Feel the thrill of the hunt

Relive memories of Singapore's first museum at this exhibition which tells stories of the collectors too
deepika shetty, Straits Times Life 30 Jul 09;

A leopard with a steely gaze, all set to pounce. An angry sun bear commanding attention with his frozen growl. Human skulls dating back to the 19th century.

When you walk into the Asian Civilisations Museum's (ACM) Special Exhibitions Gallery, you might think you have stepped into a natural history museum.

These exhibits are some of the highlights of Hunters And Collectors, an exhibition which traces the origins of the museum's South-east Asian collection. The show, which runs till Sept 21, clearly goes beyond art.

On display are natural history specimens ranging from rare butterflies to a pair of Christmas Island birds, armour and textiles made out of parachutes.

One of the rooms recreates Singapore's first museum - the Raffles Library & Museum - along with its packed cabinets of curiosities, rich ethnography materials, birds and insects.

This exhibit was a familiar sight for writer OiLeng Chua-Gumpert.

The 64-year-old, tells Life! this recreation brings back memories of her childhood days.

Pointing to the display of birds, she says: 'This is why I did not like the museum when I was a little girl.

'Seeing these poor little birds pinned to a shelf in a hot and humid room was not a pleasant sight. I remember being terrified of the insects and these life-like animals.'

Now, however, she is reliving her childhood years at the exhibit.

'This shows how much our museums have evolved. We are used to seeing everything in perfect settings, in a temperature controlled environment. This exhibition is a timely reminder of the way things were,' she says.

That is precisely the idea behind it.

Museum director Kenson Kwok, 59, says the exhibition is a way of sharing the rich history and colourful personalities behind the collection.

Curator Clement Onn, 29, spent over a year trawling through archives and studying the contributions made by 30 major donors. He was on the lookout for collectors who 'hunted' down objects that found their way into the collection of the Raffles Library & Museum, founded in 1849, which eventually became the National Museum in 1969.

When the Singapore national collection was dissolved to start new national museums in the early 1990s, many of the objects and artefacts found their way to the ACM, the National Museum and the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research at the National University of Singapore.

Dr Kwok says: 'There were actual personalities behind these collections. We have tried to recreate not just a slice of the museum of the past but also attempted to look into the motivations of pioneer collectors.'

So the exhibition focuses on six independent collectors, ranging from explorers and naturalists to businessmen and missionaries, their adventures, passions and how their collections made their way to the museum.

One of the collectors was American naturalist William Louis Abbott (1860-1936) who travelled around the world before arriving in South-east Asia in 1896. He collected animal specimens and ethnographic objects. He gave most of these to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, while the Raffles Library & Museum received part of it.

Other collectors whose works are featured include sea captain Giovanni Battista Cerruti (1850-1914), British civil servant Gerald Brousseau Gardner (1884-1964), missionary Arthur Frederick Sharp (1866-1960), businessman Edward Richard Jacobsen (1870-1944) and soldier, explorer, writer and film-maker Tom Harrisson (1911-1976).

Curator Onn says: 'Their collections are as eclectic as their personalities. Gardner, for instance, was interested in weaponry and he collected keris or the asymmetrical dagger, which are on show here. Jacobsen settled in the highlands of Sumatra in 1917 and started collecting widely from local communities. He sold many items of the Minangkabau people to the Raffles Museum.'

For Onn, the challenge was not just searching through the records but finding interesting stories to make the objects on show relevant.

'I knew the animals would be a huge draw for families but we wanted to go beyond that. In the course of the research, I found some colourful letters exchanged between collectors and museums,' he says.

These have made their way to the exhibition's wall text. While children will enjoy seeing the stuffed animals, the rich personal histories behind the artefacts will keep the adults entertained too.

Harrisson, the most colourful of the collectors, is described as an 'enigmatic man, a romantic polymath and a drunken bully'. He assimilated with ease into the Kelabit community in Borneo and was given a wife by the chieftain.

However, when he realised his bride was not of a high social rank, he rejected her and insisted on getting a new wife. He had his way.

The visitorship target is a modest 30,000 but given the recent debate over the need for a natural history museum, it may well exceed that.

Dr Kwok says: 'We are expecting a lot of interest not only from those who are interested in natural history, but also those who have known the National Museum in the old days and would like to take a walk through memory lane or would like to give the younger members of their family a glimpse of what it was like.'

Indeed, Mr Dieter Gumpert, 67, president of the German Association here, recalls early dates with his then fiancee OiLeng here. 'We remember the stuffed tiger and the grumpy grouper watching us closely,' he says with a laugh.

'The elephant and the whale are missing, but this is good enough. We will be back again with our grand-daughter and remember the good old times at the museum,' he says.

Ever wondered how objects in museums made their way there? Some of these exhibition highlights unravel the story.

TIGER (South-east Asia)
On loan from the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore (NUS)

What: During the early 20th century, Raffles Museum curators built up the zoological collection by organising expeditions around South-east Asia, often jointly with Selangor and Perak Museums. In 1972, this collection was transferred to NUS which set up the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research. This museum has around 300,000 zoological specimens, such as this tiger.

The last record of a tiger in Singapore dates back to 1930. In 1999, there were reports of a tiger sighting on Pulau Ubin but these were not substantiated.

LEATHERY TURTLE (19th century, South-east Asia)
On loan from Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research

What: This turtle was found on the beach in Siglap on Dec 14, 1883. The largest of the living turtles, this is the only one recorded in Singapore waters. Leathery turtles live in open seas and are said to feed on jellyfish. There is a nesting colony of leathery turtles in Terengganu, on the north-east coast of Peninsular Malaysia.

CLOTH (Woven by the Kelabit, Sarawak)
Collection of ACM

What: This was donated to the museum by Tom Harrisson (1911-1976), an explorer, writer, film-maker and curator. From 1947 to 1966, he worked as a government ethnologist and curator of Sarawak Museum in Borneo. During World War II, he parachuted into the interiors of Borneo's jungle to gather information on Japanese troops for the British and American military. In his notes, he indicated that this piece of cloth was woven by the Kelabit people of Sarawak using parachutes. As cotton and other natural materials were in short supply during the war, parachutes ended up being woven into textiles.

ARMOUR (Iban Dayak, Borneo)
Acquired from collector Archdeacon Arthur Frederick Sharp, 1903, Collection of ACM

What: By the mid-19th century, collectors from Europe and the Americas were coming to South-east Asia in search of exotic plants and for a deeper understanding of cultures. They collected things such as spears, shields and baskets. This war-coat made of bark and fish scales was a war trophy captured from a rival tribe in 1903. The Ibans were natives of Borneo who formed free but competitive societies where head-hunting was once regarded the highest manly activity.

MODEL OF A MALAY HOUSE (20th century, Rhio)
Collection of ACM

What: The first acquisition of silver objects for the Raffles Museum was documented in 1898. Dr Richard Hanitsch, the then curator of the museum, helped build up the silver collection. Unfortunately, the silver objects also proved tempting and the Raffles Museum was burgled many times. This model of a two-storey Malay house, with engravings, serves as a reminder of silverware in the past.

BUTTERFLIES (South-east Asia)
On loan from the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, NUS

What: A room of the old Raffles Library & Museum is recreated here and it features some of the exotic flora and fauna of the region as well as the old museum's natural history collection.

Specimens such as a tiger, a crocodile and a giant grouper, and a showcase featuring butterflies and birds are a reminder of the region's natural history.

HUNTERS & COLLECTORS: THE ORIGINS OF THE SOUTH-EAST ASIAN COLLECTION

Where: Special Exhibitions Gallery, Level 2, Asian Civilisations Museum, 1 Empress Place
When: Till Sept 21, 9am-7pm (Tue-Sun), 1-7pm (Mon), open till 9pm on Fri
Admission: $5 (adults), $2.50 (concession). Price includes entry to the permanent collection. Free for children aged six and below and senior citizens aged 60 and above.
Info: Call 6332-7798/6332-2982 or go to www.acm.org.sg

CURATOR'S TOURS
What: Exhibition curator Clement Onn takes you on the collector's trail. Hear the stories behind the artefacts and the origins of the Asian Civilisations Museum's South-east Asia collection.
Where: Level 2, ACM
When: Tomorrow and Sept 4, 7.30-8.30pm
Admission: $12 each. Limited to 15 people a tour
Info: Register at www.acm.org.sg

COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS: FEELING & FIELDWORK BY DR NIGEL BARLEY
What: Dr Barley was a curator at the British Museum in London. In this talk, he looks at some of the odd relationships between collectors and their collections.
Where: Ngee Ann Auditorium, ACM
When: Aug 15, 2-3.30pm
Admission: Free

AN ORIENTALIST'S TREASURE TROVE
What: This talk looks at the legacy of Carl Alexander Gibson-Hill, who was the last expatriate director of the Raffles Library & Museum.
Where: Ngee Ann Auditorium, ACM
When: Aug 20, 7.30-9pm
Admission: Free

THE LOST WORLD!
What: Enjoy tribal performances, food and activities before going on a discovery tour with your family. Children can listen to folk tales or try out finger-painting and sand art.
Where: ACM
When: Aug 29-30 from noon-5pm
Admission: Free from 9am-7pm
Info: www.acm.org.sg

More about this event on the wildsingapore happenings blog.