"The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible." Oscar Wilde
As a traveler I often find myself amazed -even startled- by the wealth of history I encounter. One of the transformational benefits of our adventures is coming face-to-face with civilizations far different and older than our own.
It's one of the reasons why I love museums. More often than not I like to stroll among the exhibits alone. Each visit is like a recurring dream of times, places, cultures and people who intrigue the imagination. For me this is one of life's greatest pleasures.
In March I visited one of my all-time favorite treasuries of history and culture, the Asian Civilizations Museum in Singapore. I had not been here in seven years. It was well past time that I became reacquainted.
The museum is located at the mouth of the Singapore River in the Empress Place Building. Its neo-Palladian exterior countenance proclaims a distinctive grandeur associated with Singapore's early colonial history. This was where it all began. Government offices were housed here. A museum staffer told me that the building was originally intended to be a courthouse. As the government grew so did the need for offices, especially to serve Parliament House.
The name 'Empress Place' was designated in 1907 to honor Queen Victoria. The building continued to be used for various government functions until the 1980s.
Visitors are permitted to bring in cameras and take non-flash photographs. The subdued lighting at some exhibits made that task challenging.
The first thing I noticed were the stairs to the exhibition level. Wide, stately and symmetrical, the was a perfect introduction to the rest of the museum.
I was impressed by the elegant Doric columns, magnificent cornices and superbly detailed moldings under high ceilings.
And -truth be told- the air conditioning was a welcomed respite from the pungent stench of haze from Sumatra, overcast skies and temperatures in the mid-90s.
Each of the exhibition spaces was like entering a new time zone. Each zone was defined by its featured history and cultural artifacts on display.
My empirical encounters with the objects on display caused me to move between those cultural zones. I gained a sense of perspicacity, delving into each object in wonder. Indeed, I was curious about what the ethereal, everyday lives of those who created these objects were like.
I found myself filled with a growing sense of wonder as my journey continued. For a while I recalled an earlier chapter in my life back in Connecticut. In my boyhood years I received a telescope as a Christmas present. During the winter months when the evening skies were clearest I'd venture outside and cast my gaze to the heavens -realizing that the Universe is quite large, complicated and full of wonder. I felt that same sense of awe again. It felt good.
The textiles, furniture, sculptures, weapons, jewelry and more took my imagination in all sorts of directions. What a stunning collection!
I grew to again understand how this island-state in Southeast Asia was the scene of a convergence of cultures, traditions and people that spans centuries. Coming from America -a civilization barely 238 years old- I also found myself asking lots of questions.
The Asian Civilizations Museum was a perfect place to saturate my curiosity in the material histories of the Chinese, Malays, Indians, Muslims and the rich diversity of Western Asia. I thought about their descendants who call Singapore home. What a great place to reconnect with one's heritage!
The second level of the museum featured a special exhibit on China, Secrets of the Fallen Pagoda: Treasures from Famen Temple & the Tang Court. The capitol of Tang China was Chang'an (Xi'an today), which was the core of economic commerce and cultural convergence. For more than 1,000 years a crypt near the Famen Temple was sealed. Rediscovered in 1987, magnificent objects of gold, silver, ceramics and glass were displayed before me. The borders between past and present, Chinese and American melted away.
I was in historical heaven!
If you expect when you visit the Asian Civilizations Museum to be here a mere hour or two think again. I do not exaggerate that I visited most of the exhibits on display at least twice. Aside from a well behaved school group, the museum was quiet during my exploration.
Native American poet and writer Joy Harjo has said, "I know I walk in and out of several worlds every day." I strolled among the cultural and spiritual realms of ancient Asian civilizations for hours -and I was never bored. The various dimensions and complexities of Southeast Asian civilization dazzled me. The special exhibits illuminated my perceptions, much as the constellations of the winter night skies of my Connecticut boyhood did years ago.
My journey through alluring stories, ancient artifacts and well-laidout exhibits was a wonderful one. This was a great place to get lost in time.
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