framework of its holistic approach to education, Passerelles numériques Cambodia (PNC)’s education team and the communication department decided to suggest several activities related to street art to students during the whole month of August. This event was a great success and brought colors to the center!
As part of a busy agenda, students started by learning the fundamentals of street art thanks to a detailed theoretical presentation. Guided by Narith and Adil, the 2 project leaders, students learned all about the history of street art and the different techniques, watched short videos and were able to ask all their questions.
The following weekend, several groups of 25 students visited existing paintings on the walls of Phnom Penh city thanks to a “Street art tour” specifically organized for this project. Elise Durand, Education Manager at PN Cambodia, declared:
“Our students mostly come from remote provinces of Cambodia. They are new in Phnom Penh and don’t know much about this fast-developing city in which they will settle after their studies. We are always looking for new occasions to show them around. They have the opportunity to visit museums, cultural centers, etc. The Street art project is also about looking at Phnom Penh with a new angle!”
Students admiring Koy’s artwork and listening to the explanations.
But the peak of the month was definitely the “Street art in my school” event. During two days, PN Cambodia organized an Open Day on its campus. Koy and Davido, 2 growing Khmer artists, joined this event and performed live painting on the walls of the training center. Thomas Corolleur, General Director at PN Cambodia, said:
“It was a great honor for us to welcome Koy and Davido. Street art is booming not only in Phnom Penh but in all Asia, which makes it a great subject to teach our students about, coherent with our continuous desire to extend their curiosity and knowledge to various areas of interest. We believe it will be inspiring for them to gather around these passionate Khmer artists who are both part of the street art movement.”
Students and visitors had an amazing time in a very joyful atmosphere. In addition to the live painting, guided tours of the center and short presentations on street art in English and Khmer were offered to the public. The creative “Graff yourself” workshop had a great success, as everyone had the chance to contribute to a collective artwork soon exposed in the PNC canteen.
And because street art is also about music and dance, PN Cambodia contacted local NGOs to complete the program: Skateistan proposed skateboard, beat-boxing and breakdance performances on Saturday, while Tiny Toones offered a breakdance performance on Sunday afternoon. Finally, Apple, a local professional make-up artist, gave a body painting demonstration and offered face and hands painting to the visitors.
“Street art in my school” saw the light of day thanks to the support of PNC’s local partner Jotun, a world leading manufacturer of high quality paints that protect iconic buildings such as the Eiffel Tower. They played an essential role by sponsoring the paint for our artists, providing for communication expenses, and kindly offering snacks and drinks for the open day. Ronnie Ooi, General Manager of Jotun Cambodia, said:
“Care is one of the core values that Jotun’s success is built upon. We strongly believe in giving help and support to develop our future generation.”
Last but not least, the Street art project ended with two amazing artworks entirely created by the students and painted in PNC’s stairway. As Passerelles numériques is celebrating its 10-year anniversary in 2015, students were asked to create an historical frieze to show the great achievements of PN along the years on one side. On the other side of the stairway, students could offer a creation of their choice. They decided to illustrate a very colorful “Hang” (a kind of swan), a traditional symbol in Cambodia representing happiness, power, success and prosperity but also improvement and progress.
Students working on PN’s historical frieze.
When Passerelles numériques Cambodia talks about education, it goes way beyond classic teaching methods; students learn not only technical skills but also soft and life skills. As said by Elise Durand, with a satisfied smile on her face:
“We strongly believe they are the key to personal development and to becoming a consistent and reliable professional […], the generated sense of creativity is essential; it will be much valued when working on websites or graphic design projects.”