TASK 2

You are a cub reporter for your school’s newsletter. Produce a short article (with photos) on the highlights of any of the museums in Singapore. (15 points)

ASPECT: Psychological defence



How much do you know about Singapore's history? Do you want to find out more about Singapore's history? Well, the National Museum of Singapore is just the place for you to get to know more about the rich culture and heritage of Singapore that is unknown to many.The National Museum of Sing pore is the biggest and also the oldest museum in Singapore, being 119 years old. The Museum introduces cutting edge and different ways of presenting history to redefine the conventional museum experience, so a trip to the museum may not be such a boring thing after all!

If you think that The Singapore National Museum is just a place for exhibitions and artefacts, then you are very wrong. The Singapore National Museum is different from conventional museums over the world and it distinguishes itself from other museums through organising festivals and events that unleashes new possibilities in culture and heritage. This programming is supported by a wide range of facilities and services including Food & Beverage, retail, Resource Centre, Gallery Theatre and the Public Sculpture Garden, among others.

The museum has a permanent 2,800 m² gallery space at the new glass clad building within a glass rotunda. A story telling approach is used at the gallery space to feature the history or Singapore dating back to the 14th century. There are 15-metre high cylindrical walls where images and films can be projected, presenting the history of Singapore to the public in a much more interesting and engaging way. There will be a narration of the history and display of artistic expressions of the history. Other permanent exhibitions include the cultural history of Singapore which will feature exhibits of photography, film, cuisine, fashion and other lifestyle artifacts.

There is also a research centre in the building which contains old books, photographs, negatives and stamps which would be for public viewing. National Museum will introduced a new wireless technology which allows the playing of audio and visual materials automatically when visitors enter designated zones, turning the National Museum into a place with advance technologies that would attract the the young and old.

The Museum currently houses 11 artifacts, namely the Singapore Stone, the Gold Ornaments of the Sacred Hill from East Java, Dagguerreotype of Singapore Town which was one of the earliest photographs of Singapore, the will of Munshi Abdullah, the potrait of Frank Athelstane Swettenham, the hearse of Tan Jiak Kim, a Peranakan coffin cover, the mace of the City of SIngapore commemorating King George VI's raising of the island's status to a city in 1951, the Xin Sai Le puppet stage, William Faquhar's drawings of flora and fauna and the potrait of Shenton Thomas, who was the former governer of Singapore. Rocks from the nearby Fort Canning Hill which were used toi create two sculptures commissioned from Cultural Medallion winner Hai San Por. With so many interesting artifacts awaiting you at the National Museum of Singapore, what reason do you have not to go?