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Conservation at Angkor Wat (Conservation Matters lecture)

Date: Thursday, September 21, 2006
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Getty Center, Harold M. Williams Auditorium
Admission: Free; reservations required. Call (310) 440-7300 or use the "Make Reservation" button below.



The colossal temple of Angkor Wat is famed around the world for its graceful towers and exquisite sandstone carvings of gods, kings, and demons from the great Sanskrit epics. Originally a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu, today Angkor Wat is an important Buddhist center, drawing pilgrims from across the region.

For the past decade, stone conservator Simon Warrack has worked at Angkor Wat as a member of the German Apsara Conservation Project, which aims to restore the temple's fragile stone from the ravages of time, neglect, and encroaching vegetation. In this lecture, Warrack will focus on his recent work restoring a colossal statue of Ta Reach, a deity that is especially venerated by the local religious community, and will also discuss the impact of the work on that community.

About Simon Warrack
Simon Warrack is a stone conservator who has worked on numerous monuments and buildings throughout Europe and Asia, including the Ducal Palace in Venice, the Trevi Fountain and the Forum of Trajan in Rome, and the Cathedral of Bourges in France. From 1993 to 1996 he helped conserve the Temple of Preah Ko in Cambodia, and since 1996 he has worked for the German Apsara Conservation Project. Warrack has also helped to establish several training programs, including one for stone conservators in the Republic of Georgia.

About Conservation Matters
Conservation Matters is a series of occasional lectures hosted by the Getty Conservation Institute examining conservation issues from around the world. This season, lectures focus on undersea archaeology, Van Gogh's techniques and materials, and other topics.

Statue of Ta Reach at Angkor Wat