Speech by President Halimah Yacob at Opening of Singapore Clay Festival

Mr Goh Eck Kheng, Director, Singapore Clay Festival Organising Committee

Ms Ku Geok Boon, CEO, SG Enable

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good morning. It is my pleasure to join you at the opening of the inaugural Singapore Clay Festival.

The history of clay-making in Singapore parallels the history of our development. The rulers of ancient Temasek built city walls and terraces on Bukit Larangan, now Fort Canning Hill, with bricks made of locally harvested clay. Naraina Pillay, who arrived on our shores with Raffles in 1819, started a brick kiln to supply the anticipated construction boom. The demand continued well after the founding of Singapore. In the 1900s, the ancient Chinese method of firing ceramics in dragon kilns was brought to Singapore. From the 1940s to the 1980s, some 20 dragon kilns manufactured an array of clay products. These included cups supplied to the rubber industry for collecting latex, flowerpots for the orchid cut flower trade, and urns and jars for domestic use and export.

Pottery in Singapore today has evolved to become an art form. It is practised by the young and old, professionals and hobbyists, and Singaporeans from all walks of life. Some dedicated potters had even gone on overseas stints to hone their craft, like the late Ng Eng Teng, who was known for his large-scale whimsical sculptures. He had gone to England to learn pottery in 1962. Iskandar Jalil, who studied ceramics in Japan in 1972, integrates Japanese and Islamic styles into his artwork. Both were awarded the Cultural Medallion, our nation’s pinnacle accolade for the arts. This signals the deep and enduring contributions that potters have made to the local arts scene.

Today, numerous studios have classes and facilities for pottery. The Singapore Clay Festival, which debuts this year, features over 130 potters representing more than 50 studios. It brings the community together to honour, celebrate and advance their artistic craft and practice in Singapore. The festival also features established clay artists of the current generation, like Ahmad Abu Bakar and Jessie Lim, alongside amateur studio potters. They represent the diversity of Singapore clay practice.

The potters of Singapore form a diverse, inclusive community because clay practice is accessible to all. It is therefore fitting that the inaugural festival is held here at the Enabling Village. I am happy to see the involvement of i’mable Collective, SG Enable’s multi-sectoral collective of artists, craft makers, creatives and enterprises. The Collective works to develop a viable market for quality merchandise and services made by or with persons with disabilities. The different projects under the i’mable Collective have generated a gross income of close to a quarter million for the 15 makers and 15 enterprise partners from January 2020 to September 2021. I had seen the beautiful designs by the talented artists at the first i’mable Gift Market in 2019. I hope that they will get to profile their work to an even wider audience at this festival, to create a sustained marketplace for their products.

In addition, the proceeds from the charity sale of works made using Singapore clay will go towards the Mediacorp Enable Fund. It is a community fund which aims to fulfil the aspirations, enhance the employability, and support the inclusion of persons with disabilities. I urge fellow Singaporeans to support more of such inclusive initiatives.

What the Singapore Clay Festival showcases is the creative spirit of Singaporeans. Each potter uses the same medium of clay, but each end product is unique and a reflection of their thoughtful, creative expressions. In the same way, this is the kind of society we are striving to build through the next Enabling Masterplan 2030 – one in which every Singaporean can contribute in their unique ways. I encourage persons with disabilities and caregivers to share their hopes and aspirations for a more inclusive Singapore at the ongoing Enabling Masterplan consultations.

In closing, I congratulate the Singapore Clay Festival for bringing together, for the first time, the diverse pottery community of Singapore. I hope that the creative spirit we see today will inspire us to overcome the challenges that lie ahead and make Singapore an even more vibrant and inclusive place. Thank you.