Laisim Soeung

My project is a textile design series that reimagines the forgotten beauty of Angkor Wat as it has been reclaimed by nature. I was inspired by the way the temple, a structure associated with royalty and worship, has been slowly embraced by the jungle. Using fabric manipulation, hand-sewn details, and ribbon weaving, I depicted stone carvings hidden beneath vines, moss, and blossoms.

Each piece features latticelike structures that mimic temple grids and floral elements that symbolize nature’s resilience and capacity for renewal. I combined vibrant pinks, greens, and gold to evoke both royalty and organic life and created deep-emerald backgrounds to suggest jungle foliage.

This project speaks to memory, identity, and the dialogue between human creation and nature’s quiet power. It is a love letter to my Cambodian roots and a celebration of the way beauty survives and even thrives in obscurity.

This thesis project contains copyrighted material, the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. I have determined this to be "fair use" of the copyrighted material as referenced and provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use any copyrighted material from this document for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain express permission from the copyright owner.