
This special issue of MUSE SG continues to commemorate the 30th anniversary of NHB and features the launch of Our SG Heritage Plan 2.0, maritime archaeological discoveries in Singapore’s waters and the volunteer-driven Kampong Gelam Citizen Engagement Project. It also contains features on the sarong kebaya and the re-opening of the Peranakan Museum, alongside research articles on qilin dance and colonial-era picture postcards. Finally, the issue includes a contribution by Dr Natalie Pang on the advocacy role of Singapore Heritage Society and an interview with Mr Muhammad Noor Aliff Bin Ghani, Collections and Exhibitions Manager for NHB’s Heritage Institutions.

In this special issue of MUSE SG, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of NHB and trace some of its milestones and achievements including the Singapore Heritage Festival, now into its 20th edition, and the recent opening of the Children's Museum of Singapore. The issue also features research driven and supported by NHB, as well as an in-depth look at our National Collection and how the 250,000 works it comprises are cared for.

This issue of MUSE SG delves into place heritage, exploring the intricacies of the built environment as well as the stories of the communities embedded in places. It highlights the discovery of a historical land survey marker, or benchmark, at the National Museum of Singapore and the conservation process behind two 19th-century boundary markers. The issue also spotlights the evolution of the placemaking Singapore Night Festival and explores how physical and virtual realms interact in the landmark digital twin, Virtual Kampong Gelam.

MUSE SG explores the 80th anniversary of the Fall of Singapore in this issue, reflecting on war memory, the long-lasting ramifications of the British defeat and new discoveries on the war through artefacts donated to NHB. It also highlights the curatorial process behind the refresh of two of NHB’s site museums, Reflections at Bukit Chandu and Changi Chapel and Museum, and spotlights the recently launched Sembawang Heritage Trail that uncovers the town’s naval history.

With five comprehensive chapters, this guide covers a wide array of topics that serves as an essential starting point for both individual collectors preserving treasured family heirlooms and professionals entrusted with managing heritage materials for their organisations.

A heritage trail is a journey through a series of historical sites and places with the aim of discovering an area's history, culture, architecture, and flora and fauna. Trail explorers can make the journey on foot, on a bike and/or via public transport like buses or the MRT.

The Conversation Starter Kit for Seniors consists of a selection of 40 images of buildings, landmarks, scenes and objects from the National Collection to facilitate meaningful conversations between seniors and volunteers.

Raffles in Southeast Asia: Revisiting the Scholar and Statesman was an exhibition curated by the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) held from 1st February to 28th April 2019 in commemoration of the Singapore Bicentennial that presented a complex, multilayered picture of Raffles while presenting the rich artistic and cultural heritage of Java and the Malay world.

The paper is based on a large wooden artefact which was conserved for the National Museum of Singapore’s History Gallery. The artefact is funerary hearse of Tan Jiak Kim (1859-1917), one of the pioneers of Singapore. He was a Straits Chinese merchant and a community leader.

Abstract for the UKIC Consolidation Conference, Organised by the Gilding & Decorative Surfaces Section

Glass is widely valued for its material characteristics of transparency and smoothness, properties that are exploited in the manufacture of a diverse range of products, from windowpanes to domestic drinking vessels.