A temple monument from the Angkor Wat complex in a gloomy black-and-white backdrop. Crossing traces of light are essential design element of artistic photography.
‘Lucid Dream of Past Times in Cambodia / United Multiple View # 1’ / 2022 / Artistic photography/digital painting / Exposure on Ilford baryta paper / Limited edition: 5 + 1 AP / 3,456 Pixel (H) ∙ 5,184 Pixel (W) / 11.52″ (H) ∙ 17.28″ (W) / Handwritten titled, numbered, signed and dated with year on the reverse.

This work is protected by copyright in all its parts.
© 2022 by Heinz Hermann Maria Hoppe. All rights reserved.
Color and tone value representations on monitors deviate from the original.

‘Lucid Dream of Past Times in Cambodia / United Multiple Views’ : : : Digital painting
The Bamboo Bridge no longer exists in reality. In this composition, the artist drew on photographs he took in Cambodia many years ago. Digital light paintings draw a dark picture of the bridge made of bamboo.
‘Lucid Dream of Past Times in Cambodia / United Multiple View # 2’ / 2022 / Artistic photography/digital painting / Exposure on Ilford baryta paper / Limited edition: 5 + 1 AP / 3,456 Pixel (H) ∙ 5,184 Pixel (W) / 11.52″ (H) ∙ 17.28″ (W) / Handwritten titled, numbered, signed and dated with year on the reverse.
A temple on the spacious grounds of the former world empire of Angkor Wat. The digital montage is composed of several images, similar to a photographic multiple exposure.
‘Lucid Dream of Past Times in Cambodia / United Multiple View # 3’ / 2022 / Artistic photography/digital painting / Exposure on Ilford baryta paper / Limited edition: 5 + 1 AP / 3,456 Pixel (H) ∙ 5,184 Pixel (W) / 11.52″ (H) ∙ 17.28″ (W) / Handwritten titled, numbered, signed and dated with year on the reverse.
Another temple in Cambodia. An indigenous woman stands in the courtyard of the temple complex. As with all the images in this series, the artistic appeal comes from the image effects of superimposition and the shifts that result from the temporal delays.
‘Lucid Dream of Past Times in Cambodia / United Multiple View # 4’ / 2022 / Artistic photography/digital painting / Exposure on Ilford baryta paper / Limited edition: 5 + 1 AP / 3,456 Pixel (H) ∙ 5,184 Pixel (W) / 11.52″ (H) ∙ 17.28″ (W) / Handwritten titled, numbered, signed and dated with year on the reverse.
A temple guard in the jungle of Cambodia. The striking face should probably have a deterrent effect many years ago.
‘Lucid Dream of Past Times in Cambodia / United Multiple View # 5’ / 2022 / Artistic photography/digital painting / Exposure on Ilford baryta paper / Limited edition: 5 + 1 AP / 3,456 Pixel (H) ∙ 5,184 Pixel (W) / 11.52″ (H) ∙ 17.28″ (W) / Handwritten titled, numbered, signed and dated with year on the reverse.
Carved in stone, heavily weathered relief of a dancer from the former kingdom. The wall elements in Angkor Wat are decorated in wide areas. The dancer is combined with a backdrop of palm trees.
‘Lucid Dream of Past Times in Cambodia / United Multiple View # 6’ / 2022 / Artistic photography/digital painting / Exposure on Ilford baryta paper / Limited edition: 5 + 1 AP / 3,456 Pixel (H) ∙ 5,184 Pixel (W) / 11.52″ (H) ∙ 17.28″ (W) / Handwritten titled, numbered, signed and dated with year on the reverse.
Street scene in Angkor Wat. The multiple exposure of the bicycle and moped rider condenses the hustle and bustle on the streets even more.
‘Lucid Dream of Past Times in Cambodia / United Multiple View # 7’ / 2022 / Artistic photography/digital painting / Exposure on Ilford baryta paper / Limited edition: 5 + 1 AP / 3,456 Pixel (H) ∙ 5,184 Pixel (W) / 11.52″ (H) ∙ 17.28″ (W) / Handwritten titled, numbered, signed and dated with year on the reverse.
Backdrop in Phnom Penh with a snack vendor in a typical street scene.
‘Lucid Dream of Past Times in Cambodia / United Multiple View # 8’ / 2022 / Artistic photography/digital painting / Exposure on Ilford baryta paper / Limited edition: 5 + 1 AP / 3,456 Pixel (H) ∙ 5,184 Pixel (W) / 11.52″ (H) ∙ 17.28″ (W) / Handwritten titled, numbered, signed and dated with year on the reverse.
A coconut trader on the side of the road next to his sales cart full of coconuts.
‘Lucid Dream of Past Times in Cambodia / United Multiple View # 9’ / 2022 / Artistic photography/digital painting / Exposure on Ilford baryta paper / Limited edition: 5 + 1 AP / 3,456 Pixel (H) ∙ 5,184 Pixel (W) / 11.52″ (H) ∙ 17.28″ (W) / Handwritten titled, numbered, signed and dated with year on the reverse.
A house facade alienated beyond recognition in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh.
‘Lucid Dream of Past Times in Cambodia / United Multiple View # 10’ / 2022 / Artistic photography/digital painting / Exposure on Ilford baryta paper / Limited edition: 5 + 1 AP / 3,456 Pixel (H) ∙ 5,184 Pixel (W) / 11.52″ (H) ∙ 17.28″ (W) / Handwritten titled, numbered, signed and dated with year on the reverse.
Another multiple exposure with varied shifts of the individual exposures.
‘Lucid Dream of Past Times in Cambodia / United Multiple View # 11’ / 2022 / Artistic photography/digital painting / Exposure on Ilford baryta paper / Limited edition: 5 + 1 AP / 3,456 Pixel (H) ∙ 5,184 Pixel (W) / 11.52″ (H) ∙ 17.28″ (W) / Handwritten titled, numbered, signed and dated with year on the reverse.
Digital light paintings are particularly effective in the darkened street scene.
‘Lucid Dream of Past Times in Cambodia / United Multiple View # 12’ / 2022 / Artistic photography/digital painting / Exposure on Ilford baryta paper / Limited edition: 5 + 1 AP / 3,456 Pixel (H) ∙ 5,184 Pixel (W) / 11.52″ (H) ∙ 17.28″ (W) / Handwritten titled, numbered, signed and dated with year on the reverse.

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Author: Heinz Hermann Maria Hoppe

Lucid Dream of Past Times in Cambodia

Rice cultivation made the Khmer rich in the 10th century. Over 1,000 temples were built to worship Vishnu in the jungles of what is now Cambodia. Later Cham, enemies of the Khmer, roamed the temples of Angkor. After the Hindus came (and stayed) Buddhists, in 1586 the first European, a Portuguese Capuchin named António da Magdalena. Curious by the descriptions of the historic city, in which today’s World Heritage site Angkor Wat is only a subcomplex, missionaries and merchants, French scientists, photographers with plate cameras and finally tourists with smartphones followed.

The sequence of historical appropriations in Cambodia is still repeated all over the world: tyrannical rulers, intrigues, exploitation, riots, wars and appropriations ruin entire peoples. Until well into the last century, Cambodians have experienced unspeakable suffering: Slavery, French colonization, guerrilla wars, the Vietnam War, civil war, and the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge.

To this day, art thieves loot statues, sculptures and reliefs from the shrines to ship them to Western art black markets. The ‘evil spirits’ of the exploiters still leave their mark on the souls, hearts and impoverished lifestyles of many descendants.
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