Experience: Singapore National Museum
On the 20th of May 2015, our team was visited the National Museum of Singapore to view two of its on-going exhibitions. Our task for the day was to truly observe the power of visuals and objects and really think about how words and pictures can be used to portray various things and even evoke certain emotions.
First up, we headed to the "In Memoriam: Lee Kuan Yew" exhibition. According to the official website of the National Museum of Singapore, this memorial exhibition chronicles the life and political career of Singapore’s first Prime Minister and founding father, Lee Kuan Yew. It also highlights the ideals and convictions that shaped Mr Lee and his generation of leaders.
From the visuals above, you can probably tell that the visuals used in this exhibition were primarily in black and white. The black and white theme made the place feel gloomy. We do understand that these colours were used probably to create just that sense of loss and sadness in this trying time for Singaporeans but to us, it should have been bright and strong colours to portray Lee Kuan Yew's contributions to the country. His power, strength and utmost sacrifice should be showcased in the brightest of colours of this man during the prime of his life.
Overall, this exhibition did not have the impact we expected it to have had on us. When we looked at the images individually, they were beautiful. However, the area and placing of the pictures were messy. If not for the dates, we would not have known where to start browsing. Also the small text did not help as it made everything look pretty wordy therefore, unappealing.
We then moved onto the "SINGAPURA: 700 Years" exhibition.
As compared to the previous exhibition, colours were surely not lacking in this one. Every single text was accompanied with a bold and intriguing image that just drew us in and absorbed us into the different eras of Singapore. The fact that real images from those days were used really made us truly see and understand what life during those times looked like. Moreover, colours were also used in the lighting of each new corner signalling the start of a new era. For example, as part of the series of images about the Japanese occupation of Singapore, red lights were used. These red lights represent the time Japanese would invade Singapore and cast this deathly hue over the people. Red is also a colour which signifies danger, anger a sense of fear. The visuals along with the lighting, did not only let us learn more about the past but let us feel how people then felt going through these things.
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