Natural History Museum
Our 8th anniversary celebration this year was an eventful one with an array of fascinating talks, new product and programme launches, all in the company of our distinguished guests. Here’s a recap of all the excitement that went down on 18 April 2023 at our LKCNHM8 celebratory event!
Opening Addresses and Talks
Kicking off the festivities was an opening address by our Guest-of-Honour, Mr Tan Chuan–Jin, LKCNHM Chairman and Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore. In his speech, Chairman Mr Tan noted the significance of the Museum to the wider community, the opportunities we have had to adapt resiliently to challenges in recent years, and the inclusivity efforts that the Museum has embarked on in hopes of making a positive social impact.
“We are very much a national icon for our natural heritage. So, I think it’s an opportunity for us to make sure that the Museum does not just remain an icon. It needs to be alive and it needs to be a place that people will come to […] Ultimately, I think there’s a lot of work to be done. We have a lot of passionate folks at the Museum. But importantly, apart from doing the documentation work, the scientific work, [we have to] bring onboard the rest of the community. And how will we do that? We will explore this.”
The audience also received a refresher on the Museum’s key achievements from Assoc Prof Darren Yeo, Head of LKCNHM, in commemoration of not only our scientific strengths, but also new frontiers of collaboration, digitisation and storytelling. He noted our contributions in the form of nature surveys conducted across biodiversity hotspots, working locally with organisations such as the National Parks Board and Mandai Wildlife Group, and internationally as we connect nations through research and exploration. We have strengthened our online presence through projects such as Singapore in Global Natural History Collections Information Facility or SIGNIFY, remote outreach efforts, virtual tours, and interactive apps. Finally, doing justice to the stories behind the specimens, we ventured further into the documentation of the oral histories that allow the tales of our natural history to be told holistically.
Assoc Prof Yeo also emphasised our efforts to build up to our collections through acquisitions and explorations. With all this and more, the opportunities and possibilities that lie ahead for the Museum are truly endless.
“When people come here, they may see a building filled with a million dead things. But we see a world of biodiversity; we see the stories, we see the data, and we hope to share that with you, both now and in the future.”
Guests were then treated to a talk by Prof Timothy Barnard, from the Department of History, College of Humanities and Sciences. Entitled ‘Python-Catching is Easy,’ Prof Barnard brought us on a riveting journey through the fascinating local networks of the wildlife trade that supported the study of natural history throughout the 19th and 20th century.
With reference to British naturalist, Alfred Russel Wallace, and his assistant, Ali, the talk articulated the intersection between Southeast Asia and the Western world, and the historical contexts that informed the landscapes of specimen collection at the time.
Launch of three new and exciting initiatives
Following this, it was time to unveil the Museum’s three new initiatives, starting with our highly-anticipated book, ‘Two Wallace Lines’! The book embodies the Museum’s efforts in breaking down the distinction between science and art, and the divide between collector and collections.Produced entirely in-house, the book was a remarkable collaborative effort between our Outreach and Education Unit (OEU), SIGNIFY, and the Biodiversity Histories teams.
Soon after, all eyes were turned to the screen for the inaugural screening of our new gallery video, ‘Small Island, Big Data’ produced by our Visual Communications Officer, Ms Choo Yen Ee. Depicting scenes from Wallace’s stint in Singapore of the 1850s, the video illustrates the range of his naturalist work here on our island and its impacts on the sciences during his time. The video reflects the Museum’s direction to enhance and broaden the storytelling of our specimens, and to develop our database for historical and cultural knowledge. ‘Small Island, Big Data’ is now playing at the Wallace exhibit of our Heritage Gallery! Do look out for it!
Last but not least, we also launched our latest smartphone application, ‘A Digital Naturalist’ (LKCNHM* App)! Powered by Musee and designed by Design Incubation Centre (DIC), College of Design and Engineering, NUS, the app offers various interactive features that enhance guests’ gallery experience right at their fingertips. We were pleased to host Prof Christophe Gaubert, Director of DIC, who shared more about the app’s creation and the collaboration with LKCNHM.
As Prof Gaubert puts it, “your smartphone becomes the tool to reveal this hidden knowledge within the gallery.” Detailing the exciting new doors opened by this new app, Prof Gaubert shared, “when we bring digital experience into the Museum, it turns into entertainment and adds a playful layer to your Museum exploration. The goal is to better connect with the contents and create opportunities to rediscover the exhibits with updates of the app in future.”
On its new immersive possibilities, Museum Research Affiliate, Asst Prof Anthony Medrano of Yale–NUS College expressed his anticipation that the app will help to “share stories and navigate the experience and physical space.”
Booths for sharing Museum initiatives
Rounding off the event was an all–hands–on–deck effort of our various units, culminating in a series of booths set up to provide a peek into our Museum’s myriad of initiatives. From LKCNHM’s Research, Curriculum and Collections (RCC), to SIGNIFY, to Biodiversity Histories and OEU, our staff displayed the Museum’s full range of strengths in celebration of years of hard work and progress.
Some specimen displays were even brought out of the collections for our guests’ viewing! Notably, they got the opportunity to see some ‘celebrity specimens’ that have been making waves in the news, like Nocticola pheromosa. Displayed in the flesh, this tiny cockroach with a big reputation was well-received by visitors.
Soaking up the atmosphere, guests also got a chance to chat with our Museum staff about their shared passion for biodiversity. “Seeing specimens from behind the scenes really makes the Museum come alive!” remarked Miguel, a former junior volunteer guide with us.
With that, we wrapped up our LKCNHM8 event on 18 April 2023! With so many wonderful new additions to the Museum repertoire and the valuable company of our guests that day, it was indeed a celebration to be remembered! The Museum thanks all guests, collaborators and visitors of the Museum for the tireless support over the years.
On that note, we invite you to be a part of the celebration too! Join us for continuing festivities in the form of new launches from 19th April onwards (along with our 50% off entry promo for tickets purchased from 19th to 23rd April!)
Photo credits: Cherry Goh (1-5, 7-15) & Clare Yong (6, 16)