Speech by Senior Minister of State for Defence Mr Heng Chee How at the Launch of Singapore Discovery Centre's Permanent Exhibits Gallery (Lower Gallery - Sandbox) on 20 November 2021

Mr Chan Heng Kee, Permanent Secretary (Defence),

Mr Teo Eng Dih, Chairman of Singapore Discovery Centre,

Mr Joseph Tan, Executive Director of Singapore Discovery Centre,

Board Members,

Partners,

Friends,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Introduction

A very good afternoon. Thank you for making time to join us today at this launch of Sandbox, SDC's newly-refreshed Permanent Exhibits Lower Gallery.

SDC's Permanent Exhibits Gallery was last updated 15 years ago in 2006. Plans for the rejuvenation began in 2019, conceptualising a centre-wide refresh of its attractions, and embracing an immersive, engaging story-telling approach. The intent was for both Galleries to tell our Singapore Story with new, experiential and innovative approaches, which will enhance their appeal to all – with a particular intent to also make it attractive to our youths and young families. Amidst the very challenging conditions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, SDC embarked on a major overhaul of its two-storey Permanent Exhibits Gallery. The Upper Gallery, titled Through the Lens of Time, was unveiled last year in November.

Through the Lens of Time has welcomed about 80,000 visitors since opening, and has also recently been awarded the Singapore Good Design Award (SG Mark) 2021 in the 'Interior Design' category – congratulations for that. Here, visitors can embark on an immersive, experiential journey through 700 years of Singapore's history, which underscores the critical need to defend our country and our future.

The New Gallery Experience

Today, I am delighted to join us all in unveiling the new Lower Gallery experience, titled Sandbox. I am excited to discover this sand-inspired thematic space, which invites us to imagine Singapore's collective future together. Sandbox tells the Singapore Story from a contemporary perspective, using the same innovative approaches to the gallery design as that used in the Upper Gallery. Under the five broad themes of the Strength of Our Nation, Our People, Our Home, Onward to Our Future, Fast Forward, and The Interchange, Sandbox delves into the pressing need for Singaporeans to strengthen our resolve, guard against fast-evolving threats, adapt to challenges and create opportunities for ourselves. These are themes that remain relevant, especially in the context of difficult periods, such as the one we are going through now. It shows how Singapore has overcome the odds over time, through ideas that we experimented with, and perspectives that we gained along the way – how we turn challenges and adversities into opportunities.

Aptly named Sandbox, visitors to the Lower Gallery can look forward to learning more about how Singapore stays vigilant – and I say, stay nimble as well – in the fight against threats that pose risks to our national security, through enhanced interactive features. These include multi-sensory citizen stories, and digital interactives like a situation-based game, a large-scale quiz game and an avatar 'city', among others. This will encourage everyone to actively participate in envisioning Singapore's future, through the Augmented Reality (AR) enhanced exhibits and many interactive role-playing games. SDC wants to inspire our visitors to imagine and create the Singapore that they want through experiments, and to encourage visitors to explore new uncharted territories. The framing of Sandbox is particularly relevant for Singapore, especially as we go into the post-COVID, or COVID endemic future, we do not want to just cope or to survive, but we want to overcome and to thrive. Where traditional businesses and economies are being severely disrupted, Singaporeans would need Sandboxes to test, to fail-fast and to collaborate; to be imaginative, creative and bold in embracing new technology and opportunities such as in the digitalisation and sustainability domains. We hope that visitors will go away with a better appreciation of the potential challenges confronting Singapore, and also see what possibilities lie in our future. And as we continue to transit into the new endemic normal with COVID-19, it is important for Singaporeans to stay united, resilient, and beyond that, not just to be stoic about it, but have the spark. And while the road ahead might be tough, we can do it, and we will do it together.

Digitalisation

Over the past year, traditional programming and engagement methods for SDC have been severely tested due to COVID-19. In-centre visits and physical activities by MOE schools and large organised groups, understandably, have been rather constrained – That did not deter SDC. So what they did was to quickly pivot to ramp up its digital engagement programmes – for schools, this included Total Defence, Racial Harmony and National Day digital packages, a virtual “Guardians of the City” card game tournament, and an online N.E.mation! competition. There were also Virtual Learning Journeys, Virtual 3D galleries and even self-designed Virtual Escape Rooms for corporate teambuilding and units from the Ministry of Defence and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). By embracing digitalisation, the SDC has continued to expand its outreach and strengthen engagement with Singaporeans on issues relating to National Service and Total Defence, overcoming the physical limitations. Because of the nature of digital programmes, the SDC was thus able to overcome that physical disadvantage and engaged many new schools in this past year. The digital engagement numbers alone have grown substantially to nearly 100,000 persons in 2020, hence turning a challenge into an opportunity.

Sustainability and Climate Change

Another critical issue that demands our urgent attention is the topic of sustainability and climate change, which will be a very relevant part of the Singapore Story in the years ahead. On this front, SDC is working hard towards becoming a net-zero energy attraction, in support of the Singapore Green Plan 2030 and our long-term emission-reduction targets. The solar panels on SDC's Discovery Lake, its rooftops and the Singapore Book of Records' award-winning longest solar-panelled walkway, now generate solar energy to meet 40% of SDC's needs. With ongoing sustainability projects, energy efficiency measures and green technology innovation through collaboration with partners such as NUS SERIS, SDC is on track to be two-thirds along the way by next year and then to achieve net zero status in the coming years. SDC also has its own Urban Garden, featuring commonly grown herbs and greens such as the blue pea flower and lemongrass. As part of the eco-learning trails and tours around the centre, we hope that this will also interest and inspire visitors to do their part, connect with nature and contribute towards eco-sustainability. The new theme of sustainability and climate change has also attracted new fans and volunteers, and SDC's sustainability related programmes are also very well received by our schools as well as corporates.

As A Lifestyle Attraction

Ladies and gentlemen, when SDC opened in 1996, it was set up to instil in Singaporeans a sense of confidence in the future of Singapore and in the SAF. While SDC has remained steadfast in sharing the Singapore Story, with the changing needs of the nation, it has since reinvented itself to become an attractive lifestyle attraction where visitors can participate in making the Singapore Story through innovative and appealing exhibitions, engaging storytelling and exciting audience-centric public programming. The recent inaugural Moon-LIT! Mid-Autumn Festival event, where SDC collaborated with MINDS, that is the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS), had attracted many families, and many young families as well. SDC also collaborated with Singapore Polytechnic's Diploma in Integrated Events and Project Management – the students under that programme to organise its first ever Harrowing Halloween event, and saw more than 4,000 participants came through the centre over eight nights. Early reviewers enjoyed the programme and produced several TikTok videos which were well-received. This event also proved that despite SDC's location, its choice of this youths-for-youths programming strategy works, and enables SDC to more successfully open up the way in engaging and fostering that outreach in this otherwise quite difficult to reach audience segment. Looking forward, plans are also underway to work with like-minded commercial partners to upgrade the floating bandstand at the Discovery Lake, transforming it into an iconic solar-powered floating performance atrium, and adding yet another unique outdoor lifestyle attraction venue for Singaporeans to enjoy performances amongst other things include drone displays. Such endeavours by SDC allow for private-public-people sectors to collaborate, come together and to make things happen, to co-create Singapore's future, and to do so together and we come through it stronger as we emerge stronger from COVID-19.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I would like to thank the SDC team, the board members for your perseverance in SDC's renewal journey amidst difficult times, and to all our partners in pressing on with us in this collective journey to tell the Singapore Story and inspire fellow Singaporeans. Congratulations on the successful completion of the Permanent Exhibits Gallery. It is now my pleasure to declare the Sandbox open, and I hope that many inspiring stories in Sandbox will provide new perspectives, and motivate many more Singaporeans to adopt this Sandbox mindset – innovation, boldness, triumph to turn challenges into opportunities, and set ourselves up for an even better future.

Have a nice day. Thank you so much.