Diary of an NUS Museum Intern: Nguyen Thi Hoang Anh
Nguyen Thi Hoang Anh is a fourth-year student studying Industrial Design at the NUS School of Design and Environment. During her time as a Curatorial Intern working on exhibition management, she provided assistance to the curatorial team and researched on museum experience design in the digital realm.
My decision to join the NUS Museum Internship programme was motivated by my aspiration to be part of the museum industry one day. My expectations were to get the chance to do in-depth researches about museum-related topics, as well as to gain a deeper understanding of the behind-the-scene works in a museum.
Coming from the Industrial Design Division, research was a practice where I lacked both experiences and skills. During my NUS course, I was mostly trained in conducting primary research, while guidance or chances to exercise secondary research were rarer. Hence, when I was given the reading list at the very beginning of the internship, I was very excited, knowing that these are the kinds of resource that normally I will not be able to find just by Googling. However, once I got started, it became clear that reading comprehension was not my strongest suit, as I struggled with processing and understanding all the new information.
Since Arts, Education and Museology were all foreign territories for me, I also felt quite intimidated during the first few discussions with my Curatorial team. However, my teammates and supervisor – people who I believe are highly experienced and knowledgeable in this field – were always very supportive.
They never dismissed my opinions, always showed appreciation for the point of view I offer (although it probably came from somewhere far far away from theirs), and constantly gave further suggestions or inquiries for me to expand on my own thinking.
Even when I had nothing to say, I still learnt so much just by listening to their experiences and perspectives. Every day, I felt like I was gaining a bit more understanding about art, education and the world around me.
In the later stage of the internship, we were given the opportunity to research in-depth about a topic of our personal interest. For me, I chose to explore the principles behind museum experience design, and how they can be applied into the virtual realm. As a designer, I have always had an affinity with digitality. My personal goal is to change users’ perspective regarding the virtual realm, such that it is no longer viewed as an imperfect counterpart of reality, but a unique entity with great potential to explore.
Moreover, there just seems to be so much thought and effort that the museum professionals put into any museum exhibition, programme or experience. Yet, I feel that the majority of visitors may not be equipped with sufficient prior knowledge to recognize this. Designing a museum experience that is able to bridge the gap between the experts and the visitors – that is something I wish to work on if I one day join the industry.
The final form of my project is a handbook that provides basic information about several frameworks of museum experience design, as well as specific examples illustrating how they can be applied to the digital context. I believe this can be a useful tool for design students or designer who want to start projects related to the museum sector, or for visitors who wish to know a bit more about the thought processes behind their museum experiences.
Due to the pandemic situation, there were fewer chances for us to interact with others beyond our team; hence, I did not manage to explore the kinds of work done by other museum departments. However, to provide as many opportunities as possible for us to explore the art and museum scene, the museum has put in so much effort to come up with alternatives.
Throughout the internship, we went on two virtual tours of the NUS Museum and Baba House, where the museum staff tried to show us as much as they can and explained to us in details all the stories behind the artefacts. Thanks to the virtual tour, I was introduced to a very impressive project – The Library of Pulau Saigon by Debbie Ding – which explores how objects can transform themselves into the representatives of a given time and space. More details about this project can be found at http://dbbd.sg/works/the-library-of-pulau-saigon.php
Furthermore, we got the chance to listen to art organizations and experts share about their own experiences in the industry, as well as their vision for Arts in Singapore. Since I am not a local, I never really knew that so much effort to preserve, sustain and develop Arts is existing in Singapore.
Every two weeks, the whole Museum Intern team would come together for a series of workshops, in which we discuss our thoughts on arts, education and spaces. Here I got the chance to share with my fellow interns my view and vision for virtual spaces, and in turn received their recommendations for meaningful digital platforms.
During these workshops, we were also given the opportunities to work with interns from different teams, sharing our thoughts and opinions with one another. It was really amazing to see how one’s background can influence their perspective and the way they talk about things. Everyone seemed like such an interesting person that I could have learnt a lot from, which makes it seem even more unfortunate that we were not able to interact and get to know one another in person.
However, this is a very small drawback as compared to all the other great things I have gained from this internship experience. I have learnt even more than I expected, and my interest in the museum field has been nurtured. Considering the suddenness and unpredictability of the pandemic, I think the museum has managed to offer us a really unique, enriching and meaningful experience in which we can still grow as individuals in spite of the adversities, and I am truly grateful for that.
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