dear music

we did not go for the permanent singapore history exhibits at the gallery as time was short, so we went to the basement gallery where there was an exhibition on arabic life "Living Under the Crescent Moon".

the exhibition is very comprehensive, of an international standard. there were video clips on the actual arabic life and their people speaking, and of the design of the houses in the mediterranean region. arabic houses look like those in india(islamic designs) and some are pure white, like those by the greek oceans. beside the plasma screens are hand-built architectural models of these types of houses.
image on screen on left side, 3D model on right side.
there are also real artefacts: pots, jugs, plates, blankets, rugs etc.
THIS IS THE VISUAL & INFORMATIVE FACTOR.

then there 's the EXPERIENTIAL FACTOR.
a replica of the arabic dome-shaped hut is made right inside the exhibition space. people can sit in the centre of the space to have a feel of what it's like in those huts with holes in the ceiling for ventilation.

and there's the INTERACTIVE FACTOR.
there is a counter with PCs for us to explore more infomation. the countertops have arabic motifs, backlitted by lights such that we can trace those motifs onto the translucent papers provided by them. we can also fold the papers into mini arabic huts.

lastly, you can go over to the other end of the same gallery to look at the exhibition of photos and short films put up by photographers and filmmakers in that region.

this is what i call a comprehensive, informative and successful exhibition.

http://www.nationalmuseum.sg/crescent_moon/