SIENG HAY is our master weaver. Coming from famous Takeo province, the cradle of Khmer silk, Sieng Hay learnt at the age of 8 the art of dyeing and weaving silk from her mother, a master weaver herself. Sieng Hay is excelling in the difficult art of ikat dyeing. Without a master tie-and-dye artisan, there will not be any “pidaan” in Cambodia. She can spend up to one month to tie-and-dye a piece before the silk can be woven. Sieng Hay has been working with us for more than five years. Her sister and in-laws are helping her weave the silk, once it has been dyed. Weaving requires less skills than dyeing.

KHONE is a young weaver and learnt how to weave from her mother. She has not excelled yet in the art of tie-and-dye but is complementing the work of the master dyer. Once the thread is ready, Khone weaves incessantly from sunrise to sunset, making sure the thread aligns properly so that the woven images are precise. She is learning from Sieng Hai the tie-and-dye techniques for pidaan sacred textiles. Though she has not yet mastered this complex art, she can confortably elaborate the simpler patterns which are used for scarves, sampot or other decoration fabrics.

LONG is our master sculptor. Working with us for more than 5 years, he is the one who tries out new designs and pieces. Long will spend about a month to craft a new piece, correct the proportions and it with bee’s wax. The other artisans will follow his guidelines on creating new sculptures.