Picture this with me. Across the road, you find the entrance to a museum. It is your first visit. Outside, stalls are crowded with curious shoppers—genuine shoppers of all ages.
A Museum That Doesn’t Feel Like One
Step inside, and the high-ceilinged hall is brightly lit, filled with youngsters dressed in trendy clothing, socialising with one another, all appearing to have a good time. But that is not the first thing you notice. In the centre of the hall, at the reception area, a band is performing for visitors. Lively music moves your feet. And you wonder: Is this a museum?
Some watch the band’s performance. A constant stream of people moves up and down the stairs on either side of the main hall, leading to different exhibition spaces. And if the loud music raises your eyebrows, once you walk into one of the exhibition halls—such as the special exhibition “Ramayana Revisited”—the volume of the live music fades away. Soon, what captures your senses are the artefacts and their stories.
Old, young, not-so-old—families, friends, and couples—all having a good time. And before long, you conclude: what a lovely way to spend an evening at the Peranakan Museum.
An Open House to Remember
Cynthia and I were invited to the museum’s open house event. We have been to a few events organised by the Singapore museums, and this must be the liveliest of them all. Before we had the chance to make our own bags (see photos below), we were greeted by Ms Barbara Fras, Assistant Director of the Programmes Department, who took the time to introduce the museum to the bloggers.
The Peranakan Museum may seem small, but it attracts around 200,000 visitors a year, the majority from within Singapore. The museum features an interesting cross-cultural collection of artefacts (part of its collection is currently being exhibited in Paris), as well as a good line-up of engaging events that encourage visitors to return.
I think the make-a-bag session is a great idea. We get to keep the bags as souvenirs—what a lovely way to preserve a piece of memory at home in a tangible form.
Visiting Information
The Peranakan Museum’s website can be found here. The museum is located at 39 Armenian Street. You can check out upcoming events on their website. To enjoy discounted admission, you may wish to visit on Fridays between 7pm and 9pm (S$3 for adults).
Below are some of the photos we took during the event.
2010 vs Now Reflection
Looking back at this post years later, as I revisited the museum 15 years later, what strikes me is not just how lively the museum felt that evening, but how I chose to describe it. Back then, I was surprised that a museum could feel “trendy” and “happening”. Today, that almost feels expected. Perhaps museums have changed. Or perhaps I have.
What hasn’t changed, though, is the quiet joy of discovering a place that gently shifts your expectations. Whether it is a museum filled with music, or a memory preserved in a handmade bag, these are small moments—but they stay with us longer than we realise.
And maybe that is what museums are really about.
