Arts festival lets artists with disabilities shape experience; lets visitors step into their world

Artist Janetta Tan, 35, was paralysed from the chest down after a car accident in 2010. She turned to painting with her mouth as a way to express herself and regain a sense of control.

ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN

Vanessa Paige Chelvan

Published Sep 13, 2026, 06:30 PM

Updated Sep 13, 2026, 06:30 PM

Artists with disabilities shape the Shaping Hearts festival, creating sensory experiences to help visitors understand their perspectives beyond traditional exhibitions.

The festival's new Playdate@PDD platform features inclusive play booths promoting interaction between artists with disabilities and the community, aiming to expand across the district.

Artist Janetta Tan emphasises the need for greater awareness and support to help people with disabilities participate independently and showcase their talents.

SINGAPORE - Artist Janetta Tan, 35, was paralysed from the chest down after a car accident in 2010. She turned to painting with her mouth as a way to express herself and regain a sense of control.

She hopes greater awareness of the abilities of people with disabilities will lead to more support for artists like her, many of whom work on their art from home and in their own time, often without the resources of an established organisation.

“We are not a company... I think we need help to do what we do.,” said Tan, who works in the social services sector.

She said greater awareness could encourage more people with disabilities to venture into the community and get more support.

“I think more of us can come out and not just stay at home,” she said.

“We don’t need to just depend on our family members and friends who know what we need.”

To help people experience the world from their perspectives, artists with disabilities are taking on a more central role in the Shaping Hearts inclusive arts festival this year.

More than showcasing their work, it is having them shape how the wider public experiences disability.

Organised by the North East Community Development Council (NE CDC), the sixth edition of Shaping Hearts was launched at Punggol Digital District on Sept 13, under the theme “Step Into Our World.”

For the first time, artists with disabilities have helped design experiences that invite visitors to see, hear, touch and move through the world from their perspectives, through four co-created playgrounds - Texture, Motion, Rhythm and Visual - that draw on the lived experiences of participating artists.

For example, at the Texture Playground, visually impaired artist Katy Lee shared how she navigates the world through texture rather than sight. Student volunteers then translated her descriptions into textured blocks which visitors can feel, giving them a tactile way of experiencing the world as she does.

Mayor of North East District Baey Yam Keng said the approach was a step beyond previous editions, when artists’ works were largely displayed as exhibitions.

“This is an important step because it’s not just showcasing their work, exhibiting their art, but it’s also involving them in the co-creations,” said Baey, who is also Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth, and Transport, and a Tampines GRC MP.

Instead of just viewing a painting or other artwork, he added, visitors this year encounter artists’ ideas, creativity and life experiences through sensory, movement and audio elements.

“We hope that this platform continues to grow so that more Singaporeans… will have a better appreciation of people with disabilities, about different talents in our society, and how we can all play a part to elevate them,” said Baey.

The launch was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong and Minister of State for Defence Desmond Choo.

For Tan, that visibility is important because inclusion is also about giving people with disabilities greater opportunities to participate independently in society.

“Being independent is very important to me,” she said. “Being able to come out into the community, having people help you get around, being able to navigate places yourself, and having the community be more open.”

Building on that push for inclusion, Shaping Hearts 2026 also marks the launch of Playdate@PDD, a new platform aimed at bringing artists with disabilities and the wider community together through shared play.

Its inaugural edition features 16 inclusive play booths created by artists with disabilities, community groups and partners. The booths are organised around the same four themes - Visual, Rhythm, Texture and Motion - with visitors invited to draw, listen, touch and move alongside artists and community creators.

There are plans to expand the initiative to 80 inclusive play booths across the North East District over the coming year, with NE CDC saying it hopes to take inclusion beyond a single event and into the wider community.

For Tan, the hope is that such efforts will encourage more people with disabilities to be seen not just as recipients of help, but as people with talents and contributions.

“I think supporting inclusiveness - letting people know a bit more about what people with disabilities can do - will hopefully gather a bit more support to help us do more,” she said.

Shaping Hearts 2026 runs at Punggol Digital District until Sept 27, before moving to Tampines Mall from Oct 8 to 13 and Suntec City from Oct 26 to Nov 1.

35岁的艺术家Janetta Tan在2010年的一场车祸中胸部以下瘫痪。她开始用嘴作画，以此表达自己并重新获得控制感。

圣徒照片：吴索銮

凡妮莎·佩奇·切尔万

发布于2026年9月13日下午6:30

更新于2026年9月13日下午6:30

残疾艺术家们参与了“塑造心灵”艺术节的创作，他们创造感官体验，帮助参观者超越传统展览，理解他们的视角。

该艺术节新推出的 Playdate@PDD 平台设有包容性游戏摊位，旨在促进残疾艺术家与社区之间的互动，并计划扩展到整个地区。

艺术家 Janetta Tan 强调，需要提高公众意识并给予更多支持，以帮助残疾人士独立参与社会活动并展现他们的才华。

新加坡——35岁的艺术家Janetta Tan在2010年的一场车祸中胸部以下瘫痪。她开始用嘴作画，以此表达自己并重新获得掌控感。

她希望人们对残疾人的能力有更深入的了解，从而为像她这样的艺术家提供更多支持。许多残疾人艺术家在家利用自己的时间进行艺术创作，往往缺乏成熟机构的资源。

“我们不是一家公司……我认为我们需要帮助才能做好我们正在做的事情，”在社会服务领域工作的谭说道。

她表示，提高公众意识可以鼓励更多残疾人士走进社区，获得更多支持。

“我认为我们可以更多地走出去，而不是一直待在家里，”她说。

“我们不必仅仅依赖了解我们需求的家人和朋友。”

为了帮助人们从残疾的角度体验世界，今年残疾艺术家在“塑造心灵”包容性艺术节中扮演了更加核心的角色。

与其说是展示他们的作品，不如说是让他们塑造更广泛的公众对残疾的看法。

由东北社区发展理事会（NE CDC）主办的第六届“塑造心灵”活动于9月13日在榜鹅数码区启动，主题为“走进我们的世界”。

残疾艺术家首次参与设计体验活动，邀请参观者通过四个共同创作的游乐场——质感、运动、节奏和视觉——从他们的视角观看、聆听、触摸和体验世界，这些游乐场汲取了参与艺术家的生活经验。

例如，在“质感游乐场”活动中，视障艺术家凯蒂·李分享了她如何通过触觉而非视觉来感知世界。随后，学生志愿者们将她的描述转化为有质感的积木，供参观者触摸，让他们也能像凯蒂一样，通过触觉体验世界。

东北区区长白炎庆表示，这种做法比以往的版本更进一步，以往的版本大多以展览的形式展示艺术家的作品。

“这是一个重要的步骤，因为它不仅展示他们的作品，展出他们的艺术作品，而且还让他们参与到共同创作中来，”贝伊说道。他同时也是文化、社区及青年部兼交通部政务部长，以及淡滨尼集选区议员。

他补充说，今年参观者不再只是欣赏绘画或其他艺术作品，而是通过感官、运动和音频元素来体验艺术家的想法、创造力和生活经历。

“我们希望这个平台能够继续发展壮大，让更多的新加坡人……更好地了解残疾人士，了解我们社会中的不同才能，以及我们所有人如何才能共同提升他们的地位，”Baey说道。

出席发布会的还有副总理兼贸易工业部长颜金勇和国防部政务部长朱棣明。

对谭来说，这种可见性很重要，因为包容也意味着给予残疾人更多独立参与社会的机会。

“对我来说，独立非常重要，”她说。“能够融入社区，有人帮助你出行，能够自己找到方向，以及社区更加开放包容。”

为了进一步推动包容性，Shaping Hearts 2026 还推出了 Playdate@PDD，这是一个旨在通过共同游戏将残疾艺术家和更广泛的社区聚集在一起的新平台。

首届活动设有16个包容性游戏展位，由残障艺术家、社区团体和合作伙伴共同创作。这些展位围绕视觉、节奏、质感和运动这四个主题展开，邀请参观者与艺术家和社区创作者一起绘画、聆听、触摸和活动。

未来一年，东北区计划将这项举措扩展到 80 个包容性游戏亭。东北区社区发展委员会表示，希望将包容性从单一活动扩展到更广泛的社区。

谭希望这样的努力能够鼓励更多残疾人士不仅被视为帮助的接受者，而且被视为有才能和贡献的人。

“我认为，支持包容性——让人们更多地了解残疾人能做什么——有望获得更多支持，帮助我们做得更多，”她说。

“塑造心灵 2026”展览将于 9 月 27 日前在榜鹅数码区举行，之后将于 10 月 8 日至 13 日移至淡滨尼购物中心，并于 10 月 26 日至 11 月 1 日移至新达城。