Albatross File: Chief Librarian says it's his 'most personal national exhibition'

Singapore's separation from Malaysia on Aug 9, 1965 — long viewed as abrupt and involuntary, and marked by the late Lee Kuan Yew's iconic and emotional television address — has since been recast as more nuanced in recent years. 

Following Lee's 1998 memoirs The Singapore Story and former deputy prime minister Goh Keng Swee's 2007 biography, the circumstances surrounding Singapore's independence have gradually been reinterpreted over the years. 

A string of newly declassified documents, including Cabinet papers and handwritten notes by Dr Goh, known as the Albatross File, are the topic of a permanent exhibition that will open to the public on Dec 8 at the National Library Building. 

AsiaOne got a first glimpse of the exhibition on Wednesday (Nov 26) and spoke to Executive Creative Director Gene Tan, who shed some light into the process of putting it all together. 

Centred around the theme of "Feel History", Tan shared that he wanted the exhibition to be akin to an experience — "something that a person takes away". 

"The minute I got close to the material, especially the very rich oral history, I felt something happen — I realised that I had to do a very different kind of show," said Tan. 

"I'd like to think that even though it's a very big story, at the end it could be the most personal national exhibition that I've ever done." 

Tan is also the Chief Librarian and Chief Innovation Officer of the National Library Board (NLB). 

'Emotional history exhibition'

The planning process began over a year ago in August 2024, said Tan. 

He added that one of the biggest challenges, before working with the creative team, was to create an "emotional history exhibition". 

"I wanted people to feel that history isn't distant and wasn't something that was already written in the textbook [or] a foregone conclusion," he said. 

As visitors are allowed to freely roam and experience the exhibition, another challenge that Tan faced was ensuring "whichever one you hit first, you will be able to get a good understanding of the separation". 

The Albatross File: Singapore's Independence Declassified will be a permanent exhibition at level 10 of the National Library Building. 

Jointly developed by the NLB and the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI), the exhibition marks 60 years of Singapore’s independence. 

The exhibition is based on the upcoming book The Albatross File: Inside Separation, also launching in December, and is created by the same team behind the SG60 Heart & Soul Experience and The Bicentennial Experience in 2019. 

A glimpse into the exhibition 

The exhibition is built as an introspective experience of the nation's critical moments and consists of four interactive sections — Atlas, Chatbook, Room and Records. 

The centrepiece, Atlas, features an interactive wall that showcases a countdown of the hours, days and months before the separation. 

It also includes a "Spacetime Clock", designed as a blend of a Pensieve and the Marauder's Map from Harry Potter, where visitors can trace the events and movements of key figures during that time. 

Inspired by the retro-futuristic theme of Marvel's Disney+ series Loki, Chatbook uses a generative-AI chat service powered by Claude Sonnet 4. 

Visitors will be able to interact and converse with an AI that draws insights from the book and Singapore's history from the National Library and National Archives. 

Room takes inspiration from Hamilton's The Room Where It Happens, displaying a dramatised retelling of the events between Singapore's and Malaysia's leaders leading up to the separation. 

The 20-minute film includes archival footage, oral history interviews and cinematic reenactments of those key events. 

Records allows visitors to listen to the voices of political leaders through their oral history interviews. 

It also features touchscreen elements for visitors to examine official documents and handwritten notes, including the newly declassified Albatross File. 

In a joint statement by NLB and MDDI on Nov 18, NLB Chief Executive Officer Melissa Tam said: "Through the National Archives of Singapore’s hard work in collecting and preserving the Albatross File and other historical recounts, and in close partnership with various partners including media partners, we are able to present this exhibition as a SG60 gift to the nation. 

"We hope the exhibition and book will allow Singaporeans to develop a richer understanding of the tumultuous journey our forefathers underwent during this difficult time in our nation’s history."

Admission to the exhibition is free but access will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. 

For booking of tickets and more information, visit https://go.gov.sg/albatrosstickets.

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esther.lam@asiaone.com