{"id":9892,"date":"2021-12-20T16:33:44","date_gmt":"2021-12-20T08:33:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asef.org\/aecfest\/?p=9892"},"modified":"2025-05-21T20:00:08","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T12:00:08","slug":"aecfest-2021-interview-with-h-e-hab-touch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asef.org\/aecfest\/aecfest-2021-interview-with-h-e-hab-touch\/","title":{"rendered":"ASEM Fest 2021 | INTERVIEW WITH H.E. HAB TOUCH"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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LOOKING BACK AT THE FIRST HYBRID ASEM CULTURAL FESTIVAL, READ THE INTERVIEW WITH HIS EXCELLENCY HAB TOUCH FROM THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE AND FINE ARTS OF CAMBODIA WHO WAS THE HEAD OF THE EXHIBITIONS AND PROMOTIONS TEAM FOR THE FESTIVAL.

BY PREETI GAONKAR, BRIDGET LEE & WINNIE LIM<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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1. The ASEM Cultural Festival 2021 is the official side-event of the 13th ASEM Summit hosted by the Royal Government of Cambodia. This year, the Festival programme was adapted to the new realities of a world restricted of the physical interactions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 30 events were showcased at the Festival with some events being organised on-site and online. Tell us about your experience of organising a hybrid Festival.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

As this was our first time organising a hybrid festival, I think\u00a0this\u00a0experience\u00a0brought about many positive takeaways\u00a0for myself and my team.\u00a0Previously,\u00a0the\u00a0arts festivals\u00a0we organised\u00a0in Cambodia typically followed\u00a0more traditional formats\u00a0where\u00a0the\u00a0programme\u00a0was\u00a0held on-site\u00a0without\u00a0any additional platforms\u00a0for\u00a0digitalised\u00a0programming. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we\u00a0had\u00a0to adapt to the \u2018new normal\u2019, both in\u00a0our\u00a0daily lives\u00a0as well as in our festival organisation strategies.\u00a0In\u00a0Phnom Penh, we held\u00a0a smaller number of\u00a0film screenings,\u00a0and exhibitions\u00a0on-site,\u00a0but audiences could also\u00a0access programmes\u00a0online\u00a0from the safety of their own homes.\u00a0By adopting a hybrid model, we were able to garner much more ardent participation from\u00a0international\u00a0artists\u00a0and present their\u00a0artistic\u00a0works to the best of our abilities,\u00a0despite them being unable to join us on-site in Phnom Penh.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

2. The National Museum of Cambodia served as the impressive venue for the on-site exhibitions. These exhibitions featuring paintings, installations, jewellery and photography, bringing together over 50 artists from Asia and Europe. What were your thoughts behind putting together such a diverse range of programming for the exhibitions?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

The\u00a0National Museum of Cambodia has\u00a0always had\u00a0a strong focus on its local collection, encompassing\u00a0a large number of\u00a0talented Cambodian artists.\u00a0The ASEM Cultural\u00a0Festival has provided ample opportunities for local artists in Cambodia to\u00a0shared\u00a0their work\u00a0with audiences who may not\u00a0typically\u00a0come across Cambodian art, and we were enthused to be able to facilitate exhibitions\u00a0which brought both local and international artists\u00a0from\u00a0the ASEM region\u00a0together on the same global platform.\u00a0These\u00a0exhibitions\u00a0at the National Museum\u00a0were exceptionally\u00a0unique experiences for our audiences, as it was not just a collective of Cambodian and international artists\u00a0showcasing their works. Rather, these exhibitions\u00a0went\u00a0above and\u00a0beyond geographical boundaries and art forms,\u00a0highlighting\u00a0collaborative\u00a0experiences\u00a0and how\u00a0artists were able to\u00a0collaborate\u00a0on\u00a0artworks\u00a0surrounding themes of cultural\u00a0cohesion\u00a0and\u00a0mutual sharing of lived experiences,\u00a0despite their different backgrounds and disciplines.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

As organisers,\u00a0the\u00a0fast-paced\u00a0environment surrounding these programmes meant that our arts managers had to adapt\u00a0to\u00a0new\u00a0challenges of coordinating across time zones and digitalised\u00a0communication\u00a0platforms.\u00a0Even tasks like the bilingual translation process between English and Khmer\u00a0came with its fair share of challenges, but with mutual support and cooperation,\u00a0we\u00a0managed to smoothly kickstart the festival opening and\u00a0received many positive responses from our audiences at the exhibition.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

We\u00a0were surprised\u00a0at the\u00a0overwhelming\u00a0response\u00a0from the public,\u00a0and\u00a0that\u00a0our local audiences were\u00a0so\u00a0eager to sign up and attend the on-site exhibitions. In fact, many of our guests\u00a0for the opening day included representatives\u00a0from\u00a0various\u00a0diplomatic\u00a0missions as well as the\u00a0Cambodian government.\u00a0Prior to the festival,\u00a0we went\u00a0through extended periods of lockdown,\u00a0and\u00a0our audiences were looking forward to\u00a0new\u00a0interesting\u00a0activities and events to attend.\u00a0This all lined up perfectly with the\u00a0Festival\u00a0opening, and\u00a0their enthusiasm and support for our programmes was especially meaningful to the team.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Opening\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOpening of ASEM Cultural Festival 2021 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHer Excellency Dr Phoeurng Sackona, Minister of Culture and Fine Arts of Cambodia, at the opening of the ASEM Cultural Festival 2021 exhibitions at the National Museum of Cambodia. \u00a9 Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, Cambodia\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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3. Along with the exhibitions, several film screenings were organised in Phnom Penh as part of the Festival. What kind of response have you received from audiences in Cambodia?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

With\u00a0the\u00a0new\u00a0health\u00a0measures\u00a0in place,\u00a0cinemas were\u00a0also slowly\u00a0opened up\u00a0in November 2021.\u00a0The\u00a0Festival\u00a0screenings had to abide by\u00a0the\u00a0new operating procedures as well,\u00a0and we had to limit our audience numbers\u00a0to\u00a050%,\u00a0so as to\u00a0safely\u00a0go ahead with the\u00a0programmes.\u00a0Due to the \u2018new normal\u2019\u00a0situation, we understood that\u00a0audiences might have\u00a0concerns\u00a0around\u00a0spending\u00a01-2 hours in an enclosed\u00a0space with other viewers. In comparison, the National Museum is a much larger and well-ventilated space,\u00a0so\u00a0the team organising the film screenings had to account for\u00a0a different approach towards organising this programme,\u00a0in order\u00a0to\u00a0address\u00a0the needs\u00a0and concerns\u00a0of our audiences.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

The\u00a0screenings were\u00a0much\u00a0more popular with younger audiences who mostly attended afternoon and evening\u00a0shows.\u00a0These screenings were a great\u00a0promotional\u00a0opportunity for the general public to be introduced to\u00a0the\u00a0Asia-Europe Meeting\u00a0(ASEM)<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Festival, as attendees\u00a0got a sneak peek into the\u00a0Festival\u00a0programmes through our teaser video\u00a0presented at the start of each\u00a0on-site\u00a0film\u00a0screening.<\/p>

4. Now on a personal note, from the various events presented at the Festival, do you have any personal favourite\/s or any artistic work that particularly resonated with you?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

Throughout the duration of the festival, I had the opportunity to attend many on-site events and peruse the collection of programmes we had online as well.\u00a0I can\u2019t highlight any\u00a0favourites\u00a0of mine, as the entire experience was very eye-opening to me, especially\u00a0due to\u00a0the incorporation of the hybrid format.\u00a0Having spent so long viewing the\u00a0Festival\u00a0from the lens of an organiser\u00a0(as it was postponed since November 2020\u00a0due to the pandemic), seeing the final product\u00a0was\u00a0something that greatly impressed me.\u00a0In the beginning, we had a\u00a0more traditional perspective in\u00a0our\u00a0approach to\u00a0the\u00a0festival,\u00a0however,\u00a0moving forward I\u00a0am keen to encourage\u00a0more arts managers and cultural professionals\u00a0to\u00a0consider\u00a0bringing in greater degrees of digitalisation in future arts programming.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

Due to the pandemic, adapting to the new normal has its own unprecedented benefit\u00a0where it introduced a new\u00a0possibility\u00a0of digitalised festivals to us.\u00a0The\u00a0responses to the\u00a0Festival\u00a0has\u00a0reflected the success of a\u00a0hybridised\u00a0arts festival, but it also requires new\u00a0methodologies\u00a0and strategies for\u00a0its\u00a0smooth implementation.\u00a0This experience made us realise the sheer number of\u00a0people that could gain access to our works and programmes\u00a0from\u00a0across the world. Hopefully\u00a0with more local arts professionals adopting hybrid models, we can become more active participants in\u00a0international\u00a0cultural exchange and showcasing Cambodian arts and culture\u00a0abroad.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAudience listening ardently to the artist during the opening of the ASEM Cultural Festival 2021 exhibitions at the National Museum of Cambodia. \u00a9 Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, Cambodia \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t'Il Nodo: A Sketch for Hope' exhibition presented a collection of handcrafted jewellery produced collaboratively by Cambodian and Italian artists. \u00a9 Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, Cambodia\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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5. In the context of Asia-Europe relations, what role do you see for artists and cultural professionals to enhance the connections between the two regions?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

Artists and cultural professionals play very important roles in Asia-Europe relations, as they are the ones facilitating people-to-people connections from the ground up.\u00a0With the pandemic,\u00a0many global networks were adversely impacted, and a lack of cultural understanding only leads to less cohesion. This is where artists and cultural professionals\u00a0are crucial members of\u00a0our\u00a0society\u00a0–\u00a0as they are the ones bridging bonds\u00a0through various artforms and\u00a0depictions of culture\u00a0in a palatable way.\u00a0People have always been dependent on the arts and culture sectors for recreation and entertainment,\u00a0and\u00a0opportunities to host an arts\u00a0festival like this are\u00a0excellent starting points to\u00a0establish\u00a0a\u00a0deeper appreciation and\u00a0understanding between\u00a0the two regions.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

6. And lastly, would you like to share a message with our readers about the importance of Asia-Europe cultural relations particularly in this \u2018new normal\u2019 world?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

Cultural cooperation and\u00a0mutual\u00a0understanding\u00a0are\u00a0ever more important today.\u00a0Asia-Europe cultural relations have\u00a0played an\u00a0important role\u00a0both\u00a0amongst civil society and at\u00a0the\u00a0governmental level.\u00a0Initiatives such as the ASEM Cultural Festival\u00a0serve as\u00a0steppingstones\u00a0to a much larger and meaningful purpose\u00a0–\u00a0where\u00a0we\u00a0will be able to\u00a0understand each other\u2019s differences and work\u00a0collectively\u00a0towards shared aspirations. For artists and cultural professionals who may have suffered due to the Covid-19 pandemic,\u00a0we hoped to be able to bring more awareness and appreciation to their work\u00a0and garner additional support for the arts community.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

Adapting to the \u2018new normal\u2019 is never\u00a0an easy process, and times like this highlight how cultural relations can extend to the\u00a0way countries can support each other, be it through various resources, opportunities, and\u00a0mutual shared experiences.\u00a0We would like to\u00a0extend once again\u00a0our\u00a0thanks\u00a0to ASEM,\u00a0the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), and the European\u00a0Union\u00a0for the\u00a0organisational\u00a0support\u00a0and cooperation.<\/p>

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The\u00a0Festival\u00a0was\u00a0organised\u00a0\u2013 as an official side event ASEM13\u00a0\u2013 by\u00a0Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts of Cambodia<\/a>\u00a0in partnership with\u00a0the\u00a0European Union<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF)<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    LOOKING BACK AT THE FIRST HYBRID ASEM CULTURAL FESTIVAL, READ THE INTERVIEW WITH HIS EXCELLENCY HAB TOUCH FROM THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE AND FINE ARTS OF CAMBODIA WHO WAS THE HEAD OF THE EXHIBITIONS AND PROMOTIONS TEAM FOR THE FESTIVAL.BY PREETI GAONKAR, BRIDGET LEE & WINNIE LIM 1. The ASEM Cultural Festival 2021 is the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":259224155,"featured_media":9906,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"0","ocean_second_sidebar":"0","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"0","ocean_custom_header_template":"0","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"0","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"0","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"0","omw_enable_modal_window":"enable","ofc_enable_fullscreen":"disable","ofc_fullscreen_speed":0,"ofc_fullscreen_nav":"enable","ofc_fullscreen_nav_pos":"right","ofc_fullscreen_nav_color":"","ofc_fullscreen_nav_tooltip_color":"","ofc_fullscreen_responsive":0,"ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"on","ocean_gallery_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1401],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories-interview","entry","has-media"],"yoast_head":"\nASEM Fest 2021 | INTERVIEW WITH H.E. HAB TOUCH - Asia-Europe Cultural Festival<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/asef.org\/aecfest\/aecfest-2021-interview-with-h-e-hab-touch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ASEM Fest 2021 | INTERVIEW WITH H.E. HAB TOUCH - Asia-Europe Cultural Festival\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"LOOKING BACK AT THE FIRST HYBRID ASEM CULTURAL FESTIVAL, READ THE INTERVIEW WITH HIS EXCELLENCY HAB TOUCH FROM THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE AND FINE ARTS OF CAMBODIA WHO WAS THE HEAD OF THE EXHIBITIONS AND PROMOTIONS TEAM FOR THE FESTIVAL.BY PREETI GAONKAR, BRIDGET LEE & WINNIE LIM 1. 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