The Straits Times celebrates 170 years with free ArtScience Museum exhibition

SINGAPORE - A free exhibition on Singapore's historical development will be launched on July 17 at the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands.

'Singapore STories: Then, Now, Tomorrow' is being launched by The Straits Times and ArtScience Museum to chronicle the nation's development through images and stories.

It will feature hundreds of front-page stories, headlines and photographs from Singapore's oldest English-language daily newspaper The Straits Times. The newspaper has also unlocked its archive that dates back to July 15, 1845, when it was first published, to showcase never-before-seen photographs in the exhibition.

This story of Singapore's beginnings, struggles and triumphs will unfold across six galleries in the exhibition. The themes of the galleries mirror the core segments of the newspaper: Business, World, Home, Sport, Life and Forum.

Within each gallery, historic front-page reports and photographs will be featured alongside lesser-known but captivating stories to reveal the depth of the histories of both Singapore and The Straits Times.

The accounts range from Singapore's robust trade in the mid-1800s to Singapore's independence in the mid-1900s and the push towards a sustainable future in the new millennium.

George Tanasijevich, Chief Executive Officer and President of Marina Bay Sands, said: "This is a unique exhibition as it showcases historical events from the framework of the present and with an eye firmly on the future, creating a dialogue between past and present."

This will be the first exhibition co-curated by the museum that is free to the general public.

Singapore STories will also feature public-generated content in a showcase named #BuildSG2065. This will highlight 50 ideas from the public on Singapore's future buildings, homes and green spaces. The ideas will be selected from submissions to the #BuildSG2065 contest held by The Straits Times and CapitaLand to mark Singapore's 50th anniversary.

Warren Fernandez, Editor of The Straits Times said: "From its early colonial years, through several wars, change of regime and national allegiance, The Straits Times has seen it all."

"This exhibition trawls through our rich archives to bring that history alive for today's Singaporeans to help us remember where we have been, how we got here, and where we might be heading."

The exhibition will start on July 17 and end on October 4.

ljessica@sph.com.sg