It has always been part of my dream travel project to visit the pyramids and tomb of King Tutankhamun in Egypt. But I do not know when it is possible for me to travel all the way to Egypt just to say ‘Hi!’ to a well-presevered mummy nestling at Cairo Museum due to the current chaos and upheavals happening in the Egyptian political scenes.Thankfully, I don’t have to fly to another continent now that an Egyptian mummy, flown all the way from London, is here to visit us Singaporeans. It’s probably the first Egyptian mummy to be residing at the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay sands. It’s a museum of creativity where we get to explore the creative processes at the heart of art and science.
I know Gordon Ramsey, the Scottish chef, is in town for the Singapore’s Hawker Challenge. But I’m even more excited about meeting an ancient Egyptian relic which lived 3000 years ago.
Upon an exclusive invitation from ArtScience Museum and Marina Bay Sands, I was fortunate to be able to visit the Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb exhibition as well as the Essential Eames, an art exhibition which I will be covering in my next blog post. Because I was on a media pass, I was allowed to take photographs of the exhibits with my camera. Otherwise, no photography is allowed in this exhibition.
After a quick media lunch provided by Sweet Spot Deli, we headed for our guided museum tours where we had Anita, as our museum guide.
Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb exhibition
| 27 April 2013 – 4 November 2013 |
It’s an exhibition featuring Egyptian mummies and the various artifacts culled from the extensive and famed Egyptian collection of the British Museum. Upon entering the exhibit, you will be ushered to watch an innovative 3D film with a paper-made cut-out 3D-glasses.It’s a 21-min video revealing the secrets of the mysterious Egyptian burial practices and mummification process. I would say that it is a great introduction documentary-style video about the Egyptian afterlife which would entice you to explore the various galleries and to attend some of the interesting workshops held in the exhibition.
The British museum, in London, is one of the world’s top museums with unparalleled expertise in the study of historic ancient Egypt.
Little boy left in awed. He was looking right at Isis, the Queen of Heaven.
This exhibit showcases more than 100 stunning artifacts and six mummies .
Even children can’t help but to stop in their tracks to admire the intricate details and designs of the figurines. Let’s have a closer look at what she’s looking at.
This is a statuette of Nesperennub, a temple priest who lived 3,000 years ago who died at about the age of 40. The mummy of Nesperennub is an integral part of the exhibition which is also featured as the sole prominent figure in the 3D film. The film, itself, left me gasp in awe, when it shows the ‘virtual unwrapping’ of the Egyptian Mummy. It also unveils the story of the priest’s life and death complete with a digital reconstruction of his face.
There are guided tours for visitors as well in case you want to find out more about the ancient Egyptians’ beliefs, customs and how they worshipped through fascinating artefacts on display in the exhibition.
Guided Tour for Adults
Saturdays and Sundays | 5.30pm
Mandarin: Saturdays and Sundays | 3 pm and 6 pm
The Egyptian mummy of the Kitten.Yes, even animals are mummified.
An Egyptian Papyrus
Weighing your heart against the feather of truth. If your heart is heavier than the feather of truth, the monster would straightaway gobble your heart up, ending your life on earth.
Our museum guide, Anita.
Guard the secrets with all your heart.
This is the spell to prevent your heart from spilling the beans. The truth is masked with this special amulet with a Egyptian hieroglyphs carved on it.
Bringing Egypt to the little ones without having to fly over. Aren’t we lucky already?
Mind you, all these are not replicas. These are the actual artefacts dug from the undergrounds.
Embalming workshop
The exhibits at ArtScience museum are not quite like the traditional forms of museum which consisted only of galleries. Here, there are free workshops catered to everyone of all ages for all ticketholders to the exhibits.Want to learn the secrets of embalming and scents of Ancient Egypt? Be sure to take note of the dates and timing of these exclusive workshops held at ArtScience museum. Here’s a chance to gain some hands-on experience to learn more about the science behind the mummy.
For children, these workshops enhances their learning about this exhibit. For the adults, it’s a time for us to unwind and awaken our child-like wonder in us to explore and learn about the Egyptian history and culture. Who knows, you might get inspiration and ideas through these workshops. Afterall, this is the place where creativity blooms.
WORKSHOPS AND ACTIVITIES
1. The Secrets of Embalming
Saturdays and Sundays | 5pm – 6pm
Embalmer’s Workshop in Mummy Secrets of the Tomb
Complimentary and open to Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb ticket holders.
How did the ancient Egyptians preserve the dead in preparation for their journey into the afterlife? This fascinating, hands-on demonstration reveals the scientific process of embalming, with plenty of opportunities for audience participation.
2. Amulets for the Afterlife Saturdays and Sundays | 12pm – 1pm
Embalmer’s Workshop in Mummy Secrets of the Tomb
Complimentary and open to Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb ticket holders. Up to 30 participants on a first-come-first-served basis.
Get your inspiration from the amulets on display in Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb and create your own clay-baked and painted amulet to take home.
3. Hieroglyphs and Characters
Sundays: 7 and 21 Jul, 4 and 18 Aug, 1, 15 and 29 Sep | 2pm – 3:30pm
Embalmer’s Workshop in Mummy Secrets of the Tomb
Complimentary and open to Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb ticket holders.
Learn from calligraphy scholar Gu Jianping about the similarities and differences between Egyptian hieroglyphs and ancient Chinese characters, and have a go at writing calligraphy.
4. Scents of Ancient Egypt
Sundays: 14 and 28 Jul, 11 and 25 Aug, 8 and 22 Sep | 2pm – 3pm and 3:30pm – 4:30pm
Embalmer’s Workshop in Mummy Secrets of the Tomb
Complimentary and open to Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb ticket holders.
Join perfume expert Johari Kazura on a historic and multi-sensory journey to discover how scents were made and used during ancient Egyptian times.
5. Activity Quest
Complimentary and open to Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb ticket holders.
Family visitors can engage in a specially-designed quest through age-appropriate Quest Bags containing enjoyable hands-on activities. Directly related to the artefacts on display, these include jig-saws and games, plus magnifying glasses for the intrepid young Egyptologists to help them solve the various challenges.
This is the mummy of Tjayasetimu, a singer in the temple of Amun. She died when she was still a child, around 800 BC. Her carefully embalmed body has been enclosed in a cartonnage case.
I’m mummified by the sight of the ancient bodies and relics.
In this gallery, you will get to meet Nesperennub, the star mummy of this exhibit. In fact, Neperennub is the most widely-travelled acient Egyptian mummy in the world. I hope he likes being here in Singapore.
Hi Mummy, is that you?Don’t worry about a thing. These little ones are emerging young Egyptologists as they are examining grossly at the mummy of Nesperennub.
After touring the exhibit, you might want to shop for some cool Egyptian merchandise as souvenirs or gifts. At least, you could say that you had visited (just a fraction of) Egypt and that you even get to meet the Egyptian mummies!
Up next, we were brought up to the upper gallery to view Essential Eames exhibit and the Takeaway exhibit
Special thanks to Art Science Museum and Marina Bay Sands for the invitation.
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Art Science Museum at Marina Bay sands is known as the museum of creativity, where the creative processes at the heart of art and science and their role in shaping society are explored. Regular educational programs for both children and adult visitors including talks, workshops and tours were conducted here.
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SweetSpot® Deli at Marina Bay Sands is a New York-styled Deli sering an array of authentic Manhattan staples like sandwiches and salads,freshly baked breads, bagels as well as American classic cakes like Lemon Meringue Pie and Devil’s Food chocolate cake.
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Marina Bay sands is the leading business, leisure and entertainment destination in Asia. It features large and flexible convention and exhibition facilities, 2,560 hotel rooms and suites, the rooftop Sands SkyPark, the best shopping mall in Asia, world-class celebrity chef restaurants and an outdoor event plaza. Completing the line-up of attractions is ArtSicence Museum at Marina Bay Sands which plays host to permanent and marquee exhibitions.
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