Historical mural paintings in Luang Prabang, Laos

Photographic documentation of the historical mural paint ings in the temple complexes Vat Long Khoun, Vat Had Sieo, Vat Pa Khe and Vat Pa Houak in Luang Prabang, Laos, 2012

Projec t Descript ion

A photographic survey was carried out in the months of May, June and July 2012, whereby the historical mural paintings in four temple complexes (vats) in and around Luang Prabang were systematically documented. The pagodas (sims) in Vat Long Khoun and Vat Had Sieo along the right banks of the Mekong, as well as those in Vat Pa Khe and Vat Pa Houak in the historical city center, are the only ones in Luang Prabang that still boast original mural paintings. Some of these murals are already in critical condition. To preserve this immensely valuable iconography, initially by means of a thorough photographic survey, is the declared primary goal of this project.

Luang Prabang is located amidst the mountains of Laos, on the bank of the Mekong.

From 1353 to 1563, Luang Prabang was the capital of Lane Xang, the powerful “kingdom of a million elephants,” and for centuries afterwards, it was the seat of the kings of Laos. In 1995 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its great wealth of architectural and cultural-historical treasures and the unique structure of its urban space have been certified as having “outstanding universal value.” Historic and religious buildings are found here, examples of traditional Laotian architecture that are interwoven with the colonial architecture in a particularly harmonious way. To this day, Luang Prabang remains the center of Laotian Buddhism, art, culture, and scholarship. Religion still determines the rhythm of the city. The many vats constitute the heart of their respective neighborhoods, fulfill the functions of a community center, and are essential for the preservation of the city’s traditional social structures.

In the 18th century there were still 65 temple complexes in the historical center of Luang Prabang alone. Today, within the area under UNESCO protection, there are now just 33. Mural paintings of notable historical value have survived only in the four vats documented by this project. Due to the extreme climate, deferred maintenance, a lack of skilled labor, scarce financial resources, and the enormous growth of tourism, these unrivaled artworks are also now acutely endangered; some are likely to disappear completely. As early as 2007, UNESCO ranked the situation of the vats, especially the ones along the right bank of the Mekong, as very critical. Whether 4

Projek tbeschreibung

Luang Prabang remains on the list of world cultural heritage sites will also depend on how these temple complexes are treated. The monks and the city lack the funding and expertise in conservation and restoration needed to save the murals from deterioration. Artisanal knowledge has been lost — and the makeshift repairs meant to rectify existing damage often do more harm than good. There is a need for immediate action. The survey and documentation of these valuable testimonials to the history of Luang Prabang are the first, urgently necessary steps toward securing this threatened heritage.

All four vats were built between the 17th and early 19th centuries. The mural paintings in the so-called sims — the dominant pagoda buildings where one finds the most important icon within each temple complex — convey historical events from life in Luang Prabang, as well as local myths and legends. They all attest to strong Siamese influences; some also to Cambodian and Chinese influences. Delving more closely into the stories illustrated here would exceed the scope of this documentation, but could be done in the framework of a publication project.

Theraveda, the name of the form of Buddhism practised in Laos, derives from the Sanskrit word for “the Teaching of the Elders.” It is the oldest scholarly tradition of Buddhism still practiced today, and ascribes its origin to a monastic community that was among the earliest followers of Buddha. Theravada Buddhism owes its remarkable popularity among the Lao people not least to its tolerance of pre-Buddhist religious beliefs. Traditional rituals, such as those emanating from the cult of ancestors and spirits, for example, are incorporated in the Buddhist ceremonial. Thus the Laotian temple complexes have always been the hubs of the societal and cultural “village life” in Luang Prabang — for the town is made up of many villages. Many varied activities are concentrated in these neighborhoods. The temple complexes serve as a meeting place, as a venue for theatre, sports, and other public events, as temporary storage for ritual artifacts, as a parking lot, a schoolyard, etc.; and they also assume a significant role with regard to issues of upbringing, education, health, and community life as a

whole. The vat belongs to the village residents, who identify themselves strongly with it. It is their pride, and a point of reference. The village residents love to dwell in the vats: for ceremonies, to seek advice, or to visit a relative who has become a monk; but also just to stroll there, or to take a more pleasant and more worthy shortcut through the village. For the monks, it is the place of serenity and of retreat from worldly life, the place of teaching and study, and the place for pastoral care of the laity. The vat serves as a place of assembly for the conduct of rituals and ceremonies, as well as for the regulation of administrative concerns. For laypersons, the vat is the meeting point for sacrificial acts or the place where they can withdraw to study and meditate for a limited period. The risk is great that this interplay of everyday life and religion, unique in Luang Prabang, will disappear — also due to increasing tourism.

The photographic documentation of the acutely endangered mural paintings - safeguards a unique iconography of great art historical value -p rovides self-explanatory evidence for use in applications for funding and/or technical support for the urgently needed conservation and restoration measures - provides

highly precise reference material for future conservation and restoration measures - serves as source material for scholarly research - serves as illustrative material for libraries, museums and archives - makes a significant contribution · to preserving the cultural heritage of Laos · to expanding knowledge of traditional Buddhist painting

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Me thod

All photos of the mural paintings were taken with a Phase One P30+ camera (31.6 megapixel resolution). Every section of wall painting was photographed twice: a color rendition chart (ColorChecker) and a graphic scale were visible in the first image; a second photo was then made without these aids. The logical file naming system provides immediate information about the general and specific location (place and wall).

The gray file names identify the images containing a ColorChecker and a graphic scale.

LK_NE_A_72288

LK_NE_A_72289 Image number Image series Orientation = northeast Abbreviation for the specific vat = Long Khoun

The wall surfaces were photographed individually, with each wall subdivided into horizontal strips, and each strip into individual photos. The photos were made with an overlap of approx. 10 cm in order that the individual photos could be properly pieced together.

Series A Series B Series C

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Me thode

The individual photos were each taken at a set distance from the wall. In the smaller vats (Vat Long Khoun and Vat Had Sieo), the distance to the wall was 3 m, so each individual photo corresponds to a wall surface of approx. 163 x 122 cm. In the larger vats (Vat Pa Khe and Vat Pa Houak), the distance to the wall was 3.30 m, so each individual photo corresponds to a wall surface of approx. 180 x 135 cm.

The primary focus of the photographic work was to document the mural paintings — so a faithful depiction of elements like doors, windows, furniture, and Buddha statues was eschewed.

Due to Buddhist rules of conduct, a small number of photos could not be taken.

Any minor distortion of the depicted murals is due to the very uneven surfaces in places (bulges, dents, etc.) and to walls that are often tapered.

For technical reasons, the high quality of the photos cannot be reproduced in this documentation.

3 m /3,30 m

163 x 122 m

180 x 135 m

Each individual image exists in two formats: as raw data (RAW/IIQ) and as a tagged image (TIFF).

RAW: 6529 x 4865 Pixel (69 x 51.5 cm) / 240 dpi / 90.8 MB / RGB mode TIFF: 6496 x 4872 Pixel (55 x 41.2 cm) / 300 dpi / 90.5 MB / RGB mode

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Me thode

A platform system was built to meet all our requirements: light enough to be moved by hand after each individual photo; stable enough to support a ladder, a tripod, the camera, and the photographer; rigid enough to remain stable without swaying; small enough to fit through the doors, which are very narrow in some cases; and modular enough to be used in the very different spatial conditions of each of the vats.

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Vat Had Sieo

Vat Had Sieo — Summary

VAT Had sieo, (ca. 18th century) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was built in the Luang Prabang style, on the right bank of the Mekong. One reaches it via a forest path, coming from Vat Long Khoun by foot.

When the Mekong is high enough, a boat can be used to reach a steep stair that leads up to the site. It is very secluded, and accords thus with the requirements of a forest school. This represents a tradition of Theravada Buddhism that advocates a very austere life focused on meditation — paired with a rejection in its teachings of the usually predominant role of the intellect. Like Vat Long Khoun, Vat Had Sieo has a meditation path, which is typical for a forest school.

The mural paintings tell the legend of Kalaket and his flying horse Manikap — a famous Laotian story from the 17th century1. It is read from the right to the left and starts in the right corner of the northwestern wall.

The mural paintings are unparalleled — despite their very bad condition. The building exhibits considerable structural damage. It will presumably need to be abandoned, if immediate intervention is not forthcoming.

With their very modest means, the monks based there are struggling to hold back the advancing decay.

HS_FRONT_CF072746

1 A French translation of some passages from this legend is accessible online under http://www.persee. fr/web/revues/ home/prescript/article/ befeo_0336-1519_1917_ num_17_1_5323, Finot Louis. Recherches sur la littérature laotienne. In: Bulletin de l’Ecole française d’Extrême-Orient. Tome 17, 1917. pp. 1—218. DOI: 10.3406/befeo.1917.5323 — accessed Oct. 18, 2012

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Vat HAd Sieo — Locat ion

N

Ban Xieng Mene Vat Had Sieo

Mekong

Luang Prabang

500 m

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Vat Had Sieo — Site

N

2 2

1 4

2

3

5 5

1 - Sim / pagoda (ordination hall) 2 - Kouti / monks’ living quarters 3 - Ho Khong / drum shelter 4 - Chomkom / meditation path 5 - That / stupa

0 10

20 30 40 50 m

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Vat Had Sieo — Views

Southeast view

Northeast view

N

NW SW

NE SE

Plan

Section

0

1

2

3

4

5m

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Vat Had Sieo — Interior

HS_INT_01_1612

HS_INT_01_1606

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HS_NE_A_72501, Detail

HS_NE_A_72491, Detail

Vat HAD SIEO — Photos — Northeast

Wall surface: approx. 3.80 x 2.98 m = approx. 11.30 m2 Painted surface: approx. 7.60 m2

HS_NE_A_72490 HS_NE_A_72491

HS_NE_A_72496 HS_NE_A_72497

HS_NE_A_72500 HS_NE_A_72501

HS_NE_B_72637 HS_NE_B_72638

HS_NE_B_72642 HS_NE_B_72643

HS_NE_B_72651 HS_NE_B_72652

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Vat HAD Sieo — Northeast

HS_NE_COMPO_50

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Vat HAD Sieo — Photos — Southeast

Wall surface: approx. 6.45 x 2.98 m = approx. 19.20 m2 Painted surface: approx. 12.70 m2

HS_SE_A_72659 HS_SE_A_72660

HS_SE_A_72514 HS_SE_A_72515

HS_SE_A_72587 HS_SE_A_72588

HS_SE_A_72593 HS_SE_A_72594

HS_SE_A_72598 HS_SE_A_72599

HS_SE_B_72630 HS_SE_B_72631

HS_SE_B_72624 HS_SE_B_72625

HS_SE_B_72619 HS_SE_B_72620

HS_SE_B_72609 HS_SE_B_72610

HS_SE_B_72603 HS_SE_B_72604

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Vat HAD Sieo — Photos — Northwest

Wall surface: approx. 6.45 x 2.98 m = approx. 19.20 m2 Painted surface: approx. 12.70 m2

HS_NW_A_72544 HS_NW_A_72545

HS_NW_A_72536 HS_NW_A_72538

HS_NW_A_72529 HS_NW_A_72530

HS_NW_A_72524 HS_NW_A_72525

HS_NW_A_72519 HS_NW_A_72520

HS_NW_B_72551 HS_NW_B_72552

HS_NW_B_72562 HS_NW_B_72563

HS_NW_B_72566 HS_NW_B_72567

HS_NW_B_72574 HS_NW_B_72575

HS_NW_B_72581 HS_NW_B_72582

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Vat HAD Sieo — Photos — Ex terior Facade

HS_EXT_A_72678 HS_EXT_A_72680

HS_EXT_B_72690 HS_EXT_B_72691

HS_EXT_C_72711 HS_EXT_C_72712

Painted surface: approx. 5.80 x 4 m = approx. 11.60 m2

HS_EXT_D_72720 HS_EXT_D_72721

HS_EXT_D_72723 HS_EXT_D_72724

HS_EXT_B_72693 HS_EXT_B_72694

HS_EXT_C_72706 HS_EXT_C_72707

HS_EXT_D_72727 HS_EXT_D_72728

HS_EXT_C_72702 HS_EXT_C_72703

HS_EXT_D_72730 HS_EXT_D_72731

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Vat HAd Sieo — E x terior Facade

HS_EXT_Compo_50

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