This document summarizes the history and process of Thow Kwang, one of two remaining dragon kilns in Singapore. It was originally built in 1940 based on a traditional Chinese design. It was used to produce clay latex cups for rubber plantations but now fires ceramic pots. The kiln reaches 1300 degrees and takes a week to cool. It holds thousands of ceramic pieces and takes teams 24 hours to light, requiring constant stoking. The unique wood firing method creates an ash glaze effect that gas and electric kilns cannot replicate. Artists value the challenge and meaningful experience of this traditional process.

1. POTTERY
133January15
History of the kiln
Built in 1940, Thow Kwang
was based on a traditional
Chinese design that dates back
thousands of years. It was one
of up to 20 kilns that produced
the clay latex cups used in the
rubber plantations that were
dotted around the island. Local
white clay was freely available
in the area. As the plantations
closed, demand for the cups
waned, so the kilns turned to
making ceramic pots. When
demand for pots dropped, many
of the kilns closed. But a revival
in the community’s interest in
potting in the early 2000s saw
two kilns gasp back to life.
Yulianti Tan’s father-in-law
bought the kiln in 1965, and she
nowoperatesitwithherhusband.
She has been educating people
about the kiln for 16 years and
raising awareness, particularly
among young people, about
pottery-making,thekiln’sheritage
and culture, and the unique
effects that come from firing in
the dragon kiln.
T
how Kwang is one of two
surviving dragons kilns in
Singapore; both are in the
same street, owing to their
proximity to the white clay that was
once used on site. Known colloquially
as Jungle Pottery, Thow Kwang’s lush
and spacious grounds have for many
years been home to a one-stop shop
for ceramic pots, lamps, tableware and
more. What’s not so well known is the
significance and provenance of the
historic dragon kiln that was once part
of a flourishing ceramics industry. It’s
now at the centre of a revival in ceramic
art on the island.
Last year, the leases of both Thow
Kwang and neighbouring Guan Huat
kiln were renewed for nine years after
an active campaign to protect their
heritagevaluefromurbanencroachment.
The local and international artistic
communities are now drawn to Thow
You’d be forgiven for thinking Singapore’s history is fast disappearing
underanavalancheofseeminglyendlessconstruction.However,there
are hidden treasures to be discovered in out-of-the-way pockets of the
island which have escaped the bulldozers. An irreplaceable gem is the
70-year-old “dragon kiln” at Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle near Jurong.
KATIE ROBERTS spoke to two ceramic artists about the kiln’s unique
charm and its power to bring people together.
Top: Gently loading wood into stoke holes
Above: The kiln open and phographed
before unpacking

2. LIFE&FAMILY
134 January15
How it works
Inside, the Thow Kwang kiln
reaches almost 2m in height and
can hold thousands of pieces,
packed on shelves in sections
called chambers. It is built on
a gentle slope with a gradient
between 15 and 22 degrees. The
mouth at the bottom is 2.5m wide
and the structure is 27m long. The
kiln at Guan Huat is 43m long.
Traditionally, a ceremony takes
place before the kiln is lit, with
music and food offerings of meat,
plus wine or Chinese tea. Gold
paper is burnt.
It takes 24 hours to pre-heat
the fire box, or mouth. Slowly, the
subsequent chambers are lit, with
updrafts pulling the air and fire
through. Wooden planks, salvaged
Kwang’s curiously shaped wood-fired
kiln, which takes a week to cool down
after reaching a searing 1,300 degrees,
and taking full advantage of the unique
results obtained from firing ceramics in it.
Australian Merrie Tomkins was one
of 141 ceramic artists from across the
globe, including 37 from Singapore, who
attended the international chawan (“tea
bowl”) exposition held here last year.
“Everyone at home is envious because
I’m getting to do the firing of the kiln.
It’s so much more than having my work
in it; it’s about being part of the whole
process. I feel really privileged to be
able to have this experience,” she says.
“Firing a dragon kiln is totally different
from firing the Japanese anagama
kilns, or the kilns we’ve got at home.
There’s just something about it – it’s
part of history and, I find, it gets you in
the heart.” This is her second visit to
the island, having learnt about the kiln
from Singaporean Steven Low, artist-in-
residence at Thow Kwang.
They met years ago at a conference in
Gulgong, a sleepy country town in New
South Wales, and have since become
friends – a bond no doubt sealed by
round-the-clock stints stoking the kiln
to keep the fire burning, an essential
part of the experience. Merrie explains
that teams work in three-hour shifts:
“Because it’s so hot, especially along
the top near the stoke holes, you can
easily get dehydrated. It’s hard work,
using a careful and deliberate method
to add the wood, watch the smoke, let
the kiln draw and then add more wood.”
Steven Low is one of only a few people
who can “read” the kiln. He doesn’t need
a pyrometer to assess the temperature
accurately; instead, he watches the
smoke rising from the chimney and
listens to the roar of the dragon.
An established artist, Steven admits
that following his passion to become
a full-time potter was a hard road. “I
pursued art at 24, first at Nanyang
Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), then
at Curtin University of Technology in
Australia. I started out by teaching at
NAFA, but after nine years decided to
become a full-time ceramic artist.”
“Finding a suitable venue to set up a
studio was challenging,” he continues.
“Initially, I was based at Seletar Camp,
but I moved on in 2008 because of the
airbase development. I found Thow
Kwang Pottery Jungle, and its very
accommodating owners allowed me
Clockwise
from top:
Artists at work;
items ready
to be loaded
into the kiln;
Steven Low
from pallets, are poked through stoke
holes along the spine, or body. Teams
of people take shifts to “feed” the kiln
at intervals, 24 hours a day. The tail and
chimney at the top of the slope are where
the air and smoke are drawn out. The
shape of the fire-breathing mouth gives
the kiln its evocative name, along
with the roaring sound it makes
when operational.

3. POTTERY
Find more information about workshops for
adults and children and kiln-firing dates at
the websites below.
Thow Kwang Jungle Pottery
85 Lorong Tawas
6265 5808 | potteryjungle.wordpress.com
Jalan Bahar Clay Studios
97 Lorong Tawas
6777 1812 | jbcssg.com
to build a wooden house there. But
in 2011, after devoting two years of
effort to building, I had to give it up
because of the development nearby.
It was devastating, but it didn’t get
me down for long.” I started travelling
and visiting artists in other parts of the
world, and I realised how similar we
were. Challenges are part and parcel
of the industry, and determination and
perseverance are keys to success.
“Aside from commercial projects
and my solo exhibition and shows, it’s
importantformetoorganiseinternational
ceramic events to encourage culture
exchange and sharing. Hopefully, if
Singapore has an established ceramic
community, the local potters will feel
more grounded too,” he says.
But why go to all the trouble of using
a wood-fired and seemingly antiquated
firing method when there are other clean
and simple options available now, such
as gas and electric?
Steven explains: “As the ash
accumulates and melts on the clay
body, it gives a varying ash-glaze effect.
It depends how long you fire it for and
what glaze you use.”
“It’s time-consuming,” he adds, “but
you don’t know how the piece is going
to turn out; that is the magic. It is much
more challenging to fire with wood, yet
it is the only firing method that bring us
closer to nature, gives more depth and
is much more meaningful.”
Left:
Attending to
the stoking
holes
Right:
Artists
check their
work after
the kiln
has been
unpacked