I must applaud the National Heritage Board's admirable work in restoring up my alma mater, St. Joseph's Institution (SJI), into the Singapore Art Museum (SAM).
The glass paneling has shut out the incessant ambient road traffic noise and the buildings had been artfully rejuvenated to retain and even enhance the discreet charms of this unique piece of architecture.
After a little incident that I witnessed during my Christmas vacation in Singapore, I have one modest proposal to make.
The few tourists that meandered into the SAM with me were awe-struck at the grandeur and beauty of the SAM. I overheard several tourists ask about the history of the building to which the functional reply was that "It was a school, please refer to the pamphlet".
The National Heritage Board did a good job in detailing in the one paper pamphlet the different parts of the SAM that were carefully restored and provided some anecdotal history behind some of the features of the old SJI that I loved so well.
However, I do exhort the National Heritage Board that when they finally officially open the SAM on January 21, 1996, there should be some exhibition space and more literature about the old SJI building.
I have spent only four joyous years at Bras Basah Road; but my father, brother and cousins were all students of SJI and the folklore that we shared through the years were the stuff that memories were made of.
There is a great deal of human interest stories about the building to be told to the casual visitor e.g. SJI's role as a hospital during the World War II, the numerous bomb scares and instances when WWII bombs were found on the grounds, ghost stories and how a Catholic Mission school molded boys of every creed and color to become useful citizens in our dynamic and diverse Singapore society.
Naturally, I'll be the first to admit that nearly all Singapore schools have performed that function in nation building but SJI is an imposing testament to this history. But there is a greater purpose to be served here.
Converting historical buildings into museums and galleries has been the de rigueur all over the world. I have had the good fortune to visit most of the must-see museums in New York, Washington D.C., Boston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Paris, London, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Berlin, Madrid & San Francisco.
Whenever a historical building has been converted to modern use, there has always been a loving and significant treatment of the history of the building and the life that it had previously led. The Gare d'Orsay was an abandoned railway station before it was immaculately restored to the Muse d'Orsay in Paris. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and the Peggy Guggenheim Modern Art Museum in Venice had the same winsome feeling of curiosity about them. In most of these cities, the museum directors did a stunning job in detailing the inside stories of the museum. One other point, there were no SAM-related merchandise at the SAM Museum Shop e.g. old SJI building mugs, t-shirts, post-cards, so I could not get any souvenirs for my colleagues and friends in Osaka.
Thankfully, the restored SJI building will not fall into the mushrooming Peranakan Place School of Pastel-is-Perfect Architecture. This virus has spread to buildings in Serangoon Road, North Bridge Road, Chinatown, Albert Street. Someone should tell the developers that splashing some pastel colors does not necessarily mean that it is restored. The gravitas of the building and the area has to be captured and told. People who visit these places will probably think that some swanky boutique had been in Serangoon Road all along when it was a humble spice and curry powder provision shop or dohbi (laundry). These places may not have high rental return but their charm quotient is unquestioned.
From what I saw after being away from Singapore for 13 months, our city needs a lot more in the charm department. Perhaps the government should consider a campaign to promote charm in our city.
Even though the primary focus of the SAM should be the exhibits and collection, nevertheless the National Heritage Board should not ignore the wisdom of promoting the old SJI building and the charming history around it to tourists and Singaporeans alike. I am not one to ask the National Heritage Board to pander to an SJI alumnus demands in promoting the alma mater but to objectively look at the situation and history of the building and simply devote some exhibition space to tell the story of a true Singapore landmark.
The National Heritage Board should do to SJI what our private "restorers" have failed to do with other precious testaments of our city, which used to have a history. Fortunately, the SAM had escaped the fate of being cosmetisized into a frumpy old tart who had some pastel paint salubriously slapped on and rented out to some boutique or fast-food restaurant.
I modestly propose to the National Heritage Board to devote some more time and exhibition space to the history of the SAM when it is Officially opened in January 1996. Make a good job better.