July 31, 2010 | The Star | by Louisa Lim
 |
| The souped-up interior of the ‘new’ National Museum |
How do we turn the most banal of subjects into exciting ones? After decades of trial and error, the National Museum might finally have found the answer.
Sniggers and smirks — these are two of the most common reactions when I tell people I’ve just returned from the National Museum. To them I ask: When was your last visit?
A decade, maybe two, ago?
Since its opening on Aug 31, 1963, our National Museum has undergone various tweaks and transformations. But its latest facelift in 2006 has proved to be the most successful one yet, with many history lovers and pseudo-intellectuals finally taking notice.
“Yes, we realised how old and worn the museum was getting,” says Datuk Ibrahim Ismail, director-general of the Department of Museums in Malaysia. “People visit once, and they don’t come back. We want to change that.”
Four years and RM20mil later, the transformation is complete. The museum, still retaining its old shell, was relaunched without much fanfare. Life for those in it went on pretty much as usual, albeit with one difference.
Sniggers and smirks — these are two of the most common reactions when I tell people I’ve just returned from the National Museum. To them I ask: When was your last visit?
A decade, maybe two, ago?
Since its opening on Aug 31, 1963, our National Museum has undergone various tweaks and transformations. But its latest facelift in 2006 has proved to be the most successful one yet, with many history lovers and pseudo-intellectuals finally taking notice.
“Yes, we realised how old and worn the museum was getting,” says Datuk Ibrahim Ismail, director-general of the Department of Museums in Malaysia. “People visit once, and they don’t come back. We want to change that.”
Four years and RM20mil later, the transformation is complete. The museum, still retaining its old shell, was relaunched without much fanfare. Life for those in it went on pretty much as usual, albeit with one difference.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire