First look: National Museum of Singapore's new immersive display Singapore Odyssea
Singapore Odyssea, housed in the Shaw Foundation Glass Rotunda, opens to the public on Aug 8.
SINGAPORE – Seven centuries of Singapore's history await visitors in the
new immersive exhibit called Singapore Odyssea as they walk down a 50m-long spiral ramp in the National Museum of Singapore's (NMS) Shaw Foundation Glass Rotunda.
The rotunda re-opens to the public on Aug 8 after a 10-month closure for the new exhibit to be installed.
Singapore Odyssea features episodes from the country's history from pre-colonial times to the present day.
NMS director Chung May Khuen highlighted that the exhibit was helmed entirely by a local team, a reflection of the progress local design talent has made since the rotunda was last revamped about a decade ago.
The team included Ms Melissa Chan, art director at design and production firm GSM Project; multidisciplinary artist Brian Gothong Tan; Mr Joshua Tan, creative director at animation studio CraveFX; as well as events firm Kin Productions and audiovisual firm Electronics and Engineering.
Here's what visitors can expect.
1. Entrance
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
Before entering the rotunda, visitors will each collect a radio frequency identification (RFID) wristband that activates interactive features in the rotunda.
The new entranceway resembles a ship's bow, to symbolise a time-travelling vessel.
2. Link bridge
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
An LED globe hanging in the rotunda's drum tracks the evolution of Singapore's trade routes from pre-colonial times to present day.
3. Spiral ramp
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
As visitors walk down the glass rotunda's spiral ramp, they will go back in time and experience Singapore's history presented across four episodes – from current times to post-war and wartime Singapore, the colonial era and finally pre-colonial Singapore.
The projection designs were inspired by reliefs found in temples in the region such as Angkor Wat.
Each visitor is accompanied on his journey down the ramp by an animal 'companion' that activates display features, such as showing the interiors of a shophouse.
4. Base of drum
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
At the base of the rotunda's drum, visitors approaching a virtual waterfall will see it part to unfurl vignettes of Singapore's history over the past 700 years, such as civilians departing Singapore from Clifford Pier in the 1940s as World War II loomed.
The LED floor ripples in response to footsteps, enhancing the immersiveness of the display.
5. Transition zone
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
Four myths are presented in this section, which links the glass rotunda to the start of the Singapore History Gallery.
Graphics are used to represent Pauh Janggi, a magical tree above the navel of the ocean; Sang Nila Utama (above), the Palembang prince who supposedly gave Singapore its name; the swordfish attack that gave Bukit Merah its name; and Raja Chulan, a Chola king who is said to have explored the waters near Singapore in a diving bell.
From this zone, visitors will enter the Singapore History Gallery.
At a media preview of Singapore Odyssea on July 31, Ms Chung said that the glass rotunda's permanent exhibits reflect how visitors' expectations of museums have changed over the years.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore No entry: ICA to bar high-risk, undesirable travellers from boarding S'pore-bound ships, flights
Singapore 5 foreign women suspected of trafficking 27kg of cocaine nabbed in Changi Airport
Singapore Over half of job applications by retrenched Jetstar Asia staff led to offers or interviews: CEO
Singapore Fallen tree branch damages two Yishun flats, showering one homeowner with shattered glass
Business Singapore gold investment soars 37% to 2.2 tonnes in Q2 while jewellery demand wanes
Singapore Underground pipe leak likely reason for water supply issues during Toa Payoh fire: Town council
Multimedia 60 years, 60 items: A National Day game challenge
Singapore 'Switching careers just as I became a dad was risky, but I had to do it for my family'
The space last hosted Story Of The Forest by Japanese firm teamLab, from 2016 to 2024. The display brought to life 69 pieces from the William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings.
Referencing the opening of that display, Ms Chung said: 'It was very groundbreaking for us when we first launched an immersive gallery at the National Museum, because it marked a shift from us – moving away from object-centric stories to actually exploring new ways of telling our Singapore Story.'
She said that Story Of The Forest reflected how museum visitors had evolved beyond 'one-to-one interaction of artefacts' and wanted to enjoy museums in larger social groups, such as with family or friends.
Ms Chung noted that while Story Of The Forest was a more passive experience for visitors, Singapore Odyssea is more multi-sensory, and allows visitors to participate in the experience.
The RFID wristbands that visitors wear in the rotunda, for instance, unlock display features.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
38 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Char kway teow in India? Meet the Singaporeans bringing local food to Mumbai
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Singaporeans Renjie Wong (left) and Synthia Liu have brought their brand of cooking to Mumbai. MUMBAI – One runs a supper club that evokes memories of home-cooked flavours, and the other is billed as the city's first Singaporean street food restaurant. For these two chefs abroad, food is a way to stay connected to their Singaporean identity.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Blackpink exceeds 1b views with ‘Pink Venom' music video
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Blackpink performed in Paris over the weekend for their Deadline world tour. South Korean multinational entertainment agency, YG Entertainment announced on Aug 4 that Blackpink's video for 'Pink Venom' has reached 1 billion views on YouTube, becoming the group's ninth music video to do so. The video reached the milestone in about three years and set a new record for female artists, generating over 90 million plays within 24 hours of its release. 'Pink Venom' was a pre-release track from the group's second album, 'Born Pink.' It topped the iTunes Top Songs chart in 81 regions, and claimed the 22nd spot on both Billboard's Hot 100 and the UK's Official Singles Top 100. The hip-hop tune racked up 100 million Spotify streams in 17 days, as did its most recent single, 'Jump,' last week. Blackpink performed in Paris over the weekend for their world tour, 'Deadline' and will visit Milan and Barcelona, Spain, before wrapping up the tour's European leg in London. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Tomorrowland meets 1960s NYC: Designing The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing (left) and H.E.R.B.I.E in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. NEW YORK – What if the dreams and design features of Disney theme parks' Tomorrowland were realised in 1960s New York City? One gets a sense of the possibilities in Marvel's blockbuster movie The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which begins on Earth-828, a doppelganger for Earth itself and the home base of the film's titular superheroes, before spilling out into space. This alternate universe includes mod fashions and flying cars, Flash Gordon-inspired rocket ships and robot butlers, mid-century modern chairs and space-age architecture. In this iteration of the franchise, directed by Matt Shakman, the superhero team inhabits a planet devoid of other Marvel superheroes – no X-Men or Spideys here – and a vastly transformed Manhattan simultaneously familiar yet alien. For the film's fashion , Oscar-winning costume designer Alexandra Byrne (Elizabeth: The Golden Age, 2007) looked at everything from Ernst Haas photos to 1960s ski wear to fashion designers such as Rudi Gernreich and Bonnie Cashin. Little was overlooked. Byrne even wrestled with the challenges of how the massive Thing (played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach) might dress himself. 'He's got rock hands,' she said. 'He would never be able to do buttons up.' Other artists and designers drew from concept cars, modernist architects, period newspaper comic strips and archival footage from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to create the film's retrofuturist world, said production designer Kasra Farahani. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Live: Ong Beng Seng convicted; defence urges court to exercise judicial mercy Singapore Ong Beng Seng pleads guilty to abetting obstruction of justice in case linked to ex-minister Iswaran Asia Nearly 1,500 Singapore drivers fined for entering Johor without VEP tag since July 1 Singapore The past and future of Choa Bungalow, a 'last reminder' of Marine Parade's former shoreline Multimedia How Singapore is rethinking nature in the city Business Are Gen Z-ers in Singapore worried about generative AI coming for their jobs? World Trump is winning his trade war, but Americans will pay the price Business Buyers take up over 900 condo units at three new launches in Singapore over the weekend 'So much of retrofuturism is kind of jokey and naive,' he said. 'We were looking to move past that, to take the important archetypical bits, the tail fins, the turbines, the visual icons of that era, but then shed some of the silliness and move to a more sophisticated version of mid-century futurism.' Here is a closer look at how three specific design aspects were achieved. The Baxter Building Living Room In the Marvel universe, the Baxter Building performs double duty as the Fantastic Four's headquarters and home, complete with research laboratories, hangar decks, a home gym and, in this latest film, the most stylish of living rooms. Farahani drew inspiration from the works of architects Eero Saarinen (the TWA Flight Center at the John F. Kennedy International Airport) and Oscar Niemeyer (the Cathedral of Brasilia). The room's centrepiece is a circular conversation pit done up in Fantastic Four blue; the carpeted, coved stairs and floors were inspired by Niemeyer's work on the French Communist Party headquarters in Paris. One of the larger design challenges was adding warmth to what is essentially a n expansive New York City penthouse. 'We brought in a lot of natural materials that one usually associates with West Coast mid-century modernism,' Farahani said. 'There's tons of wood, lots of ferns and plantings, flagstone flooring.' To complete the space, designers added a rotating centrepiece with a fireplace on one side and a TV on the other; a large, multi-coloured mobile inspired by American sculptor Alexander Calder; and a Saarinen-designed Womb chair next to the record player listening station. The Fantasticar In 1962, Fantastic Four artist Jack Kirby – who created the comic book with Stan Lee – debuted the original Fantasticar, an open-air flying vehicle whose shape earned it the nickname 'the flying bathtub'. For First Steps, the film-makers went for something a bit more aerodynamic, taking their design cues from American concept cars like the 1964 General Motors Firebird IV. The new and improved Fantasticar shares the same sleek profile and bubble canopy top, as well as a cockpit-like front seat and rear lights that double as jets. The film-makers built two versions for the movie. The main car's bubble canopy and sliding doors open up to allow all four superheroes – even the lumpish Thing – to jump in and out with ease . Special effects supervisor Alistair Williams was tasked with bringing Farahani's designs to practical life. 'It was a real challenge,' he said. 'I've got goofy footage of me and my guys in a soundstage jumping in and out of the car, just trying to get that timing really, really tight.' The designers also added white wall tyres, chrome bullet tips poking out of the turbines and expandable front and back seats to accommodate the Thing's larger backside . The stunt version of the car, which took 22 weeks to make, features rear-wheel drive and a 450 horsepower-equivalent electric motor. 'For a concept car, it handled remarkably well,' Williams said. New York City Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. PHOTO: THE WALT DISNEY CO For the film's Manhattan, designers envisioned a city whose streets and skyline have been transformed by the scientific wonders enabled by the team's eggheaded leader Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal). In this alternate universe, the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building share real estate with domed skyscrapers straight out of 1950s sci-fi pulp novels. The concept artists and set designers drew inspiration from Arthur Radebaugh's Closer Than We Think!, a newspaper comic strip that ran from 1958 to 1963 and envisioned such hopeful possibilities as rocket-powered mail carriers and mining expeditions on the moon . 'The comics are very pulpy, very over the top,' Farahani said. 'But they were trying to show that these things were not just fantasy, and there was always some tenuous link to current technological discoveries.' The film-makers also installed a monorail system that runs through midtown, and billboards and signage that reflect a world in which the Fantastic Four are not just superheroes, but celebrity shills and stars of their own Saturday morning cartoon. Period-accurate billboards for Canada Dry and Wrigley's Spearmint gum share the borough with a faux billboard for Coppertone ('official sun lotion of the Fantastic Four!') starring a bare-bottomed Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn). Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. PHOTO: THE WALT DISNEY CO. On the street, the prop department mixed period cars – a Ford pickup, a classic Volkswagen Beetle – and vintage New York checker cabs with one-person bubble cars created by the film's vehicles crew. 'There's a nice contrast that comes from taking the fantasy of all these superheroes and creating a world that seems plausible and relatable to ours,' Farahani said. NYTIMES
