Phnom Penh, 2017
Phnom Penh has been under rapid development in all sectors, the skyscrapers rise all over the city. There are many stories which are hidden behind this modern city.
Inside the fences of zinc wrapped by the green nets which move almost constantly hide dozens of construction workers who are actively doing their work. The majority of the construction workers are women; they are regarded as the hardest working woman comparing to other women who are doing the normal job. They work for 8 hours, the same amount as men but they still get paid less than men because they are weaker than men.
They do not only the construction work to earn money, but they are also responsible for taking care of the house works which is unconditionally a duty for women in Khmer society in general. Despite the hard work, they don’t complain, but they agreed to accept it quietly. They have no choice but to keep working even harder for the future of their children and family.
“Construction work won’t last forever; I cannot handle it for long because of my health” this is the words of one of the female construction worker. She worries so much about her health, especially she worries about getting ill when she gets old.
Despite her exhaustion, she still has hope for the future. She wants to save some money in order to run a small business at home and live a simple life.
As an artist, I have the opportunity to learn about their experiences and their life, especially the women who do the same work as men. Through the stories that they shared with me, it opened my eyes and I got a shiver down my spines because I can’t even imagine how could they can do the job they are doing right now. However, being a construction worker is still their choice. I hope that with this project, they would be able to share their difficulties, their struggling, and their life to the people from all over the places.
The GREEN NET project is a photo exhibition/blog project which depicts the working and living conditions of 13 Female Construction Workers. This project is led by two female Cambodian professionals: Neak Sophal(photographer) and Chea Kesorphearom (researcher/blogger).
Neak Sophal (born 1989 in Takeo), a graduate of the Royal University of Fine Arts, is considered one of the rising talents of the Cambodian art scene with a clear and determined vision. She won the Angkor Photo Festival in 2013, in Siem Reap. Chea Kesorphearom (born 1993 in Phnom Penh), a law graduate, who has a desire to find out people’s approaches to life – their ways of thinking about the meaning of life and pursuit of happiness. She initially involved in a project called “Labor Rights of Female Construction Workers” (LRFCW) with CARE as a Data Collector.
This documentation project will be accompanied by a dance project in cooperation with the Goethe Institute and Amrita Performing Arts, where Cambodian choreographers and dancers develop short pieces about the same topic to be performed at Meta House and possibly other locations.
