Mark your calendars: Happening from now – 29 May, Dislocations: Memory and Meaning of the Fall of Singapore, 1942 is a new exhibition by the National Museum of Singapore that shares the untold stories and personal perspectives of the war.
As 2022 marks the 80th year since the Fall of Singapore, the commemorative exhibition highlights the complex experience of World War Two – examining iconic periods such as our defense preparations, the subsequent battle, the Fall of Singapore, and its aftermath – and how these memories continue to leave a lasting impact for generations to come.
Visitors can look forward to a diverse pool of historical artefacts spanning across seven specially designed immersive zones that utilise augmented reality and gamification methods, allowing them to encounter, understand, and reflect on life in wartime Singapore.
That said, Dislocations goes beyond the usual World War Two narratives and proudly serves as a first-of-its-kind that examines the impact of war memory on generations of Singaporeans up to the present. There’s a lot to survey at the exhibition, including previously unexplored topics coming from intimate accounts of the surrender, for example, in the form of personal diary entries, memoirs, and oral history interviews.
Over 200 personal artefacts retrieved from the Sook Ching Massacre site at Jalan Puay Poon will also be put on display for the first time in history.
Further complementing the exhibition is a decommissioned AMX-13 SM1 tank on display at the museum’s front lawn, serving as a reminder of the fortitude and fighting spirit of our once-fledgling nation. The first editions of this French-made tank led the mobile column that paraded the city centre to celebrate our sovereignty during the National Day Parade four years after Singapore’s independence.
For more information on Dislocations and the National Museum, visit their site here.
