15.04.2008
Temple Restoration
The temple complex of Angkor is one of the most important buildings in the world, but the elements and environmental pollution have taken their toll on this architectural legacy of the Khmer culture. In a race against time, researchers are working one stone at a time to rescue the temple dancers and wall reliefs from decay. As we accompany them, we also learn about Cambodian history and culture.
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Temple Restoration: Episode 01, 15/04/2008
Helping the Temple Dancers
With 350 tympanums, 1,450 square metres of bas-reliefs, 1,850 Apsaras, this world famous temple complex is a building of superlatives, and an enormous restoration site. For over ten years, researchers from around the world have been battling to save this sacred building. Professor Leisen is one of them. He specialises in the conservation of stone. Together with his students, he surveys the unique world cultural heritage site. The building methods used by the Khmer make the restoration work difficult, but are they in time to save the temple dancers?
At a glance
Field of Research:
Conversation, Cultural Sciences, Restoration
Location:
Angkor / Cambodia, Cologne
Episodes:
12
Season/Year:
1. Season/ 2008
Status:
Finished
Topics:
threatened, hans leisen, hot temperatures, beauty, scars
22.04.2008
Buried Temples
A caravan of motorbikes winds its way through the jungle. Many of the Khmer temples and other buildings are buried deep in the Cambodian jungle. Professor Leisen and his students have set out to study some of them.
29.04.2008
To Knock or to Drill?
First a knock to see what state the stone statues are in, but then it is necessary to drill into the statue. That is the only way of determining the condition of the stone below the surface.
06.05.2008
"Fingerprints" in Stone
Back in Cologne, Professor Leisen analyses the samples of stone from the ancient quarry of O Thmor Dop. That is where the blocks of stone that were used to build the temples and sculptures in Angkor are thought to have originated from.
13.05.2008
Intricate Work
In the lab at Cologne University of Applied Sciences the students make test samples of mortar especially developed for use in conservation using various types of stone powder and sand specially flown in for the purpose....
20.05.2008
Dancers and Stone Doctors
Now the adhesive that was developed with utmost care in Cologne is being put to use, because there are rows upon rows of dancers waiting to be seen by the stone doctors.
27.05.2008
A Plague of Humanity
Broad swathes of land in Cambodia are still heavily mined following decades of civil war. The mine seekers from the Cambodian Mine Action Center are working to make the land accessible again.
03.06.2008
Painstaking Work
Who built Angkor? The team from the German Apsara Conservation Project eagerly awaits new findings from Christoph Poitier, but it is very hard to get definitive proof....
10.06.2008
Fighting to Save the Past
It had a colourful past, but the central shrine of the temple of Koh Ker is severely damaged. Once, Koh Ker was decorated with magnificent wall paintings and innumerable reliefs and statues.
17.06.2008
A Rescue Mission
The researchers face a tricky task: a relief in the temple of Angkor needs to be secured. They have to be careful when setting up the scaffolding. One false move and the sandstone could crumble.
24.06.2008
The Dance of the Apsaras
The secretive smile of the Apsaras, nymph-like deities, decorates the temple of Angkor. Yet the dance of the Apsaras was once feared lost....
01.07.2008
An Official Visit
A delegation from the German Bundestag visits the world-famous temple complex with the German ambassador to Cambodia. Long Nari leads them through the temple....
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