The location that I did for my zine is Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle which is located near my neighbourhood and NTU as well. The reason why I wanted to go somewhere which was not in my estate was because I wanted to explore what other areas in my neighbourhood that I haven’t been to. I wanted to find a place which was was special and unique only to the area that I am living in.
What makes Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle so special is the dragon kiln located in it, which is basically a really long traditional slanted oven for clay to bake into ceramics. Unlike electronic kilns, these dragon kilns take a lot of work, but it creates a unique wood ash glaze from the smoke coming from the wood that was used to feed the fire in the kiln.
There were more than 20 dragon kilns operating in Singapore from the 1940s to 1970s, but this area in particular in the west used to have more because there was an abundance of white clay found in this area then. For this family, they used to dig white clay out of their backyard, and that place that they dug from is now a pond at the back of the place which is quite interesting because I would just assume that it’s a pond for fishes instead of considering the history behind it.
Today, Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle is the only place that houses the last operating dragon kiln in Singapore. The lease is extended to 2023, but you never know what might happen in the future, as seen that the area was already surrounded by construction sites.
It’s important for us to actually visit and support this kind of old establishments because heritage places basically represent the past history and culture of a nation. They constitute together the architectural heritage of an area and it allows us, a different generation to experience and know our past.
Unlike the tall concrete jungle of HDBs you find in Jurong, this place is really like the countryside of Jurong, where the owners still live in this kind of low-level kampong like house.
Also, this area is surrounded by nature. Literally, when walking to this place from the bus stop you have to walk past a forest. You see tall trees surrounding you instead of the normal commute of walking past tall buildings and a few trees when you travel through Jurong.
This place gives me a feeling of nostalgia and an appreciation for our heritage.
For my zine, I wish to showcase the place as a rare, traditional place of history that everyone should visit so as to preserve our heritage.
Project 2a CPJ: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/a180062/project-2a-creative-process-journal/
Project 2a Slides: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/a180062/project-2a-presentation-slides/
Project 2b CPJ: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/a180062/project-2b-creative-process-journal/
Project 2b Final: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/a180062/project-2b-final/
Sources:
Very last dragon kiln surviving in S’pore at Jalan Bahar near NTU gets lease extension
Dragon of The West — Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle
Hidden in the woods at a corner in the West, sits a dragon that breathes its fiery breath. We're talking about the Thow Kwang Dragon Kiln. The oldest of its kind in Singapore, the kiln comes to life only three times a year!
Posted by Our Grandfather Story on Tuesday, 10 April 2018