Telling the story of what makes S'pore home at new exhibition

What makes Singapore home, truly? An exhibition that opens on Saturday at the National Museum of Singapore (NMS) seeks to provide some answers by showcasing more than 200 photographs from national archives and contributed by the public, as well as more than 80 artefacts from the national collection.

Home, Truly: Growing Up With Singapore, 1950s To The Present explores what living and growing up in Singapore has been like for people across different generations.

It is organised by NMS in collaboration with The Straits Times, in conjunction with the newspaper's 175th anniversary, as well as photography marketplace Photonico and Singapore Press Holdings (SPH).

NMS director Chung May Khuen said that different segments of the community, including more than 100 youth, seniors and visually impaired individuals, were tapped by the curators to conceptualise an exhibition that would resonate with diverse audiences.

ST editor Warren Fernandez, who is also the editor-in-chief of SPH's English/Malay/Tamil Media Group, said: "ST has been telling the story of Singapore for 175 years, including its transition from colony to independence to a sense of being identified as our own home.

"We have captured these in stories, but also in visuals - photos, and now also increasingly on video. This showcase features highlights of these efforts over the years, and will be both nostalgic as well as stirring and inspiring."

About 25 per cent of the photos on display were contributed by members of the public.

Hobbyist photographer Hor Kwok Kin, who has two photos he took in the 1960s displayed in the exhibition, said the chance to showcase his work is a great honour.

"Back then, it was just an interest for me," the 81-year-old retired chef said in Mandarin about his hobby, adding that he never imagined his photos would be exhibited.

"I just walk around and see what I find interesting and I shoot it.

"But with the pace at which things have changed over the years, when you compare places now to the photographs I took of them in the 1960s, you can see the photos' historical value."​

For a more engaging experience, visitors will be given a stylus pen for use on interactive multimedia exhibits.

This allows a "mediated touch", as the museum has stopped using touch screens amid the Covid-19 pandemic, said NMS senior deputy director Wong Hong Suen.

Visitors can also use a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag attached to the stylus to respond to polls and quizzes, on topics such as whether they are willing to serve national service.

They can later tap the tag against a check-out booth to receive a summary of their responses and find out more about what home means to them, based on their responses.

The exhibition will also pilot an accessibility experience where visually impaired visitors can explore independently using a smart landmark navigation cane and a companion app.

For Mr Chia Hong Sen, 24, who is visually impaired and helped to test the cane, this will be his first time taking in an exhibition independently.

"Indoor navigation is a challenge that the visually impaired community faces, and this is a very good showcase of such technology at work," said the information technology accessibility trainer and consultant with Guide Dogs Singapore.

"This is the right step forward, and I hope others in the community will also be keen to experience it for themselves and provide feedback so the experience can be improved," he said.

The pilot will begin on Jan 21 next year, and more details will be available in the coming weeks, said the museum. It will be the first time a museum under the National Heritage Board is using RFID and technology to aid the visually impaired in engaging in exhibitions.

Ms Wong said the museum hopes that more visually impaired-friendly exhibitions will be rolled out if the pilot is successful.

From Saturday until Aug 29 next year; 10am to 7pm daily (last admission at 6.30pm).

National Museum of Singapore Exhibition Gallery, Basement Level.

Free for all.

• More information at this website.