What Happens When a City Forgets Its Music? | Charlyn Yap | TEDxSingapore Youth

Singapore once pressed records for local and international artists, and its music industry was a significant part of the local economy. That industry has since disappeared. In this TEDxSingapore Youth talk, Charlyn Yap, founder of ART/ST Records and described as Singapore's only lathe cutter, argues that bringing back a forgotten craft requires a whole community and helps keep personal and cultural stories from being lost. Yap hand-cuts records in a variety of shapes and runs workshops at *SCAPE where people turn voices, vows and memories into records made entirely in Singapore.

• Singapore's past record pressing industry for local and global artists
• Charlyn Yap, Singapore's only lathe cutter and founder of ART/ST Records
• Workshops at *SCAPE that turn voices, vows and memories into records
• Reviving a forgotten craft as a community effort to preserve stories

Singapore once pressed records for local stars and global icons alike, and the music business was Singapore’s business. That industry has since vanished. Charlyn Yap, Singapore’s only lathe cutter, makes the case that reviving a forgotten craft takes a whole community, and that doing so keeps our stories from being lost. Charlyn Yap is the founder of ART/ST Records and Singapore’s only lathe cutter, hand-cutting records in every shape except circles. Through workshops at *SCAPE, she helps people turn voices, vows and memories into records made entirely in Singapore. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx