|
¡¡ |
|
 |
|
Source:
www.gov.sg |
|
SPEECH BY MR LEE BOON YANG,MINISTER FOR INFORMATION,
COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AT BEYOND 2005: THE GLOBAL SUMMIT FOR
CREATIVE INDUSTRIES |
|
An Excerpt |
|
|
Creative Industries present a new and
exciting economic opportunity for Singapore in a rapidly changing global
environment... |
|
We are now competing in a world where
left-brained activities can be replaced by powerful technological tools.
Today there is an increasing premium on right-brained activities giving
birth to whole slew of creative products and services. Put it another
way - knowledge and technologies are now commodities... |
|
You might ask ¨C does Singapore have what it
takes to succeed in this field? |
|
It is true that Singapore¡¯s economic
achievements, technological capabilities and ¡°orderly, safe and green¡±
reputation have always been more visible than our cultural developments.
But let me assure you that Singapore is certainly not a ¡°cultural
desert¡± |
|
As an open, multi-racial and cosmopolitan
society, we provide a creative hothouse for artists to work in. |
|
We have also attracted creative people from
other countries to supplement our own talents. Our earliest artists were
immigrants from afar who made Singapore their home and left behind a
rich artistic heritage. |
|
These pioneering talents, which included the
Nanyang artists - Liu Kang, Chen Chong Swee, Chen Wen Hsi and Cheong Soo
Pieng, as well as others such as poet and calligrapher Pan Shou and
latter-day playwright Kuo Pao Kun and contemporary ceramic artist
Iskandar Jalil, pursued excellence in artistic achievement. They laid
the foundations for the arts in Singapore and offer inspiration for
today¡¯s artists and creative talents. |
|
Some of you may also be surprised to know
that Singapore was a filmmaking hub in the post-war years leading up to
the late 1960s. |
|
Studio giants, Cathay-Keris and Shaw
Organisation, which dominated the industry here, produced over 300 Malay
language films. These films appealed to numerous ethnic communities
around the region and gave prominence to legendary directors such as
Hussain Haniff and actor P. Ramlee. |
|
In the Chinese music scene, the local xinyao
movement started in mid-1980s became the precursor of success stories in
the regional Chinese pop music industry today. |
|
Many xinyao pioneers went on to become
successful songwriters, trainers and producers. For example, Ocean
Butterflies Production, which was set up in 1986 by three members of one
of the earliest xinyao groups, The Straws, is the recording company
behind successful pop singers such as Ah-Do and JJ Lin (Lin Junjie). The
talented Li Weisong and Li Sisong twin brothers were the ones who
discovered and groomed Stephanie Sun into a regional pop star. |
|
These are just a few examples of Singapore¡¯s
creative capabilities. From 1989 onwards, the government had also
created key arts and cultural agencies and invested in new facilities to
support arts and culture. |
|
These included the National Arts Council (NAC),
National Heritage Board (NHB) and National Library Board (NLB) and
cultural facilities such as the Singapore Arts Museum (SAM), Asian
Civilisations Museum (ACM), The Esplanade ¨C Theatres on the Bay and the
new National Library incorporating a Drama Centre. |
|
We have also focused resources on nurturing
the ¡°cultural software¡± of the nation, including the Renaissance City
Plan (RCP) launched in 2000. |
|
To develop Singapore into a global arts
city, a S$50 million budget was allocated to step up funding for arts
development over the following five years. |
|
This level of funding allowed NAC to expand
their Arts Education Programme in schools at all levels; develop
flagship arts companies; provide assistance to local artists to present
their works internationally; and allocate funding to events like the
Singapore Arts Festival and Singapore Writers¡¯ Festival. |
|
We also established the Singapore Tyler
Print Institute (STPI), and The Arts House (at the Old Parliament House)
to enhance diversity to our arts and cultural district. |
|
So far we have invested more than S$1
billion on our cultural hardware and software. The results have been
encouraging. Over 600 arts-related companies and societies flourish
today, with more than 6,000 arts and cultural events taking place
annually. Attendance has increased steadily over the years, a reflection
of the growing maturity of our arts audience. |
|
Reflecting these developments in the arts
and culture, the Creative Industries grew from 2.0% of GDP in 1986 to
3.6% in 2003. We have also gained international awareness and
recognition for some of our creative enterprises. For instance,
Singapore has established its reputation as a regional visual
communications node with outfits like WORK, Phunk studio and Kinetic
garnering international acclaim for their bold and provocative work in
graphic design, advertising and interactive multimedia. |
|
Our architectural firms are also recognised
globally for their strengths in innovative tropical architecture. This
year, both DP Architects Pte Ltd and SCDA Architects received the RIBA
(Royal Institute of British Architects) Worldwide Awards for designing
The Esplanade and the Lincoln Modern respectively. |
|
The local filmmaking industry has also
experienced a renaissance of sorts over the past decade, with talents
like Eric Khoo and Jack Neo, among others, receiving numerous accolades
for their films. |
|
Singapore-based companies such as Banyan
Tree Holdings, OSIM and Stikfas, just to name a few, that have leveraged
on creativity and innovation to launch their brands internationally in
niche markets. |
|
Moving forward, Singapore will build on the
creative foundations laid over the years. |
|
The three-pronged Creative Industries
Development Strategy consists of the Renaissance City 2.0,
DesignSingapore and Media 21 initiatives focusing on the Arts, Design
and Media sectors respectively. |
|
These initiatives bring together key
stakeholders in the public and private sectors to realise our common
vision of growing Creative Industries through the development of
capabilities, platforms, markets and a stimulating and inspiring
creative environment... |
|
Full Text of Speech |
|
Source:
www.gov.sg Media Release 15 Nov 2005 |
|
 |
|
Important
Notice |
|
Our FrontPage
Editions are a historical record of our Web site and reflect
the changing of the times, and also of our Web site through
time. We do not and will not update the links and stories on
these FrontPages even if they have become obsolete. |
|
FrontPage Edition: Tue 15 Nov 2005
All rights reserved
