120,
a new work created for the National Museum of Singapore, was a museum
tour, birthday party, short film event, artefact display and futuristic
spectacle all rolled into one. Given that it was conceived in celebration
of the 120th anniversary of the National Museum, 120's eagerness
to please was understandable. The National Museum, aiming to distinguish
itself from its more staid brethren, has been positioning itself as
an exciting lifestyle venue, incorporating movie-screenings and a new
watering hole on its premises. TheatreWorks' ambitious concept for 120
fit right into this spirit of reinvention.
120's strong point was its combining of theatre and museum
tours to create an entirely new museum-going experience. The main concept
was that of a dramatised guided tour, led by "Super Personal Audio Visual
Aids (PAVAs) of the Future", who would take on different roles and identities
to bring forth the essence of the Museum. This worked well with the
National Museum's focus on the oral tradition of storytelling. Employing
actors as storytellers added a spark. Hossan Leong, taking my group
through the post-war period to the 1970s, was a natural at engaging
his audience. After covering the requisite topics of Singapore's early
development, he threw in his own comic material to poke gentle fun at
Singaporeans, Confucius, the Courtesy Lion, Tagalog accents, and other
features of Singapore society. As always, his jokes highlighted pertinent
social trends while tickling our funny bones. Aidli Alin Mosbit's soliloquy
on the socio-anthropological history of the chilli was enthralling and
spicy, much like her subject matter. The chilli lecture captured experiences
of chilli-loving cultures from the Malay Archipelago to the ancient
Aztecs, reminding us obliquely of the spice trade upon which Singapore's
port was founded.
As a commissioned work, one had to wonder how 120 contributed
to the public's appreciation for our nation's story. In this regard,
the scripts were by and large engaging and historically relevant. 120
gave equal voice to large political events and personal histories. Less
prominent characters, such as David Marshall and Constance Goh (who
first introduced prophylactics into 1950s Singapore), were featured
rather than the usual Cabinet members. A droll speech on David Marshall
and Lim Tien Hock, politicians from our independence era, made the slightest
suggestion of a government-biased history. Another section called Cacophony
featured speeches from our colonial administrators, as well as lesser-heard
voices like Eunos Abdullah. Although the sources were as everyday as
a Straits Times article, Eunos' (played by a Super PAVA) exhortations
for the Malay community to stop being fatalistic and to work harder
had resonances of more famous speakers like Munshi Abdullah, or even
modern-day politicians.
The weak link in 120 was its conclusion, a showy display of
120 artefacts, each one from a year in the National Museum's
past. I was somewhat surprised at the lack of rigour to this display.
The items did not seem to have been chosen for any particular reason
other than their date of acquisition (which, may I add, does not always
correspond to their age). 120 pieces acquired between 1887 and 2007
were neatly laid out on a long table, like a buffet. A mix of items
was chosen, from an antique batik to a Thai divination book, to a Miu
Miu dress. But while the display in its entirety was visually dazzling,
the individual items were difficult to appreciate. The items were labelled
with only their name and date, with no attempt at any in-depth description.
The Super PAVAs had retired, and the handful of "real curators" standing
by were over-stretched and often did not know much about the objects,
many of which were loaned from other museums. Appreciation or even close
inspection of many of the pieces was near impossible, because of the
stringent reminders to keep half a metre away from the table, and the
harsh fluorescent lighting originating from light tubes on the floor,
which threw the artefacts into deep shadow. In such a setting, the delicate,
time-worn details of the artefacts were barely visible. In contrast
to the dedicated attention we received from the Super PAVAS, this was
rather a surprise.
Which brings me to the futuristic theme of the event, a baffling one.
The fluorescent lighting and other careful details transformed the area
between the old Museum building and the new building into something
like a corridor from one of the Starships Enterprise. The tours did
not start until the 11 Super PAVAs, wearing astronaut suits in a spectrum
of colours, were ritually dressed in origami-inspired plastic coats
and headpieces made of foam sponge material. They were assisted by silent
assistants who were dressed in trenchcoats, plastic headgear and sunglasses.
It was all very The Matrix meets Star Trek. But while
the entire spectacle was aesthetically beautiful, it did not go beyond
spectacle. In contrast to the well-thought-out and well-executed museum
tours, one got the sense that more thought had gone into implementing
this theme than in its conception.
The contrast between the curated tours and the other aspects of 120
was obvious. In the background of the 120 artefacts display, there played
a grainy film which no one really paid attention to, accompanied by
a medley of music ranging from Henry Purcell to Dick Lee. At the end
of this mini-arts festival, one was led to question if the National
Museum has grasped its created identity. With all the stylish and showy
happenings taking place, my senses were greatly stimulated but not entirely
satisfied. I might be one of the few museum-goers who read all the fine
print on the displays, but surely my plea for substance need not be
at odds with the need for a hip National Museum? |
"It was all very The Matrix meets Star Trek"
Credits
Concept and Direction: Ong Keng Sen
Text: Ong Keng Sen and Robin Loon
Additional Text: Bryan Tan, Kaylene Tan and the performers
Costume Design: Koji Hamai
Ensemble Choreography: Jeremiah Choy
Concert Direction: Rosita Ng
In collaboration with Serene Chen, Nelson Chia, Jeremiah
Choy, Chua En Lai, Caroline Fernandez, Koh Boon Pin, Janice Koh, Sharon
Lim, Lok Meng Chue, Noorlinah Mohamed, Aidli Alin Mosbit, Neo Swee Lin,
Jean Ng, Rosita Ng, Rizman Putra and Nora Samosir
Special appearances by Irene Ang, Kumar and Hossan
Leong
Concert: Alex Abisheganaden, Cheong Sze Chen, Rosita
Ng and Rizman Putra
With the participation of actors from Nanyang Academy
of Fine Arts
Curatorial Advice: Cheryl-Ann Low and Jason Toh
Stage Manager: KC Hoo
Technical Manager / Lighting Designer: Andy Lim
Wardrobe Mistress: Tara Tan
ASM: Chan Lee Lee
Production Sound Engineer / Designer: Jeffrey Yue
Sound Engineer for Concert: Shah Tahir
Translator: Nahoko Kodama
Technical Team: Ian Tan, Rahmat Abdul Rahim, Mohamed
Fuad Bin Ahmad and Li Sini
Crew: Mohamed Hatta Sulaiman, Esther Teo, Fiona Lim
and James Page
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