Speech by Minister Desmond Lee at the Launch of i Light Singapore 2024
May 31, 2024
Good evening everyone. I’d like to thank you first and foremostly for joining me on this special occasion, as we celebrate the 10th edition of i Light Singapore.
i Light Singapore was first launched back in 2010 to mark the opening of Marina Bay which is in the heart of our city.
Fourteen years and 10 editions later, i Light Singapore is now a Marina Bay signature event, attracting over 11 million visitors. The festival brings together diverse communities, having hosted 218 artworks and more than 300 artists from all over the world, truly living up to its name as Asia’s leading sustainable light festival.
Inspiring sustainability as Asia’s leading sustainable light festival
Environmental sustainability has always been a key focus of i Light Singapore. This year, there are a total of 17 light art installations, by 25 artists from 11 countries including China, Australia, Hungary, Slovenia, Netherlands, and others. These light installations are not only beautiful, they also spark conversations about environmental consciousness, upcycling and the circular economy.
For example, the artwork behind us, titled ‘Spin Me A Yarn’, features 3 giant yarn balls intertwined with its surroundings, and it symbolises how unsustainable practices in the fashion industry might impact our environment.
Besides the light installations, you can also participate in an eco-marketplace, as well as talks and workshops on wellness and sustainability, that we have organised in collaboration with “The Conscious Festival”. These take place in various locations around the Bay.
Visitors to this year’s Festival can also travel across the Bay with ease and view the light installations from the vantage point of the waters of Marina Bay. The newly introduced i Light river cruise shuttle service will bring you from Clifford Pier to the Bayfront South Jetty near Marina Bay Sands, and is a collaboration with Singapore River Cruise and WaterB.
To reach a wider audience, we have expanded the Festival this year to include light installations at Tanjong Pagar for the very first time. Our partners at the ‘Discover Tanjong Pagar’ pilot Business Improvement District will be organising a lively pop-up street market, that features live music and eco-friendly brands over two weekends in June.
Marina Bay as a People’s Bay – a vibrant waterfront precinct for all
As we commemorate this 10th edition of i Light Singapore, it is a good time for us to look back on Marina Bay’s transformation into the People’s Bay that it is today. Our Marina Bay story is one of long-term planning and meticulous implementation. What used to be an entry point for immigrants seeking a better life has now transformed into a vibrant mixed-use precinct that is not just a leading financial centre, but also a lively neighbourhood, a popular civic space, and a scenic waterfront for all of us to enjoy.
Beyond infrastructural improvements, our place management efforts have transformed Marina Bay by creating and enhancing public places, as well as programming events and activities to inject vibrancy into the area. We made a deliberate effort to ensure that the waterfront is accessible and inclusive, creating a seamless walking experience all around the Bay. This experience is further enhanced by a necklace of attractions around the Bay, such as the Helix Bridge, Jubilee Bridge, The Promontory, and iconic destinations like the Esplanade, Gardens by the Bay and the Art Science Museum.
Through over 50 years of long-term planning and execution, we have now realised the vision of Marina Bay as a waterfront precinct for people to live, work and play.
To enrich the visitor experience at Marina Bay and its surrounding precincts, my colleagues at URA work closely with partners to run new programmes to promote community bonding and allow more people to enjoy these spaces in our city centre.
For example, UOB has introduced a year-long programme for lower income families to experience our city centre. In fact, this afternoon, over 40 children and their families took part in an art workshop and went on an immersive boat ride along the Singapore River. They learnt more about the historical significance of the river and its role in Singapore’s development as a trading port. I hope to see more partners coming forward to offer such meaningful initiatives.
The Next Chapter for Singapore’s City Centre
We are now writing the next chapter of the Singapore story and are planning for more homes and amenities in the city centre such as at Marina South, which will see more than 10,000 new homes. This is part of our efforts to rejuvenate the city centre, allowing more people to enjoy city living.
As we look to a more sustainable future, we will develop sensitively so that we can meet our diverse needs, while ensuring that our city retains its character, vibrancy and liveability.
This July, URA will be sharing proposals for Orchard Road and our historic districts, amongst other locations within the Central Area of Singapore. This is part of our ongoing Recreation Master Plan exhibitions where we seek to engage the public for views and ideas on the green spaces, the blue spaces, as well as spaces for the sports, arts, and heritage across our island.
I would like to invite everyone to view the exhibitions, contemplate, think, and share with us your ideas and views. We will study your feedback carefully and incorporate some of them into the Draft Master Plan which will be exhibited next year.
Conclusion
Finally, let me thank our precinct stakeholders – South Beach, Millenia Walk and Discover Tanjong Pagar – for partnering us to extend the Festival to satellite sites, as well as other valued partners and supporters who have made this festival possible.
I’d also like to thank all our organisers who have worked very hard, all those who have set up pavilions and booths for making i light Singapore’s 10th edition such a special occasion to enjoy.
On that note, I wish everyone an enjoyable evening. Thank you.