I've been waiting for quite some time to go and visit the National Museum of Singapore. Basically, I didn't want to go by myself, for I thought this would be a great thing to do with the right visitors, when they were to appear.
And this week they did!
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I had already seen the entrance of the museum, for I'd been there once for a gallery exposition. But my friends from Europe weren't quite ready for David to be looking upon them as they entered NMS. As you go through the main entrance there is a gigantic replica of Michelangelo's David souring into the cupola above. Besides his gigantic features, the fact that his contours are covered in traditional Malay fabrics of a deep burgundy colour make him overwhelmingly imposing. The museum has found a perfect spot for him. To me it symbolized some sort of fusion of Eastern and Western iconography that I found very clever to place at the entrance, for in a way, that is what Singapore represents to me.
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On the second floor there are several sections pertaining to fashion, music, families and food of Singapore. Of course, I found the latter the most fascinating. I was completely surprised to find out the history of hawkers and street food. Since the male-female ratio in Singapore was about 10:1 as late as the 1860's, street food became essential to feed the growing and active male bachelor population.
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I also learnt that the food in Singapore is representative of its very multicultural demographic. The various dishes are often a fusion of all the different Asian kitchens that comprise the cultural fabric of Singapore. There is a brilliant interactive exhibition of all the spices, fruits and herbs that comprise the local cuisine, explaining to you where the herbs come from and what they're commonly used for. I was intrigued.
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At the end we went through the interactive historical walking tour that takes you through the history of Singapore from the 1400's onward. Along with your high-tech companion device hanging from your neck, you walk through the many exhibitions displaying Singapore's history and enter codes next to the displays to learn more about the specific era and stories of the locals. To be honest, this is where you can really exhaust yourself from all the possible information that is available to you :-)
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To end ... I'm the type that notices architecture. The actual front of the museum is contained in a beautiful colonial building that has been completely renovated. But what impressed me is the modern annex that they built at the back. Merging the modern with the classical is not an easy task, and most often than not, the end result is a complete mismatch. But here it was done spectacularly. The integration between the modern glass and steel structure and the classical colonial building was in complete harmony. The finishing touch was of course the swinging chandeliers!
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| I'm not necessarily the museum type. OK, OK ... perhaps I should say that my attention span is not the longest. But this museum managed to absorb me for 3 hours which is a success in itself. |
Credit for the article:
About the Blogger
Who am I? I moved to Singapore in September 2007 and have been totally enthusiastic about this city ever since! I can honestly say that there has been no place I've ever been to where everything happens so easily and efficiently. Everything in this city works! As a newcomer to Singapore, I thought it would be fun to share my experience of discovering this beautiful island. That's why I started my blog, www.gowithbo.info. Enjoy the read!
To read more about Bojan's adventures in Singapore, visit his blog at www.gowithbo.info.
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Deepavali Light Up 2008 
