The builing is the center of the universe / © the eye of Lady Penh

The Building

This is the Building. There lies the development dreams of a late Cambodia: "Our capital must deal with the modernization of the housing. We must begin the construction of low-cost apartment buildings that can be rent or sold to average and small income families" wrote King Norodom Sihanouk in 1961. Compare this ambition with nowadays' flashy urban projects.

Fast-forward 50 years: "The Building symbolizes the very urban problems it was originally supposed to address" writes Erin Gleeson in her introduction to the exhibition currently taking place at Bophana. Yet it stands with a strong identity in Phnom Penh's landscape of spoilations and evictions. Its future is uncertain, and chances are thin to see it take again the path of modern social housing. But why not?