Passage Sept-Oct2018 FINAL

Friends of the Museums Singapore
September / October 2018

President's Letter
Dear Friends,
I am happy to share the news that all local and international schools in
Singapore will be receiving complimentary copies of PASSAGE to mark the
magazine’s 10th anniversary. This has been made possible with funding support
from the National Heritage Board and Our Singapore Fund. Since we started
our docent programmes, we have been providing schools with guided tours and
conducting guiding skills workshops for students. I am glad that we now have
another avenue through which to reach out to schools and share our informative
publication with them. I hope that they will learn more about what we do and
enjoy the articles in the magazine just as we do.
From a no-frills newsletter to the full-colour magazine you see today, PASSAGE
has grown into a publication packed with articles on heritage, the arts and our
community. In this special anniversary edition, PASSAGE managing editor Andra
Leo, shares the story of the magazine’s beginnings as well as her own journey with
the magazine. FOM’s immediate past president Elaine Cheong and other long-
time volunteers also reminisce about their experiences with FOM. Eight of our
docents wrote about artefacts from their respective museums, chosen because they
have some connection with FOM’s legacy. This bumper issue is definitely a keeper.
On 20 October 1978, the Friends of the National Museum was formed. This
informal group was the precursor to Friends of the Museums. Its objectives then were very simple: to assist the
citizens of Singapore to better fully appreciate the treasures of the National Museum and to stimulate community
interest in the museum’s activities. Today, at 40 years old, FOM continues to pursue these objectives and more. The
museums that we serve have since grown to include eight others and also art and heritage institutions. More recently,
we reached out to the wider community through our heritage walks programme in Chinatown and very soon, also
Kampong Gelam.
We would not have come this far without the strong support of our volunteers. Whether writers who contributed
generously to PASSAGE, docents who conduct regular tours at our museums, or activity volunteers who organise
interesting programmes for our members, they are the backbone of our society. Best-selling inspirational author, H
Jackson Brown Jr once said that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more. Our volunteers
must truly be the happiest people around.
The celebration for our 40th anniversary and PASSAGE’s 10th anniversary will kick off with a Monday Morning
Lecture on 1 October at the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM). Mr Kennie Ting, group director of the ACM, will
be our guest speaker at the lecture. As an avid traveller, he will share with us his love for Asian port cities and how
he translated his journey through them into the narratives of the galleries in the ACM. In conjunction with this
celebration, our activity and museum groups will also be showcasing the programmes that they have lined up for the
new season. After the talk, members will be invited to a tea reception to mark our 40 years in service. We welcome
you to join us at this birthday bash. I look forward to seeing as many of you there as possible.
I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome the new batch of docent trainees who will be commencing
their training on 11 September. I wish them all an enriching learning journey.
Clara Chan
FOM President 2018
PASSAGE September / October 2018 1

Art History Culture People
Welcome PASSAGE
President’s Letter 1
FOM Reports
Friends in FOM by Elaine Cheong 3
How a Ceramic Society’s Exhibition Inspired the Founding of Friends
of the Museums (Singapore) in 1978 by Patricia Bjaaland Welch 4
FOM and Me in Earlier Times by Tara Dhar Hasnain 5
My FOM Journey by Durriya Dohadwala 5
Features
Habitat – An Orchid Extravaganza by Andra Leo 6
PASSAGE Museum Watch – The Volkenkunde Museum, Leiden

by Anne Pinto-Rodrigues 7
A publication of
Friends of the Museums Singapore Sketchbook – A Passion for Sketching by Siobhán Cool 8
The Evolution of a Magazine by Andra Leo 10
FOM Study Tours Continue to Inspire by Abha Dayal Kaul 12
Managing Editor FOM Docent Training by Millie Phuah 14
Andra Leo
The Highs and Lows of Guiding at the ACM
andraleo@gmail.com
by Soumya Ayer, Carolyn Pottinger, Jo Wright 15
Commissioning Editor The Man with a Vision of an Inclusive Singapore by Tang Siew Ngoh 16
Patricia Bjaaland Welch Lights, Camera, Action! by Khong Swee Lin 17
An Ancient Mystery – The Singapore Stone by Alison Kennedy-Cooke 18
News Editor Happy Anniversary FOM by Belinda Boey 19
Durriya Dohadwala The Singapore Art Museum and FOM by Tina Nixon 20
Carving a Unique Training Template by Virginie Labbe,
Photography
In conversation with Sue Sismondo and Sabine Silberstein 21
Gisella Harrold
Wan Qing Yuan Through the Years by Karen Ng 22
Editors/Contributors Building Connections by Sarah Teo 23
Carla Forbes-Kelly First Tentative Steps by Heather Muirhead 24
Darly Furlong Island Notes by Darly Furlong 29
Anne H Perng
Linden Vargish FOM Member Activities
Monday Morning Lectures 25
Advertising Manager
Dobrina Boneva Explore Singapore! 26
advertising@fom.sg Textile Enthusiasts Group 27
Study Group 27
Printed and Designed by Chinatown and Kampong Gelam Heritage Trails 28
Xpress Print Pte Ltd Japanese Docents 30
61 Tai Seng Avenue Coordinators Contact List 31
Crescendas Print Media Hub, #03-03
Singapore 534167
von@xpress.sg
Museum Information and Exhibitions
Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) 32
MICA (P) 106/12/2017 Gillman Barracks 32
ISSN 1793-8619 Indian Heritage Centre (IHC) 32
UEN: T04SS0218E Malay Heritage Centre (MHC) 32
National Museum of Singapore (NMS) 32
Supported by
NUS Museum, NUS Centre for the Arts 33
Peranakan Museum (TPM) 33
Singapore Art Museum (SAM) 33
STPI 33
The views expressed here are solely those of the authors
in their private capacity and do not in any way represent
the views of the National Heritage Board and/or
any government agencies. On the Cover: A collage of various PASSAGE covers, from the very first one to the
one published in September/October 2017
2 PASSAGE September / October 2018

Friends in FOM By Elaine Cheong
2018 marks FOM Singapore’s 40th

anniversary and my 20th anniversary
as a member of FOM. It is therefore
an invaluable opportunity for me to
provide a brief narrative of personal
encounters before and during my
three-year tenure as president (2013-
2015), encounters that define the spirit
of FOM. The first was in 1998, when
I signed up for the Docent Training
Programme. Singaporean volunteers
were then a minority and to be frank,
it was a culture shock to find myself a
minority yet again, having just returned
home from New York. Serendipitously,
those nascent years in the arts and
culture scene were boosted by
Singapore’s seminal 1989 Renaissance
Plan to position itself as a global city of Elaine at a Volunteer Appreciation event in 2014
the arts. Bonded by a common passion,
FOM docents of all nationalities answered the burgeoning and who told me that one of her secrets for longevity was
demand for museum guides. I also discerned a gradual shift gratitude. When Pat relocated to the USA she personally
in the FOM demographic with more Singaporeans coming thanked me for my work. Indeed, we are ever mindful of
forward to volunteer. thanking our volunteers with many volunteer appreciation
The departure of two FOM presidents, Carmen Frings events. However, when knuckling down to make necessary
and Ingeborg Hartgerink-Grandia, in 2012, opened the but unpopular decisions, I had then vice-president Maren
door for me to inherit the heavy mantle of FOM president. Kraemer-Dreyer to thank for being my ‘conscience’ and my
Carmen had had several conversations with me regarding pillar of strength.
the importance of Singaporeans making a larger commitment Another selfless volunteer, whose
to FOM. Today, when browsing through a recent copy of responsibilities were to ensure FOM’s
PASSAGE, I have the immense satisfaction of seeing a diverse accounts at year-end were given a
group of leaders helming the society. clean bill by the auditors, was Rita
To me, the term ‘president’ is something of a misnomer. Lee. At a crucial period in 2014, Rita
As I have often emphasised to would-be office-holders, told me she had to go for surgery, but
this position is not the organisation’s holy grail nor is it the said, “not to worry” as she already
ultimate ‘promotion’ in FOM. It is yet another volunteer had everything in place. I should have
position, albeit a much more involved one. As president I been the one saying, “not to worry”!
set myself the challenge of being not just FOM’s custodian Yet another was the charismatic
but also of venturing beyond the hallowed halls of the Pauline Ong who contributed much to
museums to narrate social memories of Singapore and to the success of FOM’s 35th anniversary
Elaine Cheong in 2015
guide independent art spaces. I am grateful to those who public seminar. She rallied the troops
believed in my vision, trudged the streets and burrowed into on the eve of the event to ensure
research to crystallise these ideas and give FOM members everything was ship-shape for the big day. But she shooed
more guiding choices. me home saying, “… the president must be at her best on the
My sensibilities throughout my FOM years were shaped big day.”
by the generosity of spirit of fellow members, too many to In conclusion, the survivability of FOM does not depend
name, so here are a few highlights. I am fortunate to have on its increasingly sophisticated infrastructure, but on
met spritely Pat Weisel who at 90 was FOM‘s oldest member qualities such as gratitude, friendship and an openness
to different ways of looking. During my tenure, I had
the satisfaction of contributing to the society’s diversity –
propagating the FOM message within Singapore’s cultural
milieu and providing the impetus for a diverse team. All this
would not have come about without the support of many
people, so I thank you all for the opportunity to have been
the face of FOM from 2013 to 2015.
Elaine Cheong acquired a Master of Arts in Asian Art

Histories in 2016 and is catching up on her travelling while
continuing with volunteer guiding.
L to R: Maren Kraemer-Dreyer, Elaine, Pauline Ong and Clara Chan All photos by Gisella Harrold

How a Ceramic Society’s
Exhibition Inspired the
Founding of Friends
FOM is a volunteer, non-profit society
dedicated to providing volunteer guides
and financial support to Singapore’s
museums and cultural institutions and
to delivering programmes to enhance
the community’s knowledge of Asia’s
of the Museums
history, culture and art.
FOM is an Associate Member of the
World Federation of Friends of the
(Singapore) in 1978
By Patricia Bjaaland Welch
Museums.
FOM member privileges include
free admission to NHB museums “An American woman from Portland, Oregon, Wynne Spiegel, active in a
(excluding special exhibitions); access Friends of the Museum in Portland, was in Singapore for six months in 1978
to FOM programmes including docent with her husband. She happened to read about the Southeast Asian Ceramic
training, lectures, study tours, volunteer Society’s special Blue & White Ceramics Exhibition (held in April/May 1978) at
the National Museum and decided to take it in. She enjoyed the exhibition very
opportunities; a subscription to the
much and the tour, which was given by a Ceramic Society member. However,
FOM magazine, PASSAGE, and discounts
after the tour she was surprised to learn that the guide wasn’t affiliated with
at selected retail outlets, theatres and the museum, but rather with the Ceramic Society. No, she was told, Singapore
restaurants. Membership in FOM had no ‘friends of the museum’ type of society. The following day she read in
ranges from $25 (senior) - $100 (family) a newspaper review of the exhibition that a Mrs Anne Tofield (who was on the
depending on category of membership. SEACS Council) was in charge of the exhibition’s tours. She went to the museum
For more information about FOM, and asked for Anne’s phone number, then called her to say that she was amazed
visit our website www.fom.sg or contact that the museum did not have an FOM group and would Anne be interested in
the FOM office. finding out if it would be possible to organise one. She was.”1
FOM Office
Friends of the Museums (Singapore)
No.61 Stamford Road,
#02-06 Stamford Court
178892 Singapore: (tel: +65 6337 3685)
Website: www.fom.sg
Administration: Katherine Lim

Office Hours: Monday-Friday
9:30 am – 2:30 pm Anne Tofield at a lunch held in her honour in November 2011
Former SEACS member Anne Tofield continues the story: “We arranged to
FOM COUNCIL meet at the museum, each agreeing to bring a friend. I brought Sally Housemen,
President Clara Chan an English woman, and Wynne, knowing no one in Singapore, told an American
woman, Fran Hamlin, whom she met while waiting for a bus, of the plan, and
Vice President Melissa Yeow
asked if she would be interested in going with her. She was. ”2
Honorary Treasurer Sophia Kan This is how four ladies, Anne Tofield, Wynne Spiegel, Sally Houseman and
Fran Hamlin agreed to present a proposal to the museum’s director. It was readily
Honorary Secretary Susan Fong
accepted. Initially, the museum gave them the use, once a week, of one of the big
Council Representatives rooms upstairs. The first event they organised was a study group. Soon there
Sarah Lev were four study groups going at the same time, one in each corner of the room.
Heather Muirhead The Friends of the National Museum was officially founded in October 1978.
Sadiah Shahal Wynne had left by then, but she left a lasting legacy.
Gisella Harrold The story was shared with me by Maura Rinaldi and Anne Tofield, both active
Ilknur Yildiz FOM members and council members during FOM’s early years.
Unless otherwise stated, the

abbreviation FOM used in this Patricia Bjaaland Welch has been a member of FOM for 24 years and has served
newsletter refers to Friends of the on the council, as Study Tours Coordinator (and has led over a dozen tours), as well
Museums Singapore. serving as Overall Co-head of Training (2016-18), Webmaster (2011-2014), ACM
FOM is not responsible for statements Docent Ongoing Training Coordinator (2014-2017) and on the PASSAGE team. She
remains an active ACM docent.
expressed in the signed articles and
interviews.
Personal correspondence with Maura Rinaldi, now a resident of Rome, 27 May, 2018.
1
Personal correspondence with Anne Tofield, now living in Florida, USA, 29 May 2018.
2

FOM and Me in My FOM
Earlier Times Journey
By Tara Dhar Hasnain By Durriya Dohadwala
When I moved to Singapore in 2004, after hearing The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,
of my interest in museums, history, cultural travel and a clichéd and often quoted proverb, but one that really does
volunteering, a friend recommended that I join FOM. During describe my journey into the arts and with FOM over the last
earlier visits here, I had already witnessed the exciting and 12 years.
expanding museum scene, compared to the 80s. Many new In 2006, with my daughter starting primary school, I
ones were opening, among them the Asian Civilisations signed up to be a parent volunteer with an arts appreciation
Museum, the Singapore Art Museum and the Peranakan organisation called Art Outreach. The not-for-profit charity
Museum. FOM nourished my many interests and provided a brought art portfolios into local schoolrooms and guided
wonderful social network of like-minded people. children into ways of looking at and appreciating art.
I was soon immersed in With my background in finance and analysis, this was a
FOM’s Monday Morning completely new area for me and I learned not only about
Lecture series, its study art but also about society, history, politics and geography
groups, study tours, and through the stories that we shared.
Explore Singapore! tours, Hoping to learn
learning more about the more, I joined the
city’s many hidden gems Singapore Art
and intriguing multi- Museum’s (SAM)
cultural festivals. Because docent training
of work, I cannot commit programme in
the time needed to be a 2010. That made
docent, but I help train me so interested
docents through talks, in contemporary
museum-walkthroughs and Asian art that
by compiling background I signed up for
reading materials, all of the MA in Asian
which have brought me joy Art Histories
and a sense of giving back. Tara in Kashmir programme at the
I have also enjoyed being in LASALLE College
book groups. of the Arts. Going
Over the years, I saw FOM’s newsletter morph into back to school
PASSAGE, a beautiful bi-monthly magazine, with interesting after 20 years was
and informative articles and lovely photos. Today, the a challenging
publication goes well beyond conveying basic information but amazing
about special exhibitions and is one I enjoy writing for. experience,
The Monday Morning Lectures are a weekly highlight. compounded by
Whether I am giving a lecture myself, or attending one, it my other role at
Durriya Dohadwala
is a lovely way to start the week and learn something new, SAM as co-head of
preceded by a half-hour of meeting friends, socialising over a docent training in
cuppa and boning up on forthcoming events and trips. 2011-12. To my delight, I discovered that a lot of the art and
Over time, technology brought changes. For my earlier artists that we discussed in the lecture rooms were those that
talks on Vajrayana Buddhism, Kashmir’s multi-cultural I had personally encountered at SAM.
legacy and other topics, I printed copies of reading lists/ Through my docent role, I also discovered that I enjoyed
bibliographies for the audience. Now all such ancillary researching and writing about the arts. Although I now write
materials go online. As PowerPoint became popular, our for a wide variety of magazines and journals, my very first
presentations changed to include many more slides and article was published in PASSAGE in 2012, which also led me
pictures. For speakers not familiar with such programmes, to my current role on the magazine’s editorial team.
coaching sessions were organised in a friendly, collaborative, Earlier this year, during a SAM docent outing at STPI,
non-judgemental environment, along with lots of eats and I heard of their upcoming docent training and just before
drinks, as with all our activities. summer I earned my docent badge there. Each of these steps
Over the years, as I have laid down roots here, FOM and has immeasurably widened my understanding of Singapore
its many activities, plus its wonderful members from all and the region, but what I value most is the friendships that
parts of the globe, have become my family. The relationships have evolved with the incredible individuals who all call
formed during study tours and study groups have created themselves Friends of the Museums.
lasting bonds. I love the sharing of knowledge and skills.
Cheers to many more decades of bonhomie and nourishing
friendships formed this way!
Tara Dhar Hasnain is an editor at Marshall Cavendish and Durriya Dohadwala is a docent at SAM and STPI. She is
writes on heritage-related subjects. She was a university lecturer also an independent arts writer on South and Southeast Asian
for many years. contemporary art.

An Orchid Extravaganza
Habitat
By Andra Leo
Singapore’s successful Orchid Show of 2016

has been reborn as the Singapore Garden Festival
Orchid Show and was held from 21 to 29 April in
the Botanic Gardens. Over 700 of Asia’s best orchid
plants were on display, with many incorporated
into gorgeous landscape exhibits and also as entries
in competitions among individual orchid varieties.
Orchids are closely linked to the national identity,
so the 2018 Orchid Show provided an opportunity
for the public to have a greater appreciation of these
fascinating flowers. Significantly, the show coincided
with the 125th anniversary of Singapore’s national
flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim.
The orchid family includes around 26,000 species,
along with over 70,000 hybrids. In fact, it is the
largest family of angiosperms, flowering plants, in
the world. Amazingly, new species are still being
discovered, providing orchid hunters with the
motivation to continue searching for yet another
species and thus earn naming rights.
The festival was an event not to be missed, so one
evening, camera in hand, I headed to the gardens
fully expecting to be impressed by the displays and
the extraordinary variety of colours and shapes that
orchids come in. I was not disappointed – always
a treat to visit, the Orchid Garden was even more
stunning than usual; it was an orchid fairyland. Here
are some of the photos I took.

Museum Watch
The Volkenkunde
Museum, Leiden By Anne Pinto-Rodrigues
In the ancient Dutch town of Leiden, an imposing

eight-metre-tall Kwakwaka’wakw totem pole guards the
Volkenkunde Museum. While it may seem out of place
in the Leiden landscape, it is interesting to note that the
totem pole was hand-carved specially for the museum by
Kwakwaka’wakw artisans from British Columbia, Canada. And
as the only totem pole in the Netherlands, it couldn’t have
been placed in a better location than the Volkenkunde, the
National Museum of Ethnology.
The Volkenkunde has its roots in the extensive Japanese
collection of Philipp Franz Balthasar von Siebold, a German
doctor based at the Dutch embassy on the island of Dejima
(off Nagasaki), between 1823 and 1829. This was the time of
Japan’s strict, self-imposed seclusion from the world – Dejima
being the only exception to this policy. Following Siebold’s
expulsion from Japan in 1829, he returned to Europe with a
collection of over 5,000 Japanese objects and made Leiden his The imposing Kwakwaka’wakw totem pole in the garden of the
home. The Museum Japonicum was born from this collection Volkenkunde Museum
in 1837 and over time evolved into the Volkenkunde
Museum. As the first ethnographic museum in Europe,
it paved the way for a better understanding of Japanese Europe in the west, this
culture and later, other world cultures as well. In 1935, the is hardly surprising. The
Volkenkunde moved into its existing premises on the scenic Liefkes donation forms
Singel Canal, a striking 19th century building that once served only a small part of the
as an academic hospital. 60,000 strong Indonesian
The Volkenkunde’s already stellar collection received a objects collection at the
tremendous boost in 2010 when renowned Dutch collector Volkenkunde, but it filled
and furniture curator, Frits Liefkes, bequeathed his entire some important gaps in the
collection of nearly 1,000 Indonesian objects to the museum. museum’s portfolio.
This fascinating collection was based around a few key Today, the Volkenkunde’s
themes: ‘man as art’ and ‘the cycle of life’, among others. collection from eight
Yet it covered a wide range of Indonesian material culture, different cultural regions of
including some exceptional pieces of batik textiles, intricate the world tells stories of our
gold jewellery and furniture. Exquisite ceremonial and ritual shared humanity. Together
textiles, numbering over 400 pieces, formed the majority with the Tropenmusuem
of the donation. Over a period of 40 years, Liefkes had in Amsterdam, the A book on the highlights of the Frits
purchased almost all of the objects in the Netherlands from Africa Museum on the Liefkes Collection, featuring a 20th
private sales, art dealers, exhibitions and auctions. outskirts of Nijmegen, century gold crown from South Nias
The pieces in the Liefkes collection demonstrate a very and the Wereldmuseum (Sumatra) on the cover
high level of artistry and were made by craftsmen from all in Rotterdam, it forms an
over the Indonesian archipelago, from the western islands integral part of the Dutch
of Sumatra and Java, to as far as Papua province in the initiative, Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen (National
east. However, several of these objects also exhibit cultural Museum of World Cultures [NMvW]), which focuses on
influences from foreign lands. Given Indonesia’s location cultural diversity around universal themes. The belief that
on the ancient maritime trade route connecting China in our commonalities transcend our differences no matter
the east to the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East and where people are in the world, embodies the spirit of the
Volkenkunde and the NMvW.
Heartfelt thanks to Ms Francine Brinkgreve, Curator
Insular Southeast Asia, at the Volkenkunde Museum, for
sharing her expertise and time.
Anne Pinto-Rodrigues, an Amsterdam-based writer and

photographer, recently visited the Volkenkunde Museum. She
chronicles her experiences of interesting people and places on her
blog No Roads Barred at https://noroadbarred.wordpress.com
The peaceful environs of the Buddha Room at the Volkenkunde. Centuries-

old, bronze Buddha statues from Japan are on display here All photos by the author

Sketchbook
A Passion for Sketching By Siobhán Cool
“Painting is the silence of thought and the music

of sight.” Orhan Pamuk, My Name is Red.
Although I have drawn since early childhood, it

wasn’t until I moved to Asia in 2003 that I started
my painting sketchbooks. I cannot remember if it
was to help me pass the time whilst companions
scuba-dived or whether it was an inherent need
to “scratch the itch” to paint, but a holiday to
Malaysian Borneo rejuvenated my artistic spirit
and ensured I would never travel without a pad,
pen and paint-brush again. Initially, my sketches
were made on holidays, when I had more time and
wanted to catch the obviously new scenes around
me. As a working lawyer, I always wished for more
time to devote to my art, but living in Singapore, I
soon considered that time is what you make it and
even an 'average' street scene has more than meets
the glancing eye. My mind remained inquisitive,
composing montages as I went about my daily work
and tasks. Many a street corner, park, shophouse
or cul-de-sac would I ‘bookmark’ in my memory,
to return at the weekend to recreate the fleeting
Geckos amongst morning remains of Hungry Ghosts’ feast, A Black and White terrace house in Singapore, where drain cats sat at Siobhán's feet
Toh Yi footpath, Bukit Timah
divers' hut on Sipidan Island,

Siobhán sketching the
isa Haupt
photo courtesy of Lar The divers' hut on Sipidan Island that Siobhán was sketching

Siobhán and Margaret
White, sketching at Ch
photo by Andra Leo angqing Village in 200
9,
The small Daoist temple in Changqing Village, China, that Siobhán was
sketching while her FOM friends waited
moment that made me pause and realise the eclectic beauty

and quiet adventure that Singapore’s cityscape had to offer.
After my boys arrived, my sketching became a mission
to record snapshots of their first home and its idiosyncrasies
because I worried that memories of the quirky details and
unique scenes would fade once we left and none of us would
be guaranteed the chance to find them again in the future,
since the city, almost like no other, is constantly evolving and
redesigning itself.
The obvious distinction between a photograph and a
travel sketch is the speed of capture. One might compose
the scene well before clicking the shutter, but during the
same expedition an avid photographer can take dozens
of photographs to an artist’s one or two sketches. The
photographer can move freely, pass by in a flash and be gone
from a place in a matter of moments, whereas a sketch artist
is rooted in the place and bound to the scene, which evolves
as you sketch.
Sketching allows me solitude, time for contemplation Young girl selling her wares of temple offerings, Mumbai
and distractions from the worries of the world. Picasso
understood that “art washes from the soul the dust of
everyday life” hence I steal away whenever I can, to sit to
These impressions wend their way into the imagery I
one side, out of view, watching and drawing the scenes of
make and are permanent visual notes of this place in time
my world. As others pass by, they may may only glance at a
that I otherwise would miss during this modern, harried
girl tending a stall. While I am sketching, I notice much more:
lifestyle. And so I keep sketching since “to be an artist, is to
I see her nonchalantly tidying the displays; plaiting flowers
believe in life”. (Henry Moore).
into her hair; gossiping with a neighbour in the opposite
stall; laughing at the antics of a stray dog. Even in the
absence of humans, animals and birds bring sound and mirth
to the scene. When not another moving soul is present, then
the wind in the trees and the scent of the grass add richness, Siobhán Cool is a senior corporate counsel who has lived in
which makes me cherish the moment in time as well as the Singapore for 15 years and still revels in the sights and sounds of
sights I sketch. Southeast Asia.

The Evolution of a Magazine By Andra Leo
Members of FOM are now accustomed to receiving a bi- Bridge would be apt –
monthly issue of PASSAGE, but it was not always so. What she saw FOM as forming
was the publication's background story? How, when and a bridge between
why did it come into existence and who were the people cultures, languages and
behind its inception? traditions. Ultimately,
Although I joined the editorial team in January 2009, members were asked to
I didn’t know the story either. So I set out to discover decide and PASSAGE
how it had all come about by contacting four of the ladies was selected. In the
involved in the birth of the publication, among them October 2008 president’s
the 2008 FOM president, Marie-Caroline Dallery. It was letter, Marie-Caroline
during her tenure that the council mooted the idea of wrote, “Most of us
replacing the mostly black and white newsletter with a are in Singapore just
full-colour magazine. There was resistance to the change for a while, we are
because of the extra cost and a reluctance to abandon what passengers. Passage
had been tried and tested. In fact, Marie-Caroline wrote means movement, like
that when the first issue appeared, there were quite a the monk on the cover
few vociferously negative reactions to it. This part of the who needs to cross the
magazine's history came as a surprise. bridge to go from his
place to the forest. This
word encompasses a The invitation to FOM’s 30th anniversary
journey, something new celebration in the September 2008 newsletter
to see or to learn, an
experience as in a ‘rite of
passage’, a move forward.”
But why was the singular form chosen? Susan Hunter,
an editor with the newsletter who later took on the role of
Features Editor with PASSAGE, thought that the decision
had to do with the many possible passages that we each
experience in our personal passage along life’s journey.
However, there was a less exotic and more mundane reason
for choosing the name without the ‘s’. According to the first
managing editor, Kathryn Burns, it was because there was an
existing boating magazine called Passages.
The first cover was created from this photo, image courtesy of MC Dallery All four of my informants wrote that the magazine’s
beginnings had been a whirlwind of activity and decision-
making: choosing the cover design and the name; hiring a
To test the waters and gain some experience, in May 2008 graphic designer to create the format; selecting a printing
the council published a special colour issue of the newsletter, company and finally choosing the staff. Considering the task
focused on the Peranakan community. Many of the photos they’d undertaken, the editorial team was a very small one,
for this issue were taken by Susanne Paulli, the then photo just four women. Next they had to find writers for articles
editor and later also for PASSAGE. Gaining confidence from on the art, history, culture and people of Asia. Kathryn paid
this newsletter, the particular tribute to Patricia Bjaaland Welch, whose articles
council decided to were her favourite monthly feature. Patricia’s scholarly
go ahead with the
full-colour, glossy
magazine. However,
it needed a name
and a cover image.
The council chose
a striking one, that
of a solitary monk
crossing a bridge. This
photograph, Land
of Morning Calm by
David Sparrow, was
the third-place winner
in the Asian Open
Category of the 2007
FOM Photography
Competition.
As for the name, The Peranakan issue of the May 2008 Marie-Caroline Dallery with Dr Kenson Kwok, then director of both the
Marie-Caroline felt The newsletter ACM and TPM, at the anniversary party, image courtesy of MC Dallery

Shalinee didn’t stay in the job for long –
family matters led to her resigning after just six
months. Her resignation coincided with that of
almost every other member of the team. I was
in Sydney in January 2011 when I received this
news, along with a plea for me to take over. I
agreed on condition that a new managing editor be found
as soon as possible. That didn’t work out and so eight years
later, I am still managing PASSAGE.
When I took over, council members pitched in to help
me, finding writers and giving me proof-reading support.
Without them I couldn’t have done it. We also brainstormed
new content and our first series pages were born, ArteFact
and Museum Watch. The same year, for the September/
October issue, I began the tradition of choosing a theme for
an article from each of the museums FOM docents guide in.
For the September/October 2011 edition, the theme was the
The PASSAGE steering committee in the Singapore Management history of five museum buildings, each one of which had
University’s meeting room, image courtesy of MC Dallery been used for other purposes before it became a museum. For
the cover of this 40th anniversary issue, I have used images of
all the September/October covers since 2008.
Other changes were
articles on symbolism in Chinese art and a variety of other made as the years went
subjects continue to appear in PASSAGE. by. The much-loved
The first issue of PASSAGE was published in October 2008, Sketchbook series began
on FOM’s 30th anniversary. The invitation to this this event in 2011 after a meeting
appeared in the September 2008 issue of the newsletter, the with Siobhán Cool,
last one. To celebrate the birth of PASSAGE and FOM’s 30th when she showed me
anniversary, a big party was held for all FOM members, as her portfolio of sketches
well as numerous representatives of the National Heritage and asked if I could use
Board and the museums. them. Siobhán’s last
From the beginning, PASSAGE has published articles regular contribution
about all things Asian, write-ups of study tours and provided was in the March/
coverage of FOM activities, as well as what’s on at the April 2018 issue, when
museums that FOM docents guide in. As the years went by her workload made
and different managing editors took the helm, other features it difficult for her to
were added, as was coverage of more and more museums. continue. However,
From the original five (ACM, NMS, TPM, SAM and STPI), I persuaded her to
today our docents guide in nine museums. That is quite an provide one final article
achievement for an organisation that began with a handful of for this special issue. The May/June 2017 Malay-themed issue
volunteers and now has over 1,500 members. The Habitat series
My 10-year- was initially titled
long journey with Communities, and made its appearance when a new team
PASSAGE began when member called Heather Clark submitted an article relating
Kathryn Burns was to an unusual business, teaching children to ride bicycles.
the managing editor, It appeared in the September/October 2012 issue. The first
a position she held for Malay-themed issue was the July/August 2014 magazine
the first five issues of and resulted from meeting and getting to know Khir Johari
the magazine. When during an FOM study tour. I persuaded him to collaborate
she had to leave with me to celebrate Malay culture and traditions. A Malay-
Singapore rather themed issue now appears every year, during the month of
suddenly, Laura Bales, Ramadan. Khir has a comprehensive network of contacts and
who’d joined the team commissions articles relating to the Malay world.
at the same time as I Although the magazine dominates my life to a degree
did, took over. Laura that is often difficult to handle, it also enriches it. The
did an extraordinary articles are always interesting and I learn a great deal
job, managing a heavy from them. I am grateful to excellent writers such as Liisa
workload as well as Wihman, Anne Pinto-Rodrigues and Seema Shah, who
caring for two very continue to contribute articles despite now living overseas.
small children. She Through PASSAGE I stay in touch with the wider world and
resigned when she The 2011 May/June issue of PASSAGE,
connect with people I might otherwise not meet. It has been
was offered a full-time, the first one I was fully responsible for and continues to be a fascinating trip through Asian history
paid job. Before Laura and culture.
handed the reins over to Shalinee Chatterjee, she persuaded
the council to cut back on the number of issues, from 10 to
six, to be published bi-monthly. This change was necessary
– the entire team was suffering from overload. We spent Andra Leo was a lecturer at the National University of
even our holidays poring over the magazine’s proofs rather Singapore before making a career change and entering the
than enjoying a break, which never seemed to come. The publishing world. She founded a magazine for the Malacca state
magazine had taken over our lives. government and was its managing editor, writer and photographer.

FOM Study Tours
Continue to Inspire By Abha Dayal Kaul
As Friends of the Museums (FOM)

celebrates its 40th anniversary, it
is gratifying to note how well we
are faring with one of our member
activities – Study Tours. Carefully
designed and capably run by dedicated
volunteers for FOM members, tours to
diverse parts of Asia have made deep,
lasting impressions in the minds and
hearts of our travellers. Tours, leaders
and participants may change over the
years, but FOM continues to mix it
up with short and long itineraries, to
destinations near Singapore and farther
afield, for travel in small groups or
larger ones, providing variety for all
tastes.
A common thread weaves through
the tours – FOM members value and
fully enjoy their travel experiences,
finding them both inspiring and
memorable. PASSAGE readers may Taktsang, the Tiger's Nest Monastery in Paro, Bhutan
enjoy hearing about these learning
journeys from those freshly smitten by their allure, as well as great!” said Nimmi Weeks, who travelled to India for the first
from others who have been sold on them for years. time ever in 2014 and since then has been on five tours.
“A study tour doesn’t just impact oneself, but also causes As a tour leader, I have thoroughly enjoyed curating
ripples or cascades of cultural, political, geographical and leading themed tours to specific geographical locations
and historical information to wash over a host of others in India, while introducing international and even Indian
one subsequently comes into contact with, sparking their friends to the countless archaeological, artistic and historical
curiosity and desire to do the same, like the flutter of a treasures of my country. Using my own knowledge, social
butterfly’s wings vibrating across the world, unleashing networks and contacts, I like to show FOM members unique
tiny to mighty arcs of curiosity.” This poetic reflection comes and special spots in India not easily accessed by tourists and
from Seema Nambiar after her very first FOM study tour, to casual visitors travelling on their own. It is satisfying to keep
Buddhist pilgrimage sites in North India in February 2018. discovering and digging deeper into Indian history myself
After participating in many trips and also leading and to share the richness of my heritage with those who are
numerous tours, Gisella Harrold said, “I love FOM Study keen to do the same.
Tours because they add personal insights and special in- Khatiza van Savage, who is planning a Bhutan journey
depth knowledge to the trips. We get to see countries or this December says, “As an Indian born in the north-eastern
areas ordinarily not on travel itineraries. My first trip, to Indian town of Shillong, Meghalaya, and educated in
Uzbekistan, is definitely on my list of favourites and was my Darjeeling, West Bengal, I have had the privilege of learning
first contact with the area and culture.” from many interesting people. Leading FOM Study Tours
“Bodh Gaya and Varanasi made the biggest impression on gave me the opportunity to share this region’s diversity of
me, and the best overall tour was to Khajuraho – it was just cultures and history and also create opportunities for the
Study tour group in Bodh Gaya in February 2018, photo courtesy of Abha Kaul Thiksey Monastery, in Ladakh, visited during the 2007 FOM study tour

We all feel a connection to a place we visit
together and learn a lot by travelling with
people who are passionate about history and
culture. Abha’s tours are always a mix of
learning about the history of the place and
fun experiences.”
Tour members cherish the fun and camaraderie that
learning and travelling together brings. In Sheila Lim’s
words, “We’re like-minded and want to see the same things;
we become like brothers and sisters”. Lynn Baker wrote,
“After I did one study tour, I was hooked and through the 19
or so that I’ve now been on, the Asian world opened up to
me in terms of knowledge, understanding and very special
friendships. They are truly ‘awesome’ experiences that have
immeasurably enhanced my life.”
FOM's ceramic cities tour group in Jingdezhen, China, in 2017 Susan Sim, who has been on 10 study tours, shared her
thoughts. “I love going on FOM tours, but can’t fathom why
anyone would volunteer to lead them. It’s such hard work.
region’s people to share their stories with pride.” Tour leaders have to do all the heavy lifting, not just the
Frequent study tour participant and occasional leader, travel logistics but sometimes literally in hotels without lifts,
Andra Leo tells us, “In July 2007 I went on an FOM study while staying enthused even when energy levels flag and
tour to Ladakh, organised by Helen Cannon-Brookes and people seem about to mutiny (not get on the bus at 6:00 am
Sue Ellen Kelso. Thus began my love affair with this starkly the next day). I suppose they do it because they hear how
beautiful Himalayan region known as “Little Tibet”. I joyfully we talk about the highlights at the end of each trip.”
doubt if Helen and Sue Ellen could have imagined their
introductory tour would ignite this traveller’s passion to
keep visiting her mountain haven.”
China has also been a regular draw over the years. China
expert and frequent tour leader, Patricia Welch, sums up her
experience thus, “Last autumn, I led my 13th FOM Study Tour
and have participated in at least seven others. I would do
them all over again. Our travellers are so diverse – some read
everything they can beforehand, while others take it more
leisurely. Some jump off the bus to get the best photo vantage
point, others stroll off to capture a site’s sounds and smells.
Some have the latest travel gear; others arrive in what they
wear at home. But at the end of each day, there’s a coming
together to share the wonderful exchange of experiences and
laughter that every FOM Study Tour engenders.”
Experienced tour leaders have mentored, encouraged Study tour to Gujarat in 2016, photo courtesy of Coleen Singer
and facilitated new leaders such as Rashmi Panchal and
Sarah Lev to organise trips; Rashmi to her native Gujarat in
India and Sarah to Israel. Leaders have also tapped into the Much is gained by embarking on an FOM Study Tour,
knowledge of peers such as Pia Rampal, for Tamil Nadu’s when we share so much with fellow FOM members –
Coromandel Coast and Khir Johari for Jakarta, then coaxed experiences not to be had on commercial tours. As first-timer
them along on tours as expert advisers. Vicki Nagtegaal-Langley wrote, “Travel trips with FOM
Rashmi’s feedback is, “Being a tour leader gives you the are not like a regular holiday. They are in-depth journeys
opportunity to discover hidden strengths within yourself. to a specific destination with their roots in culture and
Organising a tour presents unique situations and one is history. The pre-trip meetings help to prepare one not only
forced to think on one’s feet and emerge a more confident physically for the actual travel, but also mentally. Owing to
person. I have been on three tours led by Abha and have the preparations, I was better able to focus on the location
enjoyed them because they gave me an opportunity to visit visited and not be too distracted by all the activity in that
places that would have been difficult to go to on my own. area. The meetings provide an opportunity to meet the other
participants and to bond with them so as to make the trip a
success. These trips are highly recommended.”
And finally, Harman Deol said, “FOM study tours have
been absolutely life-changing for me. I have thoroughly
enjoyed them and cherish my experiences. Kudos to all the
tour leaders who go out of their way to volunteer their time,
effort and most importantly, their knowledge.”
Wouldn’t you sign up for one of FOM’s study tours?
Abha Dayal Kaul is an FOM docent at the ACM, MHC and

IHC. She has been organising and leading FOM study tours for
several years, is currently FOM’s Coordinator for Study Tours
and hopes new tour leaders will volunteer.
The study tour group in Khajuraho in February 2014 Unless otherwise noted, photos by Andra Leo

FOM Docent Training
The Making of a Professional Volunteer Docent
By Millie Phuah
It all began when Wynne Spiegel visited

the National Museum of Singapore (NMS) in
1978 and discovered there were no no guided
museum tours for the public. In the space of a
few months, she had put together a core group
and Friends of the National Museum was born,
(later renamed Friends of the Museums). On 14
March 1979, the ladies conducted the very first
tours at NMS and the rest is history.
In the days before the Internet, research
was laborious and FOM study group members
were naturally the main source of docents. In
1981, we conducted the first structured six-
month training programme for NMS, the only
museum then.
Susan Sadler, who trained at NMS in 2000 The audience at the May 2018 Public Information Meeting (PIM), photo by the author
and was one of the ACM’s inaugural docents
says, “In the early days of training, everything
was snail mail and hard copy. It was weekly lectures and a regional history and culture that docents were given the
HUGE binder of reading and gallery talks.” choice to move on to either SAM (opened in 1996) or the
2008 ACM trainee, Jo Wright remembers that “It was ACM (1997, in Armenian Street).
hilarious looking back. We used to carry shopping bags full From 2003 when NMS closed for a revamp, each museum
of notes. One day I happened to pass the docent room and went its own way. Foundation courses were reintroduced
saw a group of evaluators huddled together discussing and to streamline training by 2008 Co-Overall Head of Training,
marking our papers with red pens. And then Susan came in Carla Forbes-Kelly, who realised there was much overlap
one day and held up a USB drive saying – all your papers in themes, but the same need for local historical context
are here!” in the various museums. “There were six foundation days
But the online revolution then, focusing on the history of Singapore, China and
came slowly according Southeast Asia, the major religions of the region, guiding and
to Susan. “Some docents storytelling skills, and the context of the museums within the
hadn’t yet joined the online larger museum system.”
revolution and we didn’t want Foundations also set standardised training standards
to lose them, so the process across museums. More importantly, new docents were
was time-consuming to say the inducted into the larger FOM community and saw first-
least. We even had sessions on hand the enthusiastic involvement of many docents in the
how to use Google search!” training process.
As a back-up, docents could As more and more museums began opening or reopening
consult the 1,770 books that (STPI – 2004, TPM - 2008, SYSNMH - 2011, MHC - 2012, IHC
FOM had amassed over the - 2015), each training team developed its own customised
years. This library had been programme, building on the knowledge, know-how and best
moved from someone’s house practises acquired over the decades and passed down from
to a cramped upstairs room at team to team. We still have gallery talks and papers, and
the museum, before spending “weekly words” have become “words of the week”, better
ten years in a container sitting NMS presentation during the 2018 known as WOWs.
in the carpark. The container, PIM, photo by Michelle Lim In 40 years, FOM has gained a reputation for running
which also housed our first one of the best docent training programmes anywhere in
office, was known to leak every time it rained and whenever the world. Today, we have over 400 ‘professional’ volunteer
it did, everyone would panic. It was a great relief when in docents guiding at nine museums and leading three heritage
2003 FOM got an office in Armenian Street. We moved to walking trails. Hundreds more have gone through our
Stamford Court in 2008. training, served admirably and gone on to other postings.
Training kept evolving according to Susan, who served Yet many more have stayed to continue guiding, which has
on the NMS and ACM training teams. “We wanted to make become very much part and parcel of their lives!
it a little more interactive and creative, while keeping a
structure/framework. It was a slow process – shifting the
focus/emphasis more to ‘in the gallery’... we started to add
more about guiding skills, how to give feedback to trainees.” Millie Phuah guides at NMS, the IHC, SYSNMH and
Up until 2003, all aspiring docents first trained at NMS. MHC. She is currently Co-Overall Head of Training together
It was only after this “foundation course” in Singapore and with Karen Houtman.

Asian Civilisations Museum
The Highs and Lows of Guiding

at the ACM
By Soumya Ayer, Carolyn Pottinger, Jo Wright
Guiding at the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) can be I knew that engaging them might prove challenging, but
challenging, but very rewarding. Docents could be involved Shiva Nataraja sprang to my rescue. The metaphor of this
in highlight tours, student tours, gallery tours, Gallery-in- Hindu god’s cosmic dance, in which he sets out to destroy
Focus tours, special exhibitions, children’s seasons, study the entire universe so life can be regenerated, carries so
tours, Monday Morning Lectures and new gallery openings. much resonance with the work at the Hadron Collider in
In short, there is plenty to keep ACM docents on their toes. Switzerland, that the Indian government presented the
Sometimes it can seem overwhelming; however, it is very research facility with a large bronze Nataraja statue. With
satisfying when visitors appreciate what you do and discover our wonderful art and ancient Asian mythology assuming a
that history can be exciting. In this article three experienced surprising relevance to my visitors, we went on to spend a
docents share the highs and lows of guiding at the ACM. happy hour together.
Soumya Ayer: The Jo Wright: “Oooh, is that
highlight for me was an underglaze design on these
the opening weekend of bowls?” asked the VIP guest,
the first-ever children’s eagerly leaning forward for a
season in 2014, when closer look. He then dropped
Story Whisperer Tours to his knees to examine their
were created. Having undersides, declaring excitedly
just graduated from the that you can learn as much
training programme from the footings (the rim at
I had the opportunity the bottom of the bowl) as
to work with a team of you can from the decoration. Jo Wright and her mug
experienced docents. Story Whisperers group His excitement was infectious
Of course I was a bag of and soon we were all kneeling
nerves by the time opening weekend arrived. Telling stories on the floor, gazing up at the artefacts from an entirely new
to a packed room of children and parents under the Tree of viewpoint. We were in the ACM’s Tang Shipwreck gallery
Life was incredible. We guided 1,000 visitors that weekend, and the VIP was Gavin Williamson, the UK Secretary of
but that was not all, we met Singapore's then president State for Defence, in town on business. How did he know
Tony Tan and had our picture taken with him. There have about the ACM? At a meeting in London earlier this year,
been other rewarding experiences. Having the opportunity Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister, Teo Chee Hean, had
to be Co-head of Training was a challenging responsibility, recommended that he visit. Mr Williamson’s interest in
but one that allowed me to make many lasting friendships. ceramics comes from his many years working in the UK bone
I particularly enjoy the special exhibitions when I get the china industry. He certainly gave me a new perspective on
opportunity to be in the company of some amazing artefacts, the gallery’s 1,200-year-old pieces. Later, I was thrilled to be
learn from others and share what I learn with visitors. The presented with a bone china mug made in the UK, ideal for
ACM has been truly transformative for me and joining the sipping my afternoon tea.
docent group is one of the best decisions I have made. One of the joys of guiding is that you can never really
Carolyn Pottinger: As a tell how your audience will react to what you show them.
newly minted docent, I had Government ministers, visiting physicists or seven-year-old
a seven-year-old looking children, each brings his/her own viewpoint. It’s an absolute
me in the eye and crisply privilege to be able to make this happen and we are indeed
informing me that he didn’t fortunate to be FOM docents and guiding at the ACM.
want to be there and that
he much preferred Greek
myths. On the other hand, Soumya Ayer, Jo Wright and Carolyn Pottinger
a moment of heavenly have been docents for between four and nine years at the ACM
satisfaction comes when where between them they have guided well over 1,000 tours
you have the perfect artefact and around 12,000 visitors. They all agree that the joy of being
before you. I guided a group museum docents comes from the guiding itself and from being
of physicists in Singapore part of a warm and fascinating community of FOM docents.
for a seminar. Looking
jet-lagged and as if they
Stone Carving of Shiva Nataraja had not come by choice, Photos courtesy of the authors

Indian Heritage Centre
The Man with a Vision of an

Inclusive Singapore
By Tang Siew Ngoh
In the Indian Heritage Centre’s Hall of Fame, among disabilities. Equipped with his training and work experience,
photographs of personalities who made Singapore proud, Ron helmed many a local voluntary welfare organisation
you will find this one of a loving couple, Ron Chandran- that catered to people with visual handicaps, mental health
Dudley and his wife Regina (Rena). Their 1962 marriage issues and also drug abusers. He also set up his own private
was a union across the divide of race and religion – he, a consultant counsellor practice (1978-2015) with the tagline
Ceylonese Tamil, was born in Singapore to a Methodist “Listen to and really hear”.
Christian family while she was born in the UK to a Jewish Despite his privileged pedigree, Ron had a great heart
family with Polish roots. for the marginalised. Like his father, Benjamin Dudley, an
Having come to terms with exceptional educator who became Singapore’s first Asian
gradually losing his eyesight Examination Secretary, Ron argued that “no child should
from the age of 17 after a be left standing at the school gate” when he objected to the
rugby accident in 1951 at his exclusion of children with special needs from the ambit
school (Raffles Institution), Ron of compulsory education when it was first introduced in
switched from pursuing his Singapore. His inclusiveness was reflected in the physical
dream to be a neurosurgeon to design of his residence, equipped with a hydraulic lift for
graduate instead with a BA in wheelchair users and accessible washrooms, as well as in
Social Anthropology from the the stories and plays he wrote. In the play Trace the Rainbow
London School of Economics through the Rain, staged by the Experimental Theatre Club in
in 1964. Then with a Fulbright 1972, he featured the struggles of a blind lawyer. In another
Scholarship and Rena’s drama serial for the British Broadcasting Corporation in 2004,
support, Ron achieved the Ron created the character of a blind Singaporean Chinese
rare distinction of graduating physiotherapist, Zoe Chan Li Fen, in memory of his daughter
Ron with Rena, his “rod and staff”
within two years from the State Viva (Li Fen) who died at the age of 27.
University of New York with an It was my singular privilege
MA in the Sociology of Medicine and Industry as well as an to have worked alongside Ron
MSc in Education on Vocational Rehabilitation Counselling from 1993, as the DPA's honorary
and Psychotherapy in 1971. secretary/vice-president when he
Ron was a visionary. He envisaged Singapore becoming a was DPA’s president and to know
regional beacon, bringing to the forefront public discussions Rena, whom he fondly described
on disability issues. This vision was realised in 1981, the as his “rod and staff”. It was
International Year of Disabled Persons, when he became the Rena who helped to finish writing
founding chairman of the Disabled People’s International the book The Man with a Mission:
(DPI). DPI remains the only international cross-disability A Life Well-Lived. Four chapters
organisation comprised entirely of people with disabilities, were written by Ron before his
advocating for the full participation of disabled people in sudden death on 30 Dec 2015. His
society. DPI, with its slogan “Nothing About Us, Without favourite hymn, O Love that will Benjamin and Harriet Dudley
Us”, now has local chapters in over 130 countries, in addition not let me go, written by a blind
to a special consultative status with various United Nations lyricist, had resonated with him when finally told that he had
(UN) agencies. Ron went on to play a significant role in to function as a blind person and was the hymn sung during
lobbying for the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons his farewell service.
with Disabilities, to which Singapore is a signatory. Ron’s life was indeed “a life well-lived” and one
On the local front, the beginnings of inclusion for people that touched many other lives. The significant advances
with disabilities can be traced to Ron’s untiring efforts as towards making Singapore a more inclusive society where
their advocate. In 1986, he spearheaded the setting up of the persons with disabilities have access to the same rights
Disabled People's Association (DPA) as DPI’s local chapter and opportunities as everyone else, owe much to the trail-
and served as its president till 2005. Prior to and between blazing advocacy of Ron Chandran-Dudley.
his academic pursuits, Ron pioneered many new initiatives
in Singapore, from providing visually-handicapped
children with a holistic education and rehabilitation, to Tang Siew Ngoh is a docent who guides at five museums,
collective fund-raising that came under the ambit of the including the Indian Heritage Centre, the Malay Heritage
Community Chest. From the UK and USA, he brought in Centre and the Peranakan Museum.
the best practices in open education and open employment
and models of client-centred rehabilitation of people with Images courtesy of the Indian Heritage Centre, National Heritage Board

Malay Heritage Centre
Lights, Camera, Action!

By Khong Swee Lin
From the latter half of the 19th century onwards, Kampong which included the plum,
Gelam was known primarily as a printing and publishing vampy role in Chinta
hub. This changed in the 1930s when, in addition to the print in 1948, came to an end
medium, mass entertainment in the form of film production when she died in 1999
developed here. The Shaw brothers set up Malay film after making her last
production facilities around 1937. Post-war film production film, Layar Lara (Lara's
continued this trend when the rival Cathay Organisation, led Movie) in 1997. She was
by Ho Ah Loke and Dato Loke Wan Tho, formed the Cathay- the mother of Anita
Keris Studio in 1953. The stage had been set for the golden Sarawak, Singapore’s top
age of the Malay silver screen. international entertainer.
It is in the kolong Can, or rather, should
(lower level) of the a vampire be labelled
Malay Heritage Centre “Malaya’s most beautiful
that visitors can get a woman”, which TIME
sense of this golden magazine did in 1957?
age, which lasted some Why not, if your name
20 years. There they happened to be Maria
can view a selection Menado. Formerly
Siput Sarawak on the cover of Berita
of black and white Liesbet Dotulong of
Filem Issue No. 11, 1961, Singapore
cinema snippets – the Manado, North Sulawesi,
adventures of the 15th Maria’s climb to fame
century Melakan warrior reached its apogee when in 1957 she took on the role of the
Hang Tuah, the eyebrow- pontianak (female vampire), in the first Malay horror film
raising Chinta (Love), of the same name. The rest, as they say, is history. The film,
Pontianak (Vampire), and shown at the Cathay cinema in Singapore, was the first
Mogok, (Strike). Malay film to be screened there and was even shown in
Who were the stars? Hong Kong, albeit dubbed into Cantonese.
The first name that Music was an integral part of the Malay film scene and
Maria Menado on the cover of Hiboran
immediately comes song content was influenced not only by Malay, but also
Filem, a weekly Malay film magazine
to mind is that of the published by the Royal Press 1955,
Hokkien, the predominant local Chinese dialect, Tamil,
extraordinarily talented, Singapore English and even Hindustani, a real melding of Malaya’s
Penang-born P Ramlee, languages. Eventually, film music began to include western
actor, singer, comedian, elements such as Latin American rhythms and crooning.
songwriter, who acted in 66 films, directed 35, and composed The spinoff from the film industry extended to other
around 250 songs. His films, for example, Penarek Becha (The entertainment forms and to the print media. Fesyen (Fashion)
Trishaw Puller), Bujang Lapok (Worn-out Bachelors), and magazine, published weekly by Harmy Press, targeted
Hang Tuah, are legendary. His efforts earned him awards both fashion-conscious Malay women. The kebaya became
at home and abroad, extremely popular as it was worn in rather daring styles by
including that of Best Malay film actresses, celebrities and singers, one of whom
Male Actor in Anak-ku was shapely Saloma who boasted a 21-inch waist. Saloma,
Sazali (My Son, Sazali), in who married P Ramlee in 1961, was for good reason dubbed
1957, at the Fourth Asian the “Marilyn Monroe of Malaya”.
Film Festival, Tokyo, and The Malay films of yesteryear showcased local wit,
in 1963 at the Tenth Asian drama and the talents of our very own bintangs, or stars,
Film Festival. while the themes of a number of these films addressed the
Not many can need to progress at a time when society was on the brink
claim to have attained of change.
instant fame, but Siput
Sarawak did, in her 1947
hit Singapura di-waktu
malam, (Singapore at Khong Swee Lin is a docent at the Malay Heritage Centre
Night). Born Ramlah bte and loves Singapore‘s classic films of yesteryear.
Mohamed Sulaiman, in
Sarawak, she adopted
P Ramlee on the cover of Hiboran Issue the stage name of Siput All images from the Malay Heritage Centre Collection, National
No. 483 1956, Singapore Sarawak. Her long career, Heritage Board

National Museum of Singapore
An Ancient Mystery –
The Singapore Stone
By Alison Kennedy-Cooke
The National Museum of Singapore is

historically where the first FOM docents
began their guiding careers. This 40th
Anniversary coincides with another special
date – 100 years since a fragment of the
mysterious sandstone boulder known as
the “Singapore Stone” was returned to
Singapore’s National Museum. It is now
one of its most treasured artefacts and
certainly one of the most mysterious.
History lessons for Singapore
schoolchildren begin with stories of this
amazing boulder, which is also the first
artefact that NMS docents study. We can
link it to nearby locations and many other
pieces in the museum’s collection, making it
an essential part of everyone’s tour.
Another important artefact, the Sejarah
Melayu, tells of legendary figures important
in the history of Singapore and Melaka.
One particular story talks of a slave called The Singapore Stone
Badang who was granted a wish and
given great strength. A local rajah heard of
Badang and wished to test his strength. One of his tasks was Palace and burial grounds site. Was this the source of our
to throw a large sandstone boulder, which he hurled from famous stone? Does it maybe talk of people who lived there?
the top of a hill. It landed at the mouth of the river. Was this Tamil, Jawi, Old Javanese or Sanskrit have been suggested
our famous stone? Did he throw it from Bukit Larangan to as origins of the text. An ancient Indo-Aryan language called
the Singapore River? The legend says Badang was eventually Pali is also a possibility. It is found in Hindu and Theravada
buried at the mouth of the river and his grave covered with a Buddhist texts dating from the fifth and sixth centuries.
large engraved boulder. Pali is thought to have originated from Sanskrit, which
When the British East India company arrived in 1819, has many derivatives and dialects. The earliest Sanskrit
workers clearing jungle uncovered a large sandstone boulder dates from around the fifth century and old Tamil from the
at the mouth of the river, in an area known as Rocky Point. second century. These old texts and languages have altered
This large 3m x 3m stone was covered in many lines of text. dramatically over time, so deciphering a language that has
No one, including many experts, has been able to decipher probably died out seems impossible.
the script. The Bengali workers who first saw it were said to The world today has many mysteries hiding in stones.
be terrified and could not continue their work. What did the Popular literature and movies such as Lord of the Rings and
text say? Young visitors to our museum have many opinions Game of Thrones feature similar ancient fantasies. Today,
– perhaps it says “Welcome” or maybe “Keep Out”? 21st century computer technologies are being used to try
By 1843, as construction in the settlement progressed, and decode ancient linguistic mysteries. By connecting
the East India Company widened the mouth of the river these historical stories to modern tales, our younger
and blew up the rock. Various methods of making casts of audiences will perhaps be persuaded to take up these
the stone so as to decipher the words, were unsuccessful. puzzle-solving challenges.
Thinking it may be an ancient Indian language, three
fragments were sent to the Asiatic Society of Bengal to be
studied. Some of the remains were turned to gravel for road Alison Kennedy-Cooke has been an NMS docent for four
building, whilst one piece was seen being used as a seat years. Her favourite area of the history gallery is the ancient
by sepoys outside the Treasury Building. Only one piece sections where many secrets await discovery.
was returned to Singapore – 100 years ago. The others are
assumed to be missing. The stone itself is thought to date
from around the 13th century. Excavations at Fort Canning Image courtesy of the National Museum of Singapore, National
Hill have uncovered similar sandstone blocks from a Royal Heritage Board

The Peranakan Museum
Happy Anniversary FOM

By Belinda Boey
Congratulations to the Friends of the Museums (FOM) on this scale and of this style
the society’s 40th anniversary. Who would have thought that have been found only in
today FOM would have 1,500 members from 52 countries, Penang, Malaysia. It was
speaking 30 different languages? And what a sea change in most likely commissioned
Singapore’s museum landscape! With 400 active docents, from professional Chinese
FOM guides in nine museums in addition to training and bead-workers and later
managing volunteers. When FOM (Singapore) was founded used in a wedding
by Wynne Spiegal, Anne Tofield, Sally Houseman and chamber.
Fran Hamlin, the Peranakan Museum (TPM) did not exist. However, my favourite
In its previous life, it was merely a gallery in the Asian artefact in the museum
Civilisations Museum (ACM). Luckily, there was enough is the Catholic Altar. This
interest in Peranakan culture, that when the ACM moved to to me summarises the
the Empress Place site, TPM came into its own and became psyche of the Peranakans.
a small boutique museum that showcases the life and rituals The sideboard used to
of a Peranakan family. The museum is housed in a beautiful be the domestic altar of a
building, on Armenian Street, at one time the home of the Peranakan family.
Tao Nan School. Incidentally, the school was founded by The Chinese Peranakan
Peranakans, so this was very fitting indeed. family that owned the
Not to blow TPM’s own trumpet, but this may be the sideboard adapted it
first museum in the world to explore Peranakan culture to when they converted
such a comprehensive degree. The museum has one of the from Daoism to Roman
largest and most intricate pieces of Peranakan beadwork in Catholicism. The top of
existence. The motifs are an interesting collection of birds, the gilded teak sideboard Altar sideboard. Collection of the Asian
insects and flowers, which can be viewed from all angles. features carvings of Civilisations Museum. Purchased
There is hardly any repetition and interestingly, most of the Daoism’s three Star Gods: with funds from the Friends of ACM
birds and flowers are not indigenous to Southeast Asia. The Hock (God of Happiness), through the Gala Dinner 2005
flowers look as if they are European and some of the birds Lock (God of Wealth) and
look like those of South America. Large beadwork pieces of Siew (God of Longevity).
The pillars have auspicious carvings of the dragon, the
mythical qilin and the phoenix, while for the centre, the
family commissioned a painting of Catholicism’s Holy
Family. In the early 20th century, some Peranakan families
converted to Roman Catholic or Protestant Christianity, most
likely as the result of an English-language education in the
mission schools that were founded after Singapore became a
British colony. This mental flexibility and pragmatic approach
to religion is remarkable. It is not inconceivable that within
such a Peranakan household, there existed a family altar for
Daoist deities as well as an ancestral altar, while at weekends,
the whole family would merrily go off to church.
FOM came into existence in 1978, at a time when
Singapore was but a teenager, preoccupied with nation-
building and finding its place in a post-war, post-colonial
world, when matters of cultural heritage and issues of
ancestry took a back seat. Thank you for keeping the torch
alight and burning. In fact, there is much to celebrate in 2018
– FOM is 40 years old, while both PASSAGE magazine and
TPM are celebrating their 10th anniversary this year.
Belinda Boey guides exclusively at the Peranakan Museum.

A beadwork tablecloth with bird and floral motifs. Collection of the She is Singaporean and graduated from Oxford University
Asian Civilisations Museum. Restoration sponsored by the BNP Paribas with a degree in politics, philosophy and economics. Before
Foundation and BNP Paribas Singapore Branch retirement, she worked in the finance industry.

Singapore Art Museum
The Singapore Art Museum

and FOM
By Tina Nixon
FOM was founded in October 1978. That same year, Southeast Asia”.
Singaporean artist, Ho Ho Ying completed his painting However, the
The Survivor – both he and FOM have not only survived resources to achieve
but thrived since the mid-1970s. So has the Singapore Art this high aspiration
Museum (SAM) since its founding in 1996; it has thrived and were scarce and led to
also taken huge steps forward. a heavy dependence
It had taken Ho Ho Ying eight years to complete this on artists or collectors
painting, having returned to it over and over again. He donating their works
began his artistic career in 1966 with his first solo exhibition out of goodwill.
at the former National Library. Since that first show he has Twenty years
held several solo exhibitions in both Singapore and China after the opening
and participated in numerous group exhibitions, including of NMAG, a brand-
the most recent, Re:Collect, at the National Gallery. That new art space was
exhibition showed the public the development of state- opened to the public
sponsored art spaces in Singapore and gave us an indication as SAM completed
of how crucial FOM was and still is, in generating a museum- its transition from a
going culture here. It was also a reminder of how the Catholic boys’ school
collection at SAM got its roots. to the Singapore
When Ho Ho Art Museum.
Ying and other early SAM continued to
Chuah Thean Teng, Self-Portrait, circa
pioneer artists began showcase large-scale
1950s. Batik. 31 x 21 cm. Gift of the Loke
their careers and retrospectives of some Wan Tho Collection. Collection of the
wished to display of the pioneer artists, National Gallery Singapore
their works or even a series of which
go and admire or seek was first begun by
inspiration from other the Ministry of Culture 1981. The retrospectives featured
artists’ work, there works by artists such as Liu Kang, Chen Wen Hsi, Cheong
was no public art Soo Pieng, Chen Chong Swee and Georgette Chen. A further
gallery to go to. In fact, boost to the collection was the donation of 113 works by the
the national collection, renowned artist Wu Guangzhong in 2008.
which is now divided For the past decade or so, and with the opening of the
between SAM and National Gallery, SAM changed its remit to become the
the National Gallery, regional front-runner for showcasing contemporary art from
did not have any Southeast Asia and the wider area.
permanent space for SAM is currently undergoing extensive renovations, but
Ho Ho Ying, The Survivor, 1978. Mixed
the display of works you can see a fine example of the types of works now under
media on canvas laid on board. Collection of
until 1976. the National Gallery Singapore
the SAM remit in a wonderful new exhibition, the Asia Pacific
At the entrance to Breweries Foundation Signature Art Prize, being shown back
the recent exhibition where it all began, at NMS! Throughout all the changes and
Re:Collect numerous examples were displayed from the movement of artworks from one institution to the other,
collection of Dato Loke Wan Tho, the co-founder of the FOM and more specifically, FOM docents, have been there
Cathay Organisation and an enthusiastic collector of to help the public gain a better understanding not just of the
Singapore art. He donated over 110 artworks to Singapore in artworks but also of the artists and institutions that lie behind
1960, but despite this large donation, a national art gallery them too. Happy Anniversary FOM!
remained unrealised until 1976, when the first state-run
art museum known as the National Museum Art Gallery
(NMAG) opened in what is now NMS.
The opening mission statement for NMAG was “to Tina Nixon has lived in Singapore since 2010, guiding
build and to develop on a strong permanent collection of at SAM, special exhibitions at NMS and since 2015 at the
contemporary Singapore and Southeast Asian art which, National Gallery. She lived here between 1994-1997, so saw the
in years to come, will present a clear and continuous opening of the ACM and SAM and guided at all the three of the
documentation of the development of Singapore and main FOM museums at that time.

STPI Creative Workshop & Gallery
Carving a Unique Training

Template
By Virginie Labbe, In conversation with Sue Sismondo and Sabine Silberstein
Carborundrum, squeegee, brayer, mezzotint, Hollander

beater: this is a small sample of some of the technical terms
that our 15 newly graduated STPI docents have become
familiar with. Guiding at STPI is a unique experience owing
to the special nature of the institution, a printmaking and
paper workshop where artists come for a residency that
culminates in a gallery exhibition. Unlike Singapore’s
heritage museums, there is no permanent collection on
show; instead docents typically need to guide five or six
new exhibitions a year. The tours also aim at developing
visitors’ understanding of the print and paper techniques
used in creating the artworks and also include a visit to
the workshop, where visitors can see presses, and artists
and workshop staff at work. As FOM is celebrating its 40th
birthday and STPI its 16th, I spoke to Sue Sismondo and
Sabine Silberstein, two of STPI’s longest serving docents who
started guiding in 2004, about what training was like in the
early days.
Whilst STPI docents could draw on FOM’s longstanding
experience in guiding art exhibitions, the complexities of the
print and paper-making techniques were something new
and required in-house training. The very first training, in the STPI docent training – hands-on workshops and demonstrations (various
form of lectures, was provided in 2004 by STPI’s education years)
officer. Although it was helpful in understanding the history
of printmaking, by the end of the training in December, and Japanese-speaking docents to help them familiarise
most trainees felt they did not have a sufficient grasp of themselves with the technical terms in their languages.
the techniques and did not feel confident enough to guide. Over the years, STPI’s education team has worked
Thankfully, one of the trainees (Mariann Johanssen-Ellis) closely with the docent community to design tools to further
was a printmaker and invited her fellow trainees to her enhance the visitor experience – an education wall was
studio where she demonstrated some of the key printmaking created with prints to illustrate the various techniques, now
techniques. At their request, the trainees also spent an entire supplemented with text and tools, and more recently a toolkit
Saturday in the paper mill making paper under the guidance for each technique. Being able to see and handle samples and
of STPI’s master paper maker, Richard Hungerford. The 2004 tools enables visitors to gain a more hands-on understanding
batch then started guiding, supporting each other as best of how the artworks were created and provides insights into
as they could with research and helping out with children’s the multiple possibilities of print and papermaking.
workshops from time to time, which provided more Workshops for lesser known techniques, such as foiling,
experience with the techniques. flocking and cyanotypes, are also regularly organised
Conscious of the for docents to further develop their knowledge. FOM’s
need to develop a relationship with STPI is now a true partnership of interests
curriculum tailored and support, which has strengthened over the years.
to fit STPI docents’ FOM’s journey at STPI parallels that of the FOM’s early
needs, for the second years with the National Museum, with its focus on research
training programme in and learning, the development of training methods and
2006, Sue successfully guiding skills. Today, the skills that FOM has honed to
designed a new model, deliver tailored, high-quality guiding in public spaces has
featuring hands-on been used to broaden its collaborations with partners such as
2004 STPI trainees, with Sue and Sabine on
the far right (inaugural training) demonstrations and the National Library, the Economic Development Board (at
workshops with STPI Gillman Barracks) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority.
workshop staff, a model we continue to use today. This year’s
training included eight workshops conducted by STPI’s
senior staff. Mr Eng and Ms Chida, two of STPI’s senior Virginie Labbe enjoys contemporary art and guides at STPI
printmakers, also spent some extra time with our Mandarin and Gillman Barracks.

Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall
Wan Qing Yuan

Through the Years
By Karen Ng
Nestled within the hustle and bustle of the Balestier of visitors who flocked here managed to view the bed Dr
precinct sits a lovely two-storey colonial-style villa in Sun had slept in when he was in Penang, a bust and portrait
discreet Tai Gin Road. The only surviving bungalow among of Dr Sun and photos of Dr Sun with his many Nanyang
many bungalows built during the late 19th and early 20th supporters.
century in the sugar cane plantation known as the Balestier During World War II, the building was used by the
Plain, this lonely villa holds within it a treasure trove of Japanese army as a military communications centre. Sadly,
history and stories. the bed and many other artefacts were destroyed during
Constructed in 1902 by local businessman Boey Chuan this period. When the war ended, the Chinese Nationalist
Poh, the house was specially constructed for tropical Government renovated the villa and it became the
living. It had beautiful, ornate arched windows and doors, Kuomintang’s Singapore branch headquarters. In 1951, after
eaves decorated with floral patterns and movable louvred the Kuomintang ceased its activities in Singapore, the villa
windows – all these features allowed for natural lighting was passed back to the SCCCI. They renovated it and in
and good ventilation. 1966, in conjunction with Dr Sun’s 100th birth anniversary,
The villa was the villa became a museum and library and was renamed
bought by Singapore the Sun Yat Sen Villa. The villa was gazetted as a national
pioneer and rubber monument on 28 October 1994 and renamed the Sun Yat Sen
magnate, Teo Eng Nanyang Memorial Hall in 1996.
Hock in 1905. He In 1997, the villa was
named it Wan Qing closed for restoration
Yuan (Serene Sunset and extension works that
Garden), a fitting cost $7.5 million. It was
name for the house Photo of the villa in its early years reopened on 12 November
his beloved mother 2001, to coincide with Dr
retired to. Teo met Chinese revolutionary Dr Sun Yat Sen Sun’s birthday 135 years
that year and in 1906 he offered the villa to Dr Sun to be ago (in 1866). In 2010, the
used as the Singapore base for his revolutionary party (Tong villa was closed once again
Meng Hui). That sealed the villa's fate with regard to the role for a $5.6 million revamp. Sun Yat Sen Villa in the 1970s
it played in the 1911 Chinese revolution. It reopened in October
The villa not only became the nerve centre of Dr Sun’s 2011 to commemorate
revolutionary movement in Southeast Asia, it was also the the centenary of the 1911 revolution (the Xinhai revolution),
place where Dr Sun stayed during four of the nine visits he dedicated to the legacy of Dr Sun Yat Sen and the crucial role
paid to Singapore. It was in this very building that Dr Sun played by Dr Sun’s Singapore and Nanyang supporters.
shared his revolutionary ideas with his Nanyang supporters.
Of the ten uprisings in China planned by Dr Sun, three were
secretly hatched right here.
In 1910, Teo sold Wan Qing Yuan and the villa changed
ownership several times. In 1937, seeing how the structure
had deteriorated into a ruinous state, six prominent local
businessmen, council members of the Singapore Chinese
Chamber of Commerce (now known as the Singapore Chinese
Chamber of Commerce and Industry [SCCCI]) bought the villa
for $5,200. They felt that
they had to preserve such
The villa as it looks today, now in use as the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang
an important historical site.
Memorial Hall
In 1938, they donated the
building to the SCCCI.
With a donation of
$15,000 from the Chinese Karen Ng, a Malaysian, has been an FOM docent since 2016
Nationalist Government, and guides at the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall.
the villa was restored to
The dilapidated villa with the six its glory and became a
SCCCI council members in front Memorial Hall. Hundreds All images courtesy of the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall

Building Connections By Sarah Teo
At the National Heritage Board, my department looks Spotswood Sewage Pumping Station
after Singapore’s largest outdoor museum – its 72 National I also had the opportunity to explore the Spotswood
Monuments – and we’re constantly thinking of how to share Sewage Pumping Station, which was completed in 1896
our love for these buildings with everyone else. Earlier this and was a key component of Melbourne's first centralised
year, I went on a fortnight-long adventure to Melbourne sewerage systems. The station complex contains the most
sponsored by the Friends of the Museums to learn how intact collection of historical buildings and equipment of its
Melbourne celebrates its built heritage. What I experienced kind in all of Australia. One of the stationary steam engines
did not disappoint. still works. It may not have a particularly appetising story,
but its position as the building that saved Melbourne from
State Library of Victoria its old nickname “Smellbourne” through engineering and
The original building was officially opened in 1856 improvement in sanitation, is unparalleled.
yet the State Library of Victoria is very ‘Instagrammable’.
At more than 150,000 posts, the library and its La Trobe
Reading Room in particular, grace many an Instagram feed.
Established in 1853, it is Australia’s oldest public library. It is
also the original site of both the Melbourne Museum and the
National Gallery.
The dome over the reading room is one of the most loved
parts of the building, and perhaps the most written about –
with its own microsite filled with details of the architecture
and engineering behind the spaces, quotes, interviews,
stories, photographs and creative pieces. Academic Mark
Bilandzic says, “It’s places like the dome that make libraries
very exciting. Architecture affects your creativity, it affects
your thinking, it affects your wellbeing.”
But the library also taught me this, that stories and storeys Spotswood Sewage Pumping Station at ScienceWorks
can come together in magical ways. As part of White Night
Melbourne, the library shone a projection, The Secret Life of
Books, on all the walls of their famous reading room. The The pumping station is located away from the city
45-minute outdoor queue to get into the room was well centre, and is part of ScienceWorks, Melbourne’s science
worth the wait. centre. It has been described by Atlas Obscura, a guide
to secret places around the world, as “an industrial
triumph” hidden in a “youth-centric science centre”.
While the building has been preserved and there are
interpretive storyboards and interactive displays,
not many programmes are held here and there are
few visitors. The Victoria Heritage Register asserts
its architectural importance as “an extraordinary
example of the Late French Empire Style employed in
an industrial complex”. The spaces, with their warm
lights and unassuming objects, seemed to welcome
me. As I explored, I was struck by how all the different
preserved components came together to tell a story of
industrialisation and public health.
Both buildings are beautiful in their own ways – though
one is arguably more readable than the other (in more ways
than one). One is unashamedly beautiful and confident, with
colourful programmes; the other is quiet and unassuming
The Secret Life of Books by DAE White Night & The Electric Canvas, at (maybe even a little stinky, given its history) – but both have
the State Library of Victoria, White Night Melbourne 2018 stayed true to their stories. And maybe that’s all we really
need – behind those storeys are stories.
The projection begins with a security guard checking that
there’s no one left in the library after hours. As soon as he
leaves, the books on the shelf spring to life, and open up to
reveal new worlds – noisy jungles crawling with colourful
snakes, the great wide ocean and the beautiful cosmos. The Sarah Teo is the Manager (Policy and Education) of the
images in the projection were taken from and inspired by the Preservation of Sites and Monuments, National Heritage Board.
library’s collections. What a creative, respectful celebration of She was a recipient of the 2017 FOM-NHB Grant.
the library’s collections and architecture!
All photos by the author

URA/FOM Trails History
First Tentative Steps By Heather Muirhead
It all started in September 2014. The Urban

Redevelopment Authority of Singapore wanted to start
running free, guided walking tours around Chinatown to
promote the area’s heritage, diversity and conservation
and who did they approach to help them achieve this? The
Friends of the Museums (FOM), of course.
We were accompanied by lion dancers for our first ever heritage trail
Only two of the original group remained but with new,

First tentative steps
recently graduated docents, we were able to offer tours each
Friday and Saturday.
An open meeting was called for all FOM members who In 2017 the final area, Tanjong Pagar, was added. Also, the
were interested in finding out more information and about number of tours guided and active docents was expanded
25 people turned up. Of these, 12 stepped forward under the by another training session. Currently we run tours every
leadership of Victoria Ford. It was decided to concentrate Friday and Saturday morning and if you haven’t been on
on the small, relatively unknown area of Bukit Pasoh. We one yet, please do join us to visit these hidden places while
decided to individually research one topic to be shared listening to the engaging stories of this rich and vibrant part
within the group. This could be architecture, clans, history, of Singapore.
communities, personalities, etc. When we had gathered this
information together we all set about planning our routes,
doing more research, writing our scripts and walking the
area over and over again. Finally, we presented our tours to
the group and started on this fascinating journey of guiding
heritage trails.
The very first tour of Telok Ayer
Heather Muirhead has been with URA/FOM Trails

from the beginning and is the only one remaining from the
The first Bukit Pasoh trail conducted by URA/FOM original batch. She has been the Head of Training for the two
programmes conducted so far and is also a coordinator. She
guides in three of the four precincts and remains fascinated by
In 2016 we came under the aegis of FOM’s Overall Heads the variety of stories and peoples to be found in this one small
of Training for the first time and a recognised FOM training area of Singapore.
programme was formulated, with in-house presentations,
outside speakers and excursions. The areas guided were
expanded to three, Bukit Pasoh, Telok Ayer and Kreta Ayer. All photos courtesy of the author

Monday Morning Lectures
Starting September 2018, the lectures will be held in the Ngee Ann Auditorium (in the basement) or in the River Room (level 2),
the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM), 1 Empress Place, Singapore 179555. They will begin promptly at 11:00 am. Refreshments
will be provided. Latecomers are asked to enter via the rear door.
3 September: The Little 8 October 2018: How Modern

Red Dot through the Painting Transitioned to
Ages Contemporary Art in Southeast
Speaker: Howesiang Tan Asia
Speaker: Iola Lenzi
This talk is about old
maps dating from the In this talk, Iola Lenzi explores the
1400s to the 1600s and connection between social/political
their connections to the early history of Singapore. When change in Southeast Asian nation-
did the name 'Singapore' (or its earlier versions) first appear building and its artistic development
on maps? When did Singapore first became an island on from the 1970s onward. Through examples, she argues that
maps? These and other questions will be explored in the talk. social change experienced throughout the region informed
Howesiang will try to spice up his presentation with stories new art methodologies and aesthetics such that regional
of piracy, espionage and romance. artists expanded their practice beyond conventional
representational painting.
10 September: Catherine of
Braganza: Her Life and Her 15 October: The Art of Mughal
Legacy Miniature Painting: From Folk to
Speaker: Mary Scott Contemporary
Speaker: Durriya Dohadwala
In 1662 a young and innocent
Portuguese princess, Catherine of The illustrated memoirs of India's first
Braganza, married Europe's most Mughal emperor Babur, the Baburnama,
eligible and incorrigible bachelor, is well-known for its exquisite miniature
England's Charles II. Her dowry, paintings. While this art form lost
the largest ever in Europe at the patronage and value in British India, it found a new life
time, helped expand the English East India Company, while in Pakistan. The lecture traces the evolution of miniature
Catherine herself fuelled a frenzy in England for the exotic painting from its traditional art form in India to its practice in
trade goods she brought with her and launched the nation on Pakistan today and discusses how it has changed in terms of
its long love affair with tea. technique, medium, form and content.
17 September: NO LECTURE (Formula 1 event) 22 October: Indians in Singapore:

Diaspora in the Colonial Port City
24 September: Tara, the Speaker: Rajesh Rai
Buddhist Saviouress
Speaker: Pia Rampal Since the establishment of British
colonial rule in Singapore, Indians have
Tara, the supreme saviouress constituted a minority here. Focusing on
of Buddhism, is deeply revered this important component of Singapore’s
throughout the Indo-Himalayas. cultural mosaic, Rajesh Rai explores the
Her name derives from the verb taar formation and development of the Indian
meaning to cross, as a star crosses diaspora, from the establishment of colonial rule to the end
the night sky. Through beautiful art of the Japanese Occupation, revealing the dynamism of
created for her worship, we trace Tara’s dramatic rise from diasporic identities in the port city’s landscape.
her tentative start in India in the sixth century to becoming
the “Mother of the Tibet” by the 14th century. 29 October: Peranakans and
Photog raphy: Invention,
1 October 2018: Asian Reinvention and the Camera’s
Port Cities and Asian Role in Cultural Disorder
Civilisations Museum Speaker: Peter Lee
Speaker: Kennie Ting
Images of people from the dawn of photography to
Kennie will share his the present expose the complex relationship between
love for and interest in cameraman, camera and subject. The negotiations between
Asian port cities. He will these three elements produce diverse results, depending on
highlight his journeys through Asian port cities, what he variables such as the subject’s mood. In the multicultural
has learnt from these journeys and how he has translated environments of port cities, posed studio photographs and
his learning into narratives for the galleries in the Asian amateur snapshots reveal this inconsistency and diversity
Civilisations Museum. of expression, also apparent in photographs of members of
Peranakan communities across Southeast Asia.

Explore Singapore!
To join an ES! Event, please go to the FOM website to register online or register at the ES! Table at any Monday Morning Lecture.
The Enchanting Haw Par Villa (Tiger

World of Chinese Balm Gardens)
Opera Thursday 4 October
Thursday 6 September 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
10:00 am – 12:00 pm Fee: $25
Fee: $25
In 1978, the year that
Have you ever FOM was founded, one
watched a Chinese of the “must sees” in
opera performance Singapore was Haw Par
and been mesmerised? Villa (aka Tiger Balm Gardens). As more attractions were
Join us for a visit to a built, Haw Par Villa declined in popularity and faded from
shop selling Chinese tourist itineraries and Singaporeans’ memories. In recent
opera paraphernalia years it has been revived and is now enjoying a come-back.
and learn about Haw Par Villa is a theme park, built in 1937 by Aw
the introduction Boon Haw, aka the Tiger Balm King, to showcase Chinese
of Chinese opera folklore, legends, history and Confucian ideology. Come and
to Singapore, the experience a unique part of old Singapore, both bizarre and
different types of fascinating, and hear the intriguing stories behind the park
opera, the main roles, meanings and symbolism of the and the illustrious Aw brothers.
costumes and accessories, as well as the movements,
gestures and painted faces of the performers. Singapore River Sunset
To better appreciate this programme, before attending Cruise and Walk
please watch some Chinese opera performances on the Thursday 18 October
internet or live at one of the many Chinese temples during 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
the Hungry Ghost month (11 August – 8 September). Fee: $40 (including boat
trip)
The Koi in Chinese
and Japanese Around the time
Culture FOM was formed, the
Thursday 20 September government decided (in
10:00 am – 12:30 pm 1977) to clean up the Singapore River and transform it from a
Fee: $30 natural sewer to its present state – from a commercial lifeline
to a waterside entertainment and recreation centre. The
The koi (carp), has makeover took 10 years. As part of FOM’s 40th anniversary
a special place in commemoration, join us on this special tour to reminisce
Chinese and Japanese about the old river and contrast the new with the old. We
culture and is the will first take a history walk along the riverside, then board a
fish most depicted in bumboat at Clarke Quay for a 45-minute ride to Marina Bay
their art as a symbol amid imposing old civic buildings and skyscrapers.
of good fortune,
success, prosperity, Nostalg ic Singapore –
longevity, courage Life in Old Singapore
and perseverance. and Things of the Past
Join ES! for a tour of Thursday 25 October
Singapore’s largest 9:00 am – 12:30 pm
koi farm and learn Fee: $35 (including bus)
about the koi’s history
and its relevance in Chinese and Japanese culture. Our In urbanised Singapore,
guide will also explain the different koi varieties and their it is hard to imagine that
symbolic meanings, the criteria for highly prized koi and 50 years ago people lived in kampongs (villages). By the
the breeding methods. time FOM was founded, most of the kampongs were already
We will also take you to an ornamental fish farm. You gone, but ES! will take you on a visit to the sole surviving
will see some of the most popular varieties and the amazing one to give you a glimpse of a totally different way of life
high-tech methods used in their breeding, feeding and in Singapore. Our bus will take us around the area to look
maintenance. To round off the morning, you will be treated at other places which may soon disappear. To complete
to a free fish spa session. this nostalgic tour, we will see a private collection of items
once used by Singaporeans in their daily lives. We end with
refreshments in a Black and White house.

Textile Enthusiasts Group Study Group
Programme: The Pen, the Block and the Loom Want to learn more about Asia in a friendly, relaxed way?
Speaker: Marina Thayil Join our group. A study group consists of 10 to 16 members
Date: Friday 28 September who meet weekly to improve their knowledge of a specific
Time: Arrive at 10:00 am for 10:30 start theme. Every week, we have two 40-minute presentations;
Location: Indian Heritage Centre each one researched and given by a member of the study
Online Registration: Textile Enthusiasts Group at www.fom.sg group. Members choose their own topics within the theme.
The FOM Study
For centuries, Group provides a
India has been wonderful opportunity
clothing the world to meet and enjoy the
through the export diverse nationalities
of cotton textiles. of FOM members.
The popularity of We usually have the
the material was meetings in our homes,
due to the fabulous taking turns to host. On
colour fast dyes occasion, we also enjoy
extracted from plants a pot-luck lunch after
and minerals. The the presentations.
beautiful patterns An example of the pattern created using these Do not worry if
were created by techniques your first language is
skilled craftsmen not English; we are patient and appreciate the viewpoints of
through painting, block printing or weaving and advanced members from all over the world. We can also support you
techniques of mordant and resist dyeing. This lecture looks if you are new to making presentations and need some help
at the history of the trade and some of the oldest textiles with PowerPoint or Google slides.
preserved in museums in Singapore and abroad.
About the speaker: Marina Thayil has been an FOM Singapore and Asia in 1978
docent since 2008 at the Asian Civilisations Museum and Singapore turned 13 in 1978. A second generation of
after it opened, also at the Indian Heritage Centre. She has government ministers was coming to grips with nation-
completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art from the building. Plans for a new airport at Changi were underway.
School of Oriental and African Art, London. Whether to build a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) was a hotly
debated topic. Men with long hair were fined or denied
Programme: Kumihimo: A talk and workshop on Japanese entry to the country. The Friends of the Museums was
braiding founded and its “initial programmes focused on Study
Speaker: Kim Arnold Groups.” (from the FOM website)
Date: Friday 19 October ASEAN was 10 years old and had five members. The
Time: Arrive at 10:00 am for 10:30 start Peoples’ Republic of China was becoming more active two
Location: TBA years after Mao Zedong’s death. Japanese electronics were
Online Registration: Textile Enthusiasts Group at www.fom.sg all the rage; although the revolutionary Sony Walkman was
not yet available in Orchard Road. Asian 1978 GDP per
Please join Kim person was US$1,000; in 2016 it was US$10,000.
Arnold for an informal Starting 19 September, come join us as we learn about Asia
talk on Kumihimo, its and Singapore 40 years ago. For more information and to
history, techniques join the Study Group, please visit the FOM website.
and some current
uses. These intricate A few possible topics:
braids have been used (A longer list is available
in Japan for centuries online and please feel free
and are traditionally to develop your own.)
made with silk threads
using specialised Entertainment in the
stands. Kim will explore 70s and 80s: What were
their historical uses Singaporeans listening to
and discuss methods, and watching?
materials, stands and
Kuo Pao Kun, social-political playwright
shapes. After the talk,
interested participants From 1978 to now: Comparative statistics for Singapore and
An example of an eight-braided cord,
will have the opportunity from Creative Collection by Wende Beck Asia
to learn the Edo Yatsu
Gumi, an eight-strand The Cambodian / Vietnamese War
braided cord. Kim Arnold is a co-coordinator of both TEG
and Asian Study Group. Laying the Groundwork for Technological Innovation:
Sony’s amazing products

Chinatown and Kampong Gelam
Heritage Trails
Register for the URA/FOM Chinatown Heritage Trails one week before the trails, on this website; www.eventbrite.sg/o/urban-
redevelopment-authority-7497466443
New Heritage Trails around

Kampong Gelam
FOM is also embarking on an
exciting, new venture. After a
successful training programme in May
and June this year and in collaboration
with the Malay Heritage Foundation
we are conducting Heritage Trails
around Kampong Gelam! These
will be bimonthly, on Wednesday
mornings and Saturday afternoons.
Each trail will be one and a half hours
long. Come with us to walk the streets
and hear about the history, culture,
architecture, food and trades of this
fascinating area.
Registration for these trails will also
be on the Eventbrite site;
www.eventbrite.sg/e/
kampong-gelam-heritage-trail-
tickets-48637961452

Island Notes
Anniversaries -
Older and Better
By Darly Furlong
FO R A L L T H I N G S S T E R L I N G S I LV E R ,
ANTIQUE AND NEW
When you have museums, you need docents to tell their

stories in an engaging manner to a far-reaching audience,
so Friends of the Museums (FOM) was launched in 1978 to
fill a gap. Turning 40 this year, we partner with the National
Heritage Board (NHB) to provide docent training and
guiding services for nine different museums, run a lecture
series and hold study groups.
Following a decision to upgrade the newsletter to a full-
colour magazine, FOM launched PASSAGE magazine in
2008. It contains features and articles regarding permanent
collections, special exhibitions, local history, art, travel etc.
Join us in celebrating the significant anniversaries of both
FOM and PASSAGE this year.
To book an appointment to view please contact

6735 1180 / 9154 6662
Check out our website

www.esmeparishsilver.com
Darly Furlong is an avid history and mythology buff. She enjoys

living in the Katong district and exploring Peranakan culture.

Japanese Docents
As a proud and appreciative member of the

FOM community, the Japanese docents (JDs)
congratulate this wonderful organisation on its
40th anniversary!
The JDs started Japanese-language tours
at NMS in October 1982, four years after the
founding of FOM, with just two Japanese
FOM members. Since then, the JD group
has grown in the number of members and
coverage of museums. We now have 69
members and guide at four museums (NMS,
SAM, ACM and TPM).
Compared with most of the FOM groups,
the JDs have perhaps a unique approach to
our activities. For example, all our members
are active docents; we are not allowed to
take longer than three months off. Everyone
has to guide in at least two museums (some
docents guide all four of the museums).
Guiding schedules are assigned by a scheduler so that all out too much. Finally, the biggest commitment in JD activities
the docents have an equal opportunity for guiding in each is, I believe, joining the committee. In order to share the
museum. All the translation works are also equally divided burden, all the members have to take committee roles twice.
among the docents. In the photo are the JD committee members for the second
Our approach may sound strange to non-Japanese people. half of this year. We look forward to contributing to FOM in
However, this system works well in Japanese groups as the future as well.
most Japanese people see the benefit of having a required
minimum number of commitments and do not wish to stand Satoko Kira, JD Coordinator 2

Coordinators Contact List R EIK I
MIN DF UL N ESS
C O U N SEL L IN G
C OAC H IN G
ACM – Joanna Boot & TERATAII.COM.SG

Michelle Hertz TERATAII@GMAIL.COM
acmcoordinators@gmail.com 8218-3950
GB – Fiona Silva
gb.outreach@gmail.com
IHC – Jyoti Ramesh

coordinator.ihc@gmail.com
MHC – Chong Yit Peng

mhccoordinator@yahoo.com
NMS – Alison Kennedy-Cooke

& Lim Yuen Ping
nmscoordinators@yahoo.com
TPM – Angela Kek

angelakek@yahoo.com.sg
SAM – Maisy Koh

sam.coordinator@yahoo.com.sg
STPI – Ikumi Fushimi

& Virginie Labbe
stpicoordinators@yahoo.com
SYSNMH – Karen Ng
sysnmhcoordinator@yahoo.com
Shang Antique Pte Ltd

URA Heritage Trails –
Abhilasha Mahan & Heather Muirhead 19 Tanglin Road
URAcoordinators@gmail.com #01-12/13 Tanglin Shopping Centre, Singapore 247909
Kampong Gelam Heritage Trails – T: (65) 6475 2008
Abhilasha Mahan & Heather Muirhead
Kgcoordinators@gmail.com 26 Dempsey Rd, #01-03, Singapore 249686
T: (65) 6388 8838 F: (65) 6472 8369
JDs E: shangantique@singnet.com.sg
jdcoordinator1@yahoo.co.jp and jdcoordinator2@yahoo.co.jp W: www.shangantique.com.sg

Asian Civilisations Museum The Indian Heritage Centre (IHC) celebrates the history and heritage
1 Empress Place, Singapore 179555 of the Indian diaspora in Singapore and the Southeast Asian region.
Tel: 6332 7798 From early contacts between the Indian subcontinent and this region,
www.acm.org.sg the culture and social history of the community after the arrival of
the British, through to the early stirrings of nationalism and political
Opening hours: identity, and the contributions of Singapore’s Indian community
Daily 10:00 am - 7:00 pm – the five galleries take visitors on a fascinating journey through
Fri 10:00 am - 9:00 pm the Indian diaspora. Located in Singapore’s colourful and vibrant
Little India precinct, the centre opened in May 2015 and is our only
FOM guided tours: purpose-built museum.
Mon to Fri 11:00 am, 12:30 pm, 2:00 pm and 3:30 pm, Fri 7:00 pm
(English) Chetti Melaka of the Straits – Rediscovering Peranakan Indian
Mon to Fri 10:30 am and every second Saturday 1:30 pm (Japanese) Communities
First Wed of the month 11.30am (Korean) (through May 2019)
Second Thursday of the month 11:30 (Spanish) The Chetti Melaka (or Chitty Melaka) are descendants of Tamil
Third Thursday of the month 11:30 (French) traders who settled in Melaka during the reign of the Melaka
Sultanate (15th- 16th century) and married local women of
Understanding Asia through Singapore Malay and Chinese descent. Predominantly Hindu of the Saivite
The new and renovated galleries at the ACM use Singapore’s history (followers of Shiva) denomination, the community speaks a unique
as a port city as a means of understanding the interconnections combination of Malay, Tamil and Chinese, that has been called Chetti
among Asian cultures and between Asia and the world. Creole by scholars. The Indian Heritage Centre (IHC) presents this
exhibition in collaboration with the Association of Peranakan Indians
(Chitty Melaka).
Gillman Barracks
9 Lock Road, Singapore 108937
www.gillmanbarracks.com Malay Heritage Centre
85 Sultan Gate, Singapore 198501
A cluster of 11 contemporary art galleries Tel: 6391 0450
and the NTU Centre for Contemporary www.malayheritage.org.sg
Art (CCA), Gillman Barracks features an
ever-changing selection of contemporary Opening hours:
art exhibitions. Tues to Sun 10:00 am – 6:00 pm (last
admission 5:30 pm), closed on Mondays
Opening hours: Tues to Sun – Refer to individual gallery pages FOM guided tours: Tues to Fri 11:00 am;
on-line for opening hours Sat: 2:00 pm (Subject to availability.
Closed Mondays & Public Holidays Please call ahead to confirm the availability of a docent).
FOM guided tours: The Malay Heritage Centre (MHC) provides wonderful cultural
Sat 4:00 pm: Art & History Tour exposure and learning opportunities for visitors of all ages and
Sat. 5:00 pm: History and Heritage Tour interests. Situated amidst the Istana Kampong Gelam, Gedung
To register please visit www.fom-gillman-barracks.eventbrite.com Kuning and the surrounding Kampong Gelam precinct, the centre
acts as a vital heritage institution for the Malay community in
DISINI Singapore. Through its exhibits, programmes and activities, the
(through 30 September) centre hopes to honour the past while providing a means for present-
A brand new, site-specific festival of programmes, outdoor sculptures day expression.
and murals by home-grown, regional and international artists at
Gillman Barracks, celebrates the precinct’s rich heritage as a former
military barracks and its current role as Asia’s leading contemporary National Museum of Singapore
arts cluster. Highlights include captivating outdoor artworks located 93 Stamford Road, Singapore 178897
across various spaces, a multi-functional artist-designed pavilion Tel: 6332 3659
where a series of exciting and stimulating programmes will take www.nationalmuseum.sg
place, and curatorial-led showcases to capture your attention.
Opening hours:
Trees of Life – Knowledge in Material Daily 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
(through 30 September)
NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore embarks on an FOM guided tours:
inquiry into natural materials, exploring the knowledge they Mon to Fri 11:00 am and 2:00 pm (English)
embody as biological forms as well as within social, geopolitical, Mon to Fri 10:30 am and every first Saturday 1:30 pm (Japanese)
and historical contexts. Trees of Life – Knowledge in Material is part
of the centre’s long-term research cluster CLIMATES. HABITATS. The Singapore History Gallery
ENVIRONMENTS. In celebration of 50 years of independence, this gallery has been
The exhibition features works by Manish Nai (India), Phi Phi Oanh refreshed with updated stories and content on Singapore’s
(United States/Vietnam), Sopheap Pich (Cambodia), Liang Shaoji history, capturing the nation’s defining moments, challenges and
and Vivian Xu (both China) that serve as a starting point to uncover achievements from its earliest beginnings 700 years ago to the
the biological processes and diverse usages of indigo, lacquer, rattan independent, modern city-state it is today.
and mulberry silk, respectively.
Desire and Danger
Discover the fine line between desire and danger at this stimulating
Indian Heritage Centre new exhibition at the Goh Seng Choo Gallery. Featuring creatures
5 Campbell Lane, Singapore 209924 that arouse appetites and instill fear, and exotic plants sought for
www.indianheritage.org.sg their ability to induce pleasure or pain, this selection of drawings
from the William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings
Open Tuesday to Sunday & public explores the complex and sometimes uneasy relationship between
holidays. Closed on Mondays. man and nature.
Tues to Thurs 10:00 am to 7:00 pm, Fri &
Sat 10:00 am to 8:00 pm The More We Get Together: Singapore’s Playgrounds 1930 – 2030
Sundays & public holidays 10:00 am to 4:00 pm (through 30 September)
From the iconic dragon playgrounds of the 1970s to today’s modern,
FOM guided tours: Tues-Fri inclusive and community-built versions, playgrounds have played a
11:00 am for the permanent galleries part in our collective experience of growing up in Singapore. Explore
3:00 pm on Wed and Fri for the special exhibitions different playground surfaces, examine the original blueprints of

the iconic mosaic playgrounds, and discover how we have defined Singapore Art Museum
our playgrounds, not only in terms of physical boundaries and 71 Bras Basah Road, Singapore 189555
equipment but also in terms of their place and meaning in society. Tel: 6332 3222
www.singaporeartmuseum.sg
NUS Museum, NUS Centre for Opening hours:
the Arts Daily 10:00 am – 7:00 pm, Fri 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
University Cultural Centre FOM guided tours (for Asia Pacific Breweries
50 Kent Ridge Crescent, Singapore Foundation Signature Art Prize only): Mon to Fri
119279 11:30 am
Tel: 6516 8817
www.museum.nus.edu.sg The Singapore Art Museum focuses on international contemporary
art practices, specialising in Singapore and Southeast Asia. The
Free admission main building of the Singapore Art Museum (located along 71 Bras
Basah Road) is currently closed to prepare it for its next phase of
Opening hours: development. Museum exhibitions and programmes continue to take
Tues to Sat 10:00 am – 6:00 pm, Closed on Sundays and Public place at SAM at 8Q, the annexe building located at 8 Queen Street,
Holidays, Singapore 188535.
Monday: Visits by appointment for schools/faculties only.
Rediscovering Forgotten Thai Masters of Photography STPI

(through 1 December) 41 Robertson Quay, Singapore 238236
An artist research project by Thai photographer Manit Tel: 6336 3663
Sriwanichpoom, the exhibition features bodies of works by www.stpi.com.sg
seven Thai photographers from the 50s to the 70s, for purposes
of editorials, studio portraits and documentaries, as well as for Opening hours:
illustrating koans. Mon to Fri: 10:00 am – 7:00 pm, Sat:
9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Closed Sundays & Public Holidays
NUS Baba House FOM guided tours: Thurs 11:30 am, Sat 2:00 pm
157 Neil Road, Singapore 088883 Please refer to STPI’s website at www.stpi.com.sg for STPI’s
Tel: 6227 5731 public programmes and Japanese, Mandarin and special
www.babahouse.nus.edu.sg evening tours.
English heritage tours: Tues - Fri, 10:00 am; Mandarin Heritage STPI Annual Special Exhibition | Handmade Readymades: Jasper
Tour: First Monday of each month, 10am; Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg & James Rosenquist
Self-Guided Visits: Every Sat, 1.30pm/2.15pm/3.15pm/4.00pm (through 8 September)
To register, please visit babahouse.nus.edu.sg/visit/plan-your-visit
For enquiries, please email babahouse@nus.edu.sg STPI proudly presents four great modern icons who shocked the
art world with their radical visions and depictions of modernity,
Now conceived as a heritage house facilitating research, appreciation commercialism, technology and the ordinary with readymade
and reflection of Straits Chinese history and culture, the NUS Baba imagery. These masters explored printmaking with their bold
House was built around 1895 and was once the ancestral home of and unapologetic approach, being drawn to print as a commercial
a Peranakan Chinese family. During the one-hour tour, guests will medium for the masses driven by the revolutionary invention of
be introduced to the history and architectural features of the house, print presses.
and experience visiting a Straits Chinese family home in a 1920s
setting, furnished with heirlooms from its previous owners and other
donors. Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial
Hall
12 Tai Gin Road, Singapore 327874
The Peranakan Museum Tel: 6256 7377
39 Armenian Street, Singapore 179941 www.wanqingyuan.org.sg
Tel: 6332 7591
www.peranakanmuseum.sg Opening hours:
Tues to Sun 10:00 am - 5:00 pm, Closed
Opening hours: on Mondays
Daily 10:00 am - 7:00 pm FOM guided tours: Tues to Fri 2:00 pm (English)
Fri 10:00 am - 9:00 pm FOM Special exhibition guided tours: 10:30am on Fridays in
English
FOM guided tours:
Mon to Fri 11:00 am and 2:00 pm (English), Tues to Fri 10:30 am Beauty of Betta
(Japanese), every second Wednesday of the month 10:45 am (through 23 September )
(French). Betta splendens, more colloquially known as “bettas” or “fighting
fish”, are popular as aquarium fish for their breath-taking beauty,
This intimate museum possesses one of the finest and most despite their famously aggressive nature. During the colonial
comprehensive collections of Peranakan objects. Galleries on three period, these tropical fishes were considered exotic and Singapore,
floors illustrate the cultural traditions and the distinctive visual arts being an entrepot, would import and re-export bettas to countries
of the Peranakans. all over the globe.
Amek Gambar: Peranakans and Photography A collaboration between Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall and
(through February 2019) internationally renowned photographer Visarute Angkatavanich
This will be the Peranakan Museum’s first historical photography from Bangkok, Thailand, this exhibition showcases a selection of
exhibition, tracing the history and evolution of photography in the Visarute’s stunning photographic works that perfectly capture the
region, with a focus on how the Peranakan community captured and exuberant beauty of Betta splendens.
projected themselves to the world through the multi-faceted medium
of photographs.
Free general admission to all NHB museums for

FOM members and one guest.

MA in Museum Studies
& Curatorial Practices
Intake in August 2019
The MA in Museum Studies and Curatorial Practices prepares

graduates for professional positions in the diverse museum
landscape and expanding spaces of the curatorial, which require
knowledge, experience and creativity. The MA places emphasis
on theoretical and practical challenges of contemporary and
historic art and culture, with a focus on South East Asia.
Young and research-intensive, Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) is

ranked 12th globally. It is also placed 1st among the world’s best young universities.
The School of Art, Design and Media is Singapore’s first professional art school to
offer a full suite of undergraduate and graduate programmes.
Applications open till 1 March 2019 for the August 2019 intake
Visit www.adm.ntu.edu.sg/MA for more information.
www.ntu.edu.sg

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Friends of the Museums Singapore

September / October 2018

PASSAGE September / October 2018 1

PASSAGE Museum Watch – The Volkenkunde Museum, Leiden

2 PASSAGE September / October 2018

2018 marks FOM Singapore’s 40th

Elaine Cheong acquired a Master of Arts in Asian Art

PASSAGE September / October 2018 3

Administration: Katherine Lim

Unless otherwise stated, the

4 PASSAGE September / October 2018

PASSAGE September / October 2018 5

Singapore’s successful Orchid Show of 2016

6 PASSAGE September / October 2018

In the ancient Dutch town of Leiden, an imposing

Anne Pinto-Rodrigues, an Amsterdam-based writer and

The peaceful environs of the Buddha Room at the Volkenkunde. Centuries-

PASSAGE September / October 2018 7

A Passion for Sketching By Siobhán Cool

“Painting is the silence of thought and the music

Although I have drawn since early childhood, it

divers' hut on Sipidan Island,

8 PASSAGE September / October 2018

moment that made me pause and realise the eclectic beauty

PASSAGE September / October 2018 9

10 PASSAGE September / October 2018

PASSAGE September / October 2018 11

As Friends of the Museums (FOM)

12 PASSAGE September / October 2018

Abha Dayal Kaul is an FOM docent at the ACM, MHC and

PASSAGE September / October 2018 13

It all began when Wynne Spiegel visited

14 PASSAGE September / October 2018

The Highs and Lows of Guiding

PASSAGE September / October 2018 15

The Man with a Vision of an

16 PASSAGE September / October 2018

Lights, Camera, Action!

PASSAGE September / October 2018 17

The National Museum of Singapore is

18 PASSAGE September / October 2018

Happy Anniversary FOM

Belinda Boey guides exclusively at the Peranakan Museum.

PASSAGE September / October 2018 19

The Singapore Art Museum

20 PASSAGE September / October 2018

Carving a Unique Training

Carborundrum, squeegee, brayer, mezzotint, Hollander

PASSAGE September / October 2018 21

Wan Qing Yuan

22 PASSAGE September / October 2018

All photos by the author

PASSAGE September / October 2018 23

First Tentative Steps By Heather Muirhead

It all started in September 2014. The Urban

We were accompanied by lion dancers for our first ever heritage trail

Only two of the original group remained but with new,

The very first tour of Telok Ayer

Heather Muirhead has been with URA/FOM Trails

24 PASSAGE September / October 2018