Please note that this is an overdue event

Singapore Heritage Festival at the National Museum

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Explore stories of travel and natural heritage this Singapore Heritage Festival at the National Museum!

Through the museum’s collection, join a traveller on a unique character tour that brings you back in time or create refreshing concoctions that remind you of a holiday in neighbouring countries. You can also immerse yourself in Singapore’s natural heritage through a unique tour of Fort Canning Hill before tantalising your tastebuds with the spice and herbs you see on the tour.

HistoriaSG – Curating the Environment: The Collection and Display of Natural History in Singapore

12 May 2022 | 7.30 – 8.30pm (Onsite AND Livestreamed on Facebok)
Gallery Theatre, Basement Level
$5/pax

The arrival of imperial forces in Singapore in 1819 transformed the social, political, and environmental landscape of a small island in Southeast Asia. A foundation of this process was the development of natural history collections, which created an understanding of the flora and fauna of the island. Early collections morphed into institutional displays as imperial power extended over Singapore and into surrounding territories, reflecting the reinforcement of knowledge and control.

This talk by Professor Timothy P. Barnard will trace the process of curating the environment, and the role of the Raffles Museum and Singapore Botanic Gardens and eventually the modern counterparts of these institutions in independent Singapore, in mapping out an environment that humans could understand and shape for their own purposes.

From Otter to Otah – The Art of Creating Loveable Animal Characters

14 May 2022 | 11am – 12.30pm
The Salon, Level 1
$25/pax or $40/pair

From Story of the Forest to the recently-concluded Otah & Friends – Camp Stardust at the National Museum, from otter to Otah… Discover the art of designing animal characters that inspire enduring love and mass appeal.

Led by Khor Kexin, the Creative Director of El Masnou (the company behind Otah & Friends), you’ll be guided to create your own unique character inspired by animals from the National Museum’s William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings.

The workshop focuses on imaginative storytelling and illustration techniques to create characters that are unique, meaningful, and irresistible.

Traveller Character Tours

21 May 2022 | 10.30 – 11am & 2 – 2.30pm
Outside The Salon (Meeting point)
$8/pax

Singapore was a thriving cosmopolitan port city in 1920s, and many came here for business opportunities, to seek a new life, or for tourism.

In this character tour, you will “travel” back in time as potential investors and hear from a merchant as he invites you to invest in Singapore.

Let’s Mix it Up!

21 May 2022 | 3 – 5pm
The Salon, Level 1
$25 per pax

Inspired by the museum’s collection, this mocktail-making workshop will feature Asian spices and herbs from the museum’s collection of natural history drawings.

Learn how to create delicious beverages using spices with origins from India, Indonesia, Malaysia and China, and experience a taste-based virtual “holiday” to these neighbouring countries.

Plant-iful Journeys: An Experience Tour of Singapore’s Natural Heritage

28 May 2022 | 10.30am – 12.30pm & 3 – 5pm
The Salon, Level 1
$45/pax or $80/pair

Travel from the gallery to the outdoors and learn more about the region’s flora and fauna in this special three-part journey!

We begin with a curator tour of NMS’s exhibition – A Voyage of Love and Longing – to explore how the region’s flora and fauna features in different aspects of a journey such as voyage, longing and return. The journey continues to Fort Canning, where you will see plants that are unique to Southeast Asia and visit a garden inspired by the museum’s William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings.

Finally, we end with a tea session at Hotel Fort Canning, where you will get to taste a high-tea menu which features some of the plants encountered on your journey.