Museum Observation-Singapore 博物館觀察:新加坡篇

撰寫編輯者Editor: Yue-Duan

Chapter 1 --- Singapore

        The following observation is based on my experience in Singapore tours on January 23-25 and July 23-25, 2024.

National Museum of Singapore 新加坡國家博物館

>> The museum, centered around the history of Singapore, showcases the "objects" and "events" from different periods of Singapore's history. The exhibition route should start at level 2 from "Story of the Forest" with CG animation to level 1“Singapore History Gallery".

National Museum of Singapore 新加坡國家博物館

National Museum of Singapore is a highly thematic museum, which only serves one exhibition focused on Singapore’s history. The exhibition seems like is telling a story of a human’s growing up from a baby, childhood, to an adult as the development of Singapore, from a land for animals to people live, colonization, independence, to current advancement. Since the museum presents one theme in the museum, it not only depicts detailed and well-organized information about the development, but also shows the appreciation of Singapore's progress.

The exhibition of Singapore's development is well-arranged at some points, such as the traffic flow designed for audience and the atmosphere of the space. First, the exhibition route is an only one designated path, facilitating audience to a coherent viewing experience. The one-way pathway allows visitors to proceed more directly and reduce unnecessary decision-making. On the other hand, this design actually secretes the museum's purpose, expressing its insights by showing the information and sequential scenes.

CG animation

Secondly, the exhibition space utilizes a significant amount of black ground. Once entering the exhibition, audience immediately feel isolated from the external environment, ignoring the architectural context. The museum's architecture is the fusion of neoclassical and modern styles. The museum's retail area, particularly the café, builds significant interaction and connection with the architecture occurs, the same light colors. Therefore, the museum distinguishes between the exhibition and the retail area by different colors use. The exhibition doesn't build strong connection with the architecture itself.

Dark (black) background

Moreover, the museum's layout follows a chronological order, guiding visitors through Singapore's history in a linear path. Events from the same period are displayed in shared spaces, symbolizing Singapore's continuous cultural amalgamation. For instance, agricultural tools appear alongside in the period of the late 19th to early 20th centuries, which a port city is trading hub owing to colonization. Also, agricultural implements are placed adjacent to opium paraphernalia. This display showcases different cultural developments simultaneously, effectively representing the diverse cultural exchanges that have shaped the nation.

The collections in the museum utilizes not only a plenty of artifacts from past eras but animated special effects extensively to depict ancient lifestyles and environments. For example, agricultural tools represent the past livelihoods and animation depicts the ancient tropical weather, animals and plants before people live and reclaim. Opium pipes and scenes (beds) portray the influence of opium consumption, reflective of Singapore's shared Chinese cultural heritage.

Documentary of A Speech by Lee Kuwn Yew, talking about Singapore's forced independence

Various contracts and portraits associated with individuals signify the connections and impacts on Singapore's development at the time. In the meanwhile, post-war economic downturn led people to work in factories and compelled them towards independence. Documentaries featuring speeches by the Prime Minister and subsequent economic development strategies serve as pivotal points in the exhibition. The use of documentaries, such as those depicting Singapore's compelled independence, with speeches from former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, immerses visitors in the historical atmosphere. This approach not only enhances the storytelling but also fosters a deeper sense of national identity and recognition among the audience.

Overall, the museum's exhibitions meticulously blend historical facts with strategic curatorial design to provide a comprehensive and immersive experience, fostering a nuanced appreciation of Singapore's cultural and historical landscape.

National Gallery Singapore 新加坡國家美術館

>> The exhibition presents artworks from Singapore and Southeast Asia spanning from the 19th century to contemporary times. The visiting route should start at one building (Supreme Court Wing or City Hall Wing). After visiting over the galleries in one building, audience moves to the other and follows the different themes.

Gallery's architectural model 美術館建築模型

National Gallery Singapore is divided into two parts Supreme Court Wing, which included the art’s development in Southeast Asia since the 19^th century, and City Hall Wing, which focused on art in Singapore since the 19^th century. These two are permanent exhibitions in the museum, while there are occasional casually exhibitions would be held.

It is recommended to explore one building fully before proceeding to the other because of different themes. Supreme Court Wing should be started viewing at the level 3 from the chronological source for a more comprehensive understanding. It presents the art history of Southeast Asia since 19th century (UOB Southeast Asia Gallery) from raising awareness of authority to building the nation and mental and environmental changes during each period. On the other hand, City Hall Wing could be started visiting from level 2 to upstairs. It displays the art in Singapore more. DBS Singapore Gallery, it shows the development of art in Singapore.

The traffic flow is more various than that of National Museum of Singapore. The gallery has its main corridor in most floors to connect rooms. Therefore, there's no certain and forced routes are essential for audience to follow. But, the hints on the corridor have numbers to show their sequence, which may relevant to themes development.

air corridor to connect two buildings

The gallery is an open layout, especially City Hall Wing. Some escalators lead directly from the level 2 to the basement (skipping the level 1), requiring visitors to find the right escalator to reach their desired floor. The exhibition routes provide more various choices compared to National Museum of Singapore. it seems that it presents more creative, open-minded, and abundant to fit the feature of art museum with less clear and rigorous than to National Museum.

courtroom

The exhibition space incorporates many elements of the building's structure, such as windows, recessed walls, and protruding columns. The museum extensively utilizes large areas near the windows as seating areas for visitors, often incorporating guided tour functions in these spaces. This approach reduces the need for additional seating and emphasizes the architectural features. The Supreme Court area retains its original courtroom settings, including judge benches and witness stands, and fully utilize the space to connect with artifacts and scenes.

The gallery's collections primarily consist of contemporary artifacts from Singaporean and other Southeast Asian artists. The area within the City Hall Wing predominantly showcases painting collections, depicting the lives of Singaporeans from the late 19th to the early 20th centuries and the periods before and after World War II. These paintings often feature local attire, traditional high-rise houses, markets, and tropical flora.

Meanwhile, the collection within the Supreme Court Wing includes works by Southeast Asian artists influenced by Western culture, spanning painting, sculpture, and installation art because of the historical influence.

Overall, National Gallery Singapore collects and displays a plenty of artworks from Southeast Asia. This approach manifests its ambition to convey the idea of accepting integrating Southeast Asia culture. Also, the method of separating Singapore's art into individuals, indicating its highlighted status in Southeast Asia.

If you would like to talk and discuss the issue on the above, please contact me via my email >> judystelescope@gmail.com

It's my pleasure to communicate with someone who loves to explore and browse museums.