Singapore museum brings Asian civilizations to life

Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Singapore

On March 1, the new flagship of the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) was opened at the restored 135-year-old Empress Place with a 14,300 square-meter floor area, including 3,200 square meters of gallery space.

The collections, which had filled the Asian Civilisations Museum in its former place at the Armenian Street, now also expose previously unexhibited material of the ancestral cultures of Singaporeans-China, Southeast Asia, South Asia and West Asia/Islamic. Some were acquired specially for the new galleries and others on long-term loan from foreign museums -- like the Dutch Ethnographic Museum in Leiden and the Tareq Rajab Museum in Kuwait -- as well as from individuals.

While the expansion of the museum in the neo-Palladian building at Empress Place near the Singapore River is meant to facilitate the better understanding of Singaporeans in regards their cultural roots, it is at the same time a major -- and probably the only comprehensive-- showcase in the region of the broad and integrated perspectives of Asian culture spanning 5,000 years of history.

ACM director, Dr. Kenson Kwok said organizing the museum had focused on accessibility and the educational value of the displays. The museum caters to both to connoisseurs, as well as to those who may never have set foot in a museum.

A major mission of the ACM is not only to help Singaporeans to be more strongly connected to their own origins and cultures, but also to facilitate greater awareness of the origins and cultures of various other ethnic groups.

Combining the general with the specialized, 10 themed galleries spread over three levels in the museum revive the history of the most dominant cultures in the eastern hemisphere through interactive menus, consoles of virtual hosts who come alive at your bidding - and bar-coded ticket - and texts in English, flyers in Malay and Chinese to act as your tour guide.

Not to be forgotten is the lighting, through which the objects come to life bringing out their quality and texture in such a way that viewing display of artifacts like viewing installation art.

Everyone will find a personal favorite in the vast contents of this museum. There is, for instance, the variety of styles and features represented in Buddha sculptures by artists from India, China, Thai, Cambodia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. There are slender and corpulent figures, some have female and others have real male features.

Quite remarkable is the Kushana Buddha, which shows a smiling chubby face, with details of the nipples, seen both bare and through the monk's transparent robe. On the back of his halo is a carving of the Bodhi Tree under which Buddha received his enlightenment.

A large gateway, made of different blocks of stone in the Medieval India gallery is a special treat, while two Devadasi sculptures bring a dimension of Hindu culture that only few may have been aware of. Devadasi (servants of God) were women who were dedicated to the service and veneration of the deity in the Hindu temple.

It is explained that devadasi is a very ancient tradition, which over the centuries became entrenched in the religious and secular realms, enjoying royal patronage as well as social status. It was abolished in 1947 on the grounds of suppressing prostitution.

A highlight of the collection of Korans is a large Koran folio from North Africa written on parchment from the 8th century, as well as fragments of a pulpit from Turkey from which the Friday sermon is read.

Worth noting is further the collection of textiles, from intricate songket to exquisite double ikat, and precious batiks, reportedly one of the best collections of Southeast Asian textiles in the world. The Hickley collection of Dehua blanc de chine donated to ACM by Pamela Hickly in memory of her late husband exposes pieces acquired in various parts of the world.

Very interesting is the Edmond Chin collection of jewelry, donated to ACM. Reflecting Austronesian, Indo-Javanese, Islamicised and Chinese stylistic traditions, display of 300 pieces reveals that certain jewelry traditions have transcended geographical boundaries.

Edmond Chin, a jewelry designer of barely 40 years of age, started collecting jewelry in the 1980s while working in Southeast Asia. Lifestyles were changing, traditional dress was ditched and traditional jewelry often sold, he explained.

The collection presents, among others, rare pieces from several parts of Sumatra, Sumba, Maluku, besides of course, Java. Tan Boon Hui of the national Arts Council values the Endmond Chin Collection as an important attempt to document and capture the rich artistic heritage of Southeast Asian Jewelry.

Edmond Chin says, collecting the items helped him to his geographical knowledge. "Before, I did not know where Palembang was," he revealed.

Of course there is also the Singapore River Interpretive Gallery, dedicated to the river that was once the lifeline of Singapore, the place where the first immigrants eked out a meager living, and then saw Singapore transform from an obscure fishing village, Temasek, to a great seaport and modern city.

The new museum, located near the River, and just three minutes from the prestigious Fullerton Hotel, is also close to the Esplanade Theatres on the Bay. It is yet another icon in Singapore's grand scheme of becoming the center of art and culture. But more than this, ACM gives an insight in historical continuation, and how communication played an important role in pursuing tolerance and interaction between religions, cultures and generations.

Asian Civilisations Museum 1 Empress Place Singapore 179555 Admission fee: S$ 3.00