New World War II exhibition to open at former Ford Factory
A new permanent World War II exhibition will open to the public on Feb 16 at the historic Old Ford Factory at Upper Bukit Timah, where the British formally surrendered to the Japanese 75 years ago.
The building itself and the exhibition have been renamed Syonan Gallery: War and Its Legacies, following a year-long revamp by the National Archives of Singapore (NAS).
The gallery, which was formerly known as Memories at Old Ford Factory, now features four zones, each illustrating different periods of Singapore’s time under the Japanese Occupation.
For example, one zone covers the events leading to the fall of Singapore while another focuses on the period when Singapore was renamed Syonan by the Japanese.
The gallery features many new archival materials which were contributed by members of the public after the NAS made a call for contributions last March.
To date, it has received more than 400 public donations, with items ranging from personal letters, diaries and photographs to war artefacts and maps. For instance, one collector donated a Japanese intelligence map of Singapore, accompanied by a booklet with 83 key locations marked in red.
Something which sets the exhibition apart from others is the "diversity of perspectives" displayed, said Ms Fiona Tan, an NAS assistant archivist who worked on the gallery.
“We have consciously tried to present as many oral history accounts as we can, whether it be quotations, through projections, or the multimedia stations that we have for people to interact with," she added.
Touring the gallery on Thursday (Feb 9), Communications and Information Minister Yaacob Ibrahim said that the National Archives did a wonderful job in restoring the gallery in a manner that is compelling.
"This will be a good learning experience for younger Singaporeans so that they can continue to appreciate the peace and harmony that we have in Singapore, but we should never take it for granted,” said Dr Yaacob.
"As a small nation, we always have to be on our guard and recognise that security is important, that everyone has a role to play," he added.
~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~
A new permanent World War II exhibition will open to the public on Feb 16 at the historic Old Ford Factory at Upper Bukit Timah, where the British formally surrendered to the Japanese 75 years ago.
The building itself and the exhibition have been renamed Syonan Gallery: War and Its Legacies, following a year-long revamp by the National Archives of Singapore (NAS).
The gallery, which was formerly known as Memories at Old Ford Factory, now features four zones, each illustrating different periods of Singapore’s time under the Japanese Occupation.
For example, one zone covers the events leading to the fall of Singapore while another focuses on the period when Singapore was renamed Syonan by the Japanese.
The gallery features many new archival materials which were contributed by members of the public after the NAS made a call for contributions last March.
To date, it has received more than 400 public donations, with items ranging from personal letters, diaries and photographs to war artefacts and maps. For instance, one collector donated a Japanese intelligence map of Singapore, accompanied by a booklet with 83 key locations marked in red.
Something which sets the exhibition apart from others is the "diversity of perspectives" displayed, said Ms Fiona Tan, an NAS assistant archivist who worked on the gallery.
“We have consciously tried to present as many oral history accounts as we can, whether it be quotations, through projections, or the multimedia stations that we have for people to interact with," she added.
Touring the gallery on Thursday (Feb 9), Communications and Information Minister Yaacob Ibrahim said that the National Archives did a wonderful job in restoring the gallery in a manner that is compelling.
"This will be a good learning experience for younger Singaporeans so that they can continue to appreciate the peace and harmony that we have in Singapore, but we should never take it for granted,” said Dr Yaacob.
"As a small nation, we always have to be on our guard and recognise that security is important, that everyone has a role to play," he added.
~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~
No comments:
Post a Comment