Rock (White Building) 2011

Video documentation of performance with sound
Duration: 6mn15s looped
Year: 2011

This film documents a performance that I conducted on top of the White Building, a low-income neighborhood in central Phnom Penh. My body becomes a metaphor for the White Building, as I struggle to remain standing, holding a heavy rock (clearly taken from a construction site) while being pulled by people from all directions. The future of the White Building neighborhood is very uncertain, as it is prime real estate and its ownership has been ambiguous since it was reclaimed after the 1975-79 Khmer Rouge regime. The people pulling at me represent the competing forces vying for control of the White Building, including private investors, government and residents.