The Institute will support an integrated community of local, regional and international professionals in a highly innovative facility combining a Museum of Memory, a Research and National Policy Development Center, and Academy of Genocide, Conflict and Human Rights Studies.
The Institute draws its name from sleuk riths – dried leaves that have been used for centuries to document history and preserve culture, and reflects their beauty as vehicles of knowledge and their strength in advancing social memory and human dignity.
The Sleuk Rith Institute will sit on a parcel of land rich in history, where intellectuals and Cambodian nationals were sent during the reign of the Khmer Rouge. Learn more.
A talented and highly educated team of professionals will manage the Institute and direct its scholarly undertakings. This extraordinary team of experts with advanced degrees earned abroad are currently employed by the Documentation Center of Cambodia, the Institute’s intellectual parent under whose auspices the vast historical archives have been collected, managed and preserved. The Institute’s leadership will have at its disposal a council of renowned international pro bono senior advisors for guidance, reviews and direction.
Youk Chhang, Executive Director of DC-Cam, announces plans for the Sleuth Risk Institute, dedicated to reconciling the destructive legacy of the Khmer Rouge with Cambodia’s enduring cultural heritage through a focus on the timeless values of justice, memory, and healing. Read the Press Release (English | Khmer).
Renowned architect Zaha Hadid and Youk Chhang, Founder of the Sleuth Rith Institute, celebrated plans for the new centre dedicated to preventing genocide worldwide. They were joined by the Cambodian Minister of Education, Youth and Sport. Read the Minister's remarks (English | Khmer), and read the Founder's remarks (English | Khmer).
The Institute will be an aesthetically breathtaking memorial and inspiring place of learning and reflection. The experience of visiting will be like none other. Take a virtual tour of the Institute now by watching this incredible video. You can also download a high-resolution image of the Institute here.
For more detail about the Sleuk Rith Institute, download our (English | Khmer). Additional information about the institute will be added as it becomes available, including the development of an online exhibition. Please check back for updates and reach out to us with any questions or offers of support.
Google honored Dame Zaha Hadid on Wednesday with its latest Doodle depicting the Iraqi-born British architect in front of the Heydar Aliyev Center that she designed in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Hadid was a woman who had dared to enter a man’s world.
Frank Gehry: "She was a great architect and a great friend. I will miss her."
“The buildings calmingly undulate upwards, with motifs chosen to emulate Angkor Wat and other Cambodian historical sites.”
"The scheme was conceived by Youk Chhang... he hoped it would become a global centre for research into the causes and prevention of genocide, and a “focus for reflection, healing and reconciliation as well as an enlightening educational and research facility dedicated to commemorating the lives of the past by building a better future”.
“Zaha Hadid is best known for producing flowing structures made from modern materials like concrete, but the Iraqi-British architect has unveiled her first large-scale wooden project. If the end result lives up to the promise shown by the early renders Hadid's office has made available to the press, Cambodia's Sleuk Rith Institute may well end up being rated amongst the architect's finest work to date.”
“Looking like a futuristic descendant of Angkor Wat, with a cluster of chiselled forms poking up above the trees, Cambodia is to receive a new genocide museum and research institute, designed by London-based Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid.”
"What a difficult challenge to tell this particular story and the strategy behind the site is a good one."
"Over the decades, Julio Jeldres amassed a collection of research materials, from videos and photographs, to interviews, papers, and books."
Zaha Hadid is the first woman in its 167-year history to win the Royal Gold Medal in her own right.
Documents donated by the former personal assistant of late King Norodom Sihanouk hold answers related to atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge nearly two decades ago.
“How can architecture help a nation cope with traumatic history? A Cambodian institute designed by Zaha Hadid attempts to find a new answer to the question.”
Contact Sopheak Pheana at truthpheana.s@dccam.org
Contact Morm Sophat at truthsophat.m@dccam.org
