If you love to reminisce about the good ol’ days, then the National Museum of Singapore’s newest exhibition is right up your alley. Of / On: Everyday Technology that Changed Our Lives, 1970s-2000s, will bring you back to a time when nary a smartphone was in sight. Instead, explore immersive sets built around the common spaces of yesteryear and reconnect with the gadgets that shaped the lives of people in post-independence Singapore.
The experiential showcase is built around four thematic zones: Work in Progress, Hello Mobile, The Art of Living and Game On. Together, these four zones take you from the office, to shops, and to home, each anchored by technological icons of the past. And we say ‘experiential’ because you’re free to interact with the artefacts, replicas and interactives at Off / On – clack away on the typewriters, pick up the telephone receiver to listen to re-enacted conversations, take a black and white photo, try out old school video games, or play with a replica cassette player.
“Through the Off /On showcase, we invite visitors to reconnect with these technologies, while inspiring conversations and curiosity among the younger generations unfamiliar with them, says Priscilla Chua, Senior Curator, National Museum of Singapore. “As we are more ‘switched on’ now than ever before, the indispensable role of technology continues to shape and change the way we live, work and play, and we hope visitors will share their unique stories and experiences with us.”
And as much as Off / On is a blast to the past, some of these interactives also make use of unique digital and gamification elements to make the experience more engaging for visitors. Just visit go.gov.sg/offon to get a unique QR code to access exclusive digital games such as the ‘Fastest Typist’ game, pop quizzes, and bonus educational content.
Adding to the fun is an after-hours escape game on selected weekends during the exhibition’s run. Pre-register in groups of 3 to 10 participants to explore the showcase space after dark, while “journeying through time” in the gallery to complete a mission: uncovering a secret device that will help prevent a shutdown of the world’s technology. More registration details will be released soon.
Of / On: Everyday Technology that Changed Our Lives, 1970s-2000s is the second edition of the Collecting Contemporary Singapore initiative, that is working to better reflect Singapore’s national identity as it grows and evolves. The exhibition runs from June 10 to October 30 and is free to enter for Singaporeans and PRs. For more information, visit nationalmuseum.sg.