Multidisciplinary learning and an extension beyond an exhibition. Presenting a case study: Constructed landscapes: Singapore in Southeast Asia – Exhibition at the National University of Singapore Museum

An exhibition Constructed landscapes: Singapore in Southeast Asia is presented at the National University of Singapore Museum (NUS Museum) with the intention for teaching and research in various interdisciplinary levels and fields at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and exploring further development and opportunities within the education community in Singapore. The year-long 2009 core exhibition presents a thematic and multidimensional approach on the Singapore landscapes and proposes a fresh reading and interpretation of the rich archive of artworks drawn from the museum’s more than 50 year old Southeast Asian collection. Engagement is made with various teaching professors at NUS faculties from History, Geography, Sociology, South and Southeast Asian studies, Communications and New Media, Biological Sciences, and other tertiary level institutions to incorporate the exhibition as a teaching resource in their modules. Assignments are designed in-relation to course study and using the works as an informative platform for student’s initial research. In conjunction with the exhibition, forums and film screening are organized alongside five walking tours at specific sites in Singapore. This collective programming enhances intellectual discourse and critical thinking using various approaches to frame, cast contemporary issues of the nation, its city, architecture and the varied materials used in referencing the changing landscape.