“ARCHAEOLOGISING” HERITAGE? LOCAL SOCIAL PRACTISE VS. GLOBAL VIRTUAL REALITY

International Workshop about Angkor/Cambodia 2-4 May 2010 Name: Olivier CUNIN Affilation: Associate researcher of the Research Center in Architecture and Engineering (C.R.A.I. - F.R.E. 3315 MAP CNRS/MCC) of the National Architecture School of Nancy (ENSAN) Title: Virtualisation of archaeological heritage: the case of the Bayon style monuments Abstract:

The main Bayon style monuments, built by king Jayavarman VII (1181-circa 1218), are mainly located to the world heritage site of Angkor. Recently the 3D laser scanning technique has virtualized some of this huge Buddhist complex. Hence, Ta Prohm was scanned few years ago by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in charge of the conservation of this temple just as the Bayon temple at Angkor Thom by the Ikeuchi Laboratory (Tokyo University) in collaboration with the Japanese governmental team (JASA) in charge of its restoration. The purpose of these 3D lasers scanning was to produce new architectural surveys related with the conservation work of these teams. Meanwhile, another kind of 3D virtualisation of the Khmer temples are carry on in parallel of the current utilisation of the 3D laser scanning technology to the archaeological park of Angkor. Indeed, some temples as the Preah Khan complex or the Bayon temple was virtualized for another purpose link with their archaeological interpretation. The 3DCG techniques used for these virtualisations are more classical and simple in proportion to the original question of the utilisation: a virtualisation to visualisation. As the classical archaeological reconstruction drawing, these kinds of 3D virtualisation are mainly to try depicting the monuments at its original shape before to decay. On the other hand, the utilisation of the CAD system to these syntheses based on the architectural and archaeological studies can be a helpful research’s tool to validate hypotheses and conduce to new interrogations. These 3D archaeological reconstructions can use for scientific and didactic communication. Hence, the virtualisation of the monuments can take part to the new perception of these temples by the local population and the tourist via the local tour guide.

My talk will present the results of the virtualisation of three temples of Jayavarnam VII elaborated

for the research project ‘from Ta Prohm to Bayon’ focused on the comparative analysis of the architectural history of the Bayon style monuments. The complex of Preah Khan will be use like example of the problematic of a 3D archaeological reconstruction of its architectural history in the context of a partial architectural survey. The virtualisation to depict the lacks will be expose with the case of Ta Prohm and its original wooden structures. At last, the ‘virtualisation’ of the Bayon temple, stated since the middle of the 19th century, will expose the paradox of its interpretation between the scientific and the tourism context.

Illustrations:

Archaeological reconstruction of the Bayon Temple in its last construction phase

Archaeological reconstruction of the main complex of Preah Khan temple in its last construction phase

Info about the author:

Olivier Cunin is a qualified architect and doctor in architecture who, since 1999, has been researching in situ the Bayon style monuments (end of the 12th century – beginning of the 13th century) and other Khmer monuments by applying the methods of building archaeology and the scientific techniques of archaeometry. His first work in relation to the Bayon temple was in 1997 about the virtual archaeological reconstruction of its northern ‘library’. This virtual reconstruction was completed from 1998 to 2000 for his university master diploma and his diploma in architecture to depict the architectural history of this monument mainly based on the works of J. Dumarçay (EFEO). The research project ‘from Ta Prohm to Bayon’, still in progress, was initiated in 2000 for his Ph.D. thesis in architecture at the National Institute of Polytechnic of Lorraine (INPL). The topic of this doctorate thesis, obtained in 2004, was a comparative analysis of the architectural history of the Bayon style monuments. The chronology sequence elaborated of each main temples of the Bayon style in Cambodia and Thailand was focused on the mineral skeleton temples. These results were completed from 2005 to 2007, to the Center for Khmer Studies (CKS), by a specific study of the wooden structures of this Buddhist complex now missing. In 2008, O. Cunin was consultant for the Swiss team in Banteay Srei (BSCP) to elaborate and design the didactic panels of the permanent exhibition of the interpretation center of this monument. Since 2009, he has engaged the virtual reconstruction of several Bayon style monuments to prepare the publication of the results of his research project ‘from Ta Prohm to Bayon’. He is the co-author of two books on the most emblematic monument of the Bayon style, Banteay Chhmar in 2005 and the Bayon temple in 2007.

Selection of publication: “The Bayon: an Archaeological and Architectural Study” in Bayon New perspectives, River Books, Bangkok, 2007, pp. 136-229. “Das Rätsel des Bayon – ein neuer Ansatz”, in Angkor – Göttliches Erbe Kambodschas, Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland GmbH, Bonn, 2006, pp. 189-193. “The faces towers of Banteay Chmar”. Olivier Cunin (Text) / BAKU Saito (Photo), GOTO Shoin Publishing CO, Ltd, Tokyo, 2005, 141 p. “The construction process of the Angkor monuments elucidated by the magnetic susceptibility of sandstone”, E. Uchida / O. Cunin / I. Shimoda / C. Suda / T. Nakagawa, Archaeometry 45-2, RLAHA, Oxford, UK, 2003, pp. 221-232. Contact details: Personal address in Cambodia: 027, Phum Treang, Khum Slor Kram, Siem Reap Email: cunin@crai.archi.fr, oc.angkor@gmail.com Laboratory’s address: C.R.A.I. - F.R.E. 3315 MAP CNRS/MCC

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