Abandoned villa from the 1960s, in Kep City

Kep (pronounced 'Kype') is a seaside resort town in southwestern Cambodia. Less than 2 hours from Phnom Penh, it was frequented by French colonial officers in the early 20th century. After Cambodia won its independence, it became a vacation spot for wealthy Cambodians, who built modernist concrete villas in the emerging 'New Khmer' style taking hold in Cambodia's urban centers. Abandoned during the civil war and Khmer Rouge periods, many still remain as reminders of a mostly overlooked time in Cambodian history. Luckily, Kep has so far escaped the Sihanoukville's fate and remains relatively quiet. KepExpo, a new multimedia project taking place in early 2013, will raise awareness of Kep's heritage architecture and use the city to prompt dialogues about Cambodian urban history and culture.