ArtScience Museum’s Latest Exhibition Brings Over 200 Extraordinary Natural Treasures to Singapore
PUBLISHED November 30th, 2017 06:00 am
A skeleton of the magnificent sabre-toothed cat, a Martian meteorite, and a mysterious ‘cursed’ amethyst – these are just three of some 200 priceless artefacts that will be on display at the ArtScience Museum’s latest exhibition, Treasures of the Natural World, which runs from now till April next year.
Curated in partnership with the world-renowned Natural History Museum in London, these 200 star objects are hand-picked from amongst 80 million specimens, representing the best of the museum’s collection. It is also the first time they have been exhibited in Southeast Asia.
Sprawled across five sizeable section – through centuries and milleniums from the Enlightenment of the 18th century through to the present day – highlights include a handwritten note by the ‘father of evolution’ Charles Darwin for his publication, On the Origin of Species, a near complete skeleton of a sabre-toothed cat and its prey, the giant ground sloth, as well as a selection of Alfred Russel Wallace’s phenomenal collection of beetles from his Malay Archipelago expedition to Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia in the 19th century.
Start from ‘Building Nature’s Treasure House‘, where you’ll learn about the riveting story of Sir Hans Sloane, whose vast private collection formed the basis of the British Museum (now the Natural History Museum), and explore the experiential multi-sensory cabinet of curiosities. There is then the ‘Treasures of the Mind‘ gallery, which shines the spotlight on British naturalist Alfred Russell Wallace and his splendid beetle collection – just some out of his 83,200 specimens. Try to find Wallace in the large wall Where’s Wallace graphic as you discover 18 hidden collectibles inspired by his collection within the gallery, as well as the famous Wallace Line – a faunal boundary line drawn in 1859 by Wallace separating the eco-zones of Asia and Wallacea.
Next, the third exhibition ‘Treasures of Exploration‘ looks at evolution through the eyes of the brilliant minds behind the 18th century’s Age of Reason – as natural history pioneers set out to explore the natural world. It showcases Captain James Cook’s first voyage to Australia and New Zealand, Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s expedition to reach the South Pole, the HMS Challenger’s 1872 exploration of the deep oceans.
The fourth section, ‘Treasures of Life are Everywhere‘, will remind you that while mother nature is wondrous and beautiful, it’s also fragile and sensitive to change and external influence. Here, extinct creatures and other animals on the brink of extinction are showcased to remind us of the threat humanity poses to nature’s treasures, and remind us of the vulnerability of animals in our own regions. Fun fact: Did you know that there is no complete skeleton nor proper visual documentation of the dodo in existence, so what we imagine to be the dodo is only based on research?
Towards the end, you will reach ‘A Museum for A Modern World‘, which explores the scientific pursuits and breakthroughs undertaken by the staggering 350 research scientists currently working at the Natural History Museum in London. Try your hand at the interactive activity: a digital laboratory that shows how scientists combines natural history with modern technology and databases to solve problems facing us today.
Treasures of the Natural World is running now till 29 April 2018 at the ArtScience Museum. Tickets are priced from $13.60 for adults and $9.60 for senior citizens, students, and children, available via the museum and all Marina Bay Sands box offices and website.
