“MOMENTS” BY GEORGE TOWN FESTIVAL 2022 PHOTOBOOK LAUNCH
SPEECH BY YAB TUAN CHOW KON YEOW
THE CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG
“MOMENTS” BY GEORGE TOWN FESTIVAL 2022
PHOTOBOOK LAUNCH
23 APRIL 2022
YB Teh Lai Heng
Komtar State Assemblyman
YB Daniel Gooi Zi Sen
Pengkalan Kota State Assemblyman
Dr Ang Ming Chee
General Manager of George Town World Heritage Incorporated (GTWHI)
Mr Jack Wong
Festival Director of George Town Festival
Members of the Media,
It gives me great pleasure to be here today for the launch of Moments. To begin, I would like to extend a warm welcome to everyone here and congratulate George Town Festival 2022 on the successful publication of this photobook.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Penang is widely regarded as a leading tourist destination in the world, having received numerous accolades from prestigious publications. Penang, for example, was ranked third in International Living's list of "15 Best Islands in the World to Retire On" and made CNN Travel's list of "22 Best Destinations to Visit in 2022." Penang's art scene was also recognised when George Town was named one of the "Ten Best Places in the World to See Street Art" by Artnet, a New York-based art news portal.
Penang’s art scene has indeed placed Penang on the global map, thanks to its many creative talents and homegrown festivals like the George Town Festival. Apart from generating income and yielding economic opportunities for creative practitioners, the Festival has been instrumental in providing an international platform for local artists to showcase their talents while encouraging them to exchange ideas with international artists since 2010.
As part of the Festival’s continuous effort to support the creative industry, George Town Festival publishes Moments, a photobook that showcases images of unforgettable moments and scenes of contemporary Penang. Moments, captured through the lenses of three local photographers Patrick Loo, Sean Lim, and Yih Chang, aims to commemorate, celebrate, and reflect on Penang special moments that inspire a connection between people and offer a sense of familiarity.
To my great delight, Moments has successfully aligned itself to the Penang2030 vision. A vision that takes into account Penang as a whole. In this book, you will find familiar and rare images of Penang, such as aerial shots of the George Town UNESCO World Heritage Site, Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve, charming fishing village in Teluk Kumbar, paddy fields in Seberang Perai, and more. You will also find photographs of the state's vibrant celebrations and traditional traders captured on both island and mainland.
It is exciting that Moments covers all the important facets of Penang. The images depict our successful 50-year industrialisation journey, greenery despite rapid development, inherited traditional trades and arts, and proud diversity. All the foregoing is part of the State Government's Penang2030 vision and suffice to say, this photobook successfully illustrates the State Government's efforts in realising the Penang2030 vision of ‘A Family-Focused Green and Smart State that Inspires the Nation’.
Aside from that, the photobook is part of the Festival’s effort to recognise local talent in the state. As a result, I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to the talented photographers, all of whom are passionate Penangites, for utilising their talents to promote the state's charm.
I hope that this book will inspire a profound desire to create and capture more Penang-specific memories that will last a lifetime. Penang is made of beautiful moments, and there’s no further evidence of that than in this photobook. Moments, in my opinion, is not only an ideal souvenir for visiting tourists and friends, but it is also a good photobook for families to bond over. I also hope that this photobook will entice more festival-goers to visit Penang and discover the state's distinct charm as it welcomes the world back.
With that, I hereby officially launch the Moments photobook by George Town Festival.
Thank you.