New travel-themed exhibition lets visitors experience S’pore as a tourist destination over the years
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SINGAPORE - From Saturday, visitors to the National Museum can check out a new travel-themed exhibition that showcases how Singapore has been an attractive tourist destination to the world over the past two centuries.
The exhibition, named Now Boarding: Experiencing Singapore Through Travel, 1800s – 2000s, will run until Nov 19, 2023, and is free for Singaporeans and permanent residents.
Upon entry, visitors will hear the signature click-clack sound of the rotating motors in a decommissioned flight information display board from Changi Airport Terminal 2.
A centrepiece of the exhibition
The board is also part of the museum’s Collecting Contemporary Singapore initiative, which seeks to acquire objects and stories that document important milestones in Singapore’s history.
Visitors will get their tickets from staff dressed in flight attendant-inspired outfits at the museum’s rotunda. The tickets are designed like flight tickets – and in first class, no less.
With tickets in hand, visitors can listen to the stories of travellers and those who played a part in projecting Singapore to the world as a popular tourist destination.
They can also view items like tourism posters, postcards, and old signage depicting the Garden City as an idyllic place that helped to draw travellers over the years.
Ms Priscilla Chua, senior curator of the museum, said: “Travel is very much part of our way of life, and it’s a very engaging topic, so we wanted to use that as a platform to connect with visitors and particularly to connect with the memories of travelling to and from Singapore.
“Especially now, with post-pandemic tourism and the resumption of travel, we thought it is more relevant than ever to put together a show related to the theme of travel.”
Ms Chua said the choice of timeframe for the exhibition was owing to how the 1800s was widely known as The Golden Age of Travel, a worldwide phenomenon that saw a boom in tourism and a time when Singapore was advertised as an exotic place to visit. Hence, there were a lot of artefacts and material the museum could expound upon.
The exhibition’s four sections are named after chapters a reader would often see when flipping through a travel guidebook. They are: Getting Around, Places to Stay, Eating Out, and Sights and Shopping.
Through these sections, the museum hopes to help initiate discussions among museum-goers about their own memories and experiences in Singapore.
The choice of the timeframe of the exhibition was due to how the 1800s was widely known as The Golden Age of Travel, said senior curator Priscilla Chua.
ST PHOTO: RYAN CHIONG
The museum also hopes visitors will consider their own perceptions of their national identity as they view the advertising Singapore has used over the years to promote itself to the world, from dated pictures of bygone attractions like New World Amusement Park to newer tourism posters of Gardens by the Bay.
Among the artefacts on display is the former Neptune Theatre Restaurant’s neon signage from 1972. Visitors who are old enough may reminisce about indulging in delectable Cantonese dishes and watching some of Asia’s most iconic music artistes, such as Teresa Teng, perform at the Neptune Theatre before its closure in 2006.
The Neptune Theatre restaurant sign from 1972 will be displayed in its original neon lighting.
ST PHOTO: RYAN CHIONG
A cabin seat from Singapore Airlines’ A380 Suites from 2007 is also on display. The seat was part of the airline’s first-generation suites, offering its passengers a great deal of personal space and comfort, with its sliding doors and control panel allowing for various sitting and lounging positions.
Other artefacts on display include Raffles Hotel’s iconic doorman uniforms as well as Tiger Beer trays of various designs used in the 1960s at coffee shops around Singapore.
In tandem with the exhibition, a series of pop-up rooms will be made available right outside the exhibition for a more immersive experience.
One is a 1980s-style disco room where visitors are invited to break out their dance moves. Two other rooms will be launched in early August.
Visitors can also step into a series of interactive pop-up rooms to experience and take pictures in, including a discotheque where they can dance in.
ST PHOTO: RYAN CHIONG
The museum’s annual Children’s Season will also be launched this Saturday. Themed All About Food, it explores Singaporeans’ favourite topic of food. Children can learn about food production through interactive play, with food ingredient cut-outs and mock-up stalls.
