Description

Photographing in China since 1984, Lois Conner journeyed to Cambodia to record the great temple Angkor Wat with her updated 19th-century banquet camera. With its oversized, elongated negatives, she created highly detailed images depicting the effects of time, history, and change on the site of the Khmer empire, which flourished for over 500 years, from 802 to 1432. Her panoramic compositions perfectly capture the ancient cultural and artistic achievement and the present decayed condition of this epic monument. Part of a 25-image portfolio, Angkor Wat (colonnade) is reminiscent of the exemplary large-scale pictures created by the pioneering survey photographers of the mid-19th century. The grandeur and ambition of this ancient temple is eloquently presented through Conner’s skillfully isolated composition, brimming with architectural detail and sculptural form.