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In The Spotlight
Diary of an NUS Museum Intern: Guo Xiu Jin
Diary of an NUS Museum Intern is a series of blog posts written by our interns about their experiences during the course of their internships. Working alongside their mentors, our interns have waded through tons of historical research, assisted in curatorial work, pitched in during exhibition installations and organised outreach events! If you would like to become our next intern, visit NUS Museum’s student development page for more information.
Guo Xiu Jin is a third-year Architecture student at the NUS School of Design & Environment. As our Collections Intern, Jin worked on exploring possible improvements to Collections Online, which is NUS Museum’s online database of artefacts.
It all began with the question ‘what is a museum?’. What happens in a museum? What should happen in a museum? As an architecture student, I’ve been challenged to design museums before. My research came with the realisation that they housed all these wonderful exhibitions, but I had no idea how they came to be. The inner workings of a museum were opaque to me, someone on the outside. So, I applied.
My very first task was to attend Digital Conversations, a series of talks by the National Museum of Singapore on the topic of Virtual Reality (VR). I cannot underscore how much of an eye-opening experience it was. This was my first taste of VR and without trying it yourself, I cannot sufficiently describe the experience. It was a new medium that artists were exploring – were museums of today equipped to exhibit their works?
Imagine if, in the future, you could rebuild it yourself, brick by brick. This could help build national identity, reconnect with people with their heritage. Isn’t that the role of a museum?
Later, we would visit NUS Museum. Despite its smaller size, there are uniquely fascinating spaces that I have never seen before in another museum. The prep-rooms are experimental spaces for artists and curators to explore different ideas and are actually open to public. Not only do they pull back the curtain on their thoughts and work, the public can even contribute and interact with the works.
This prep-room features various explorations by artist Fyerool Darma. It highlights how the thoughts and creative energies that artists have goes beyond simply providing a backdrop for a painting. It might be a fabric from the ceiling, or spilling onto the walls.
We also had a behind-the-scenes introduction to the work by conservators at NUS Museum. I could make an entire blog post about this. Their workspaces, their work in restoration, the ethical dilemmas that they have to be considerate of – there are so many things to talk about, such as how do you preserve temporary artworks? What if, by exhibiting the artwork, it decayed? They navigate these delicate issues which, when done well, are invisible to the audience at an exhibition.
Depending on the make-up of the paint, white paint to the naked eye will look different under UV light. This helps conservators identify the type of paint used, and possibly the period when the painting was made.
NUS Museum is staffed by a group of dedicated and passionate people. One meeting with the curator Su Ling sticks in my mind. A petite woman, it was not her stature but her use of language that impresses. Simple and direct. I remember a quiet realisation at how much it revealed the organised and insightful mind behind it. I gained a newfound respect at the scope that the staff at NUS Museum considers. The order of exhibits, the logic, spatial arrangement, humidity, lighting, pests. The tangible and intangible. Each one brimming with questions.
This exercise let us handle some artefacts in person. The inside of my gloves were slick with sweat. If I dropped and broke one, that was it. They were genuine artefacts. Fun fact: The museum stripped out a section of floor tiles because they were too bumpy for trolleys.
Every intern were given artworks to research and write about. As a ‘non-art person’, writing about art is not something I had ever done before. It wasn’t uncommon to get lost in jargon while reading texts, or in conversations, prompting more research. Yet, I was surprised to find a small pleasure in the research. Why did he do this? What was the inspiration? Is he alive? From a stranger, the artist turns into someone you have a connection with. There was a weird excitement when I found out that the artist was indeed alive and in touch with NUS Museum.
- Student Voices
18 November 2025
16 May 2025
NUS Baba House to undergo two years of conservation works
Enthusiasts can look forward to a slate of programmes ahead of and during the temporary closure.
6 October 2023
NUS Museum receives largest-ever donation of Straits Chinese artefacts
"Collected by Mrs Alice Tan over a 30-year period, the donated artefacts will contribute to a deeper study of the impact of Straits Chinese culture in Singapore and the region, and provide broadened avenues for interdisciplinary collaborations."
15 August 2023
From personal photo collection to exhibition: NUS Museum's latest showcase features visual narratives by 9 members of the NUS community
Titled Photography Journal Open Call (PJOC), the exhibition presents an eclectic collection of photographic works by nine NUS students, alumni artists and academic staff.
12 April 2021
Nurturing a creative campus through public art advocacy
The Public Art Initiative was launched to underscore NUS’ commitment to deepening the role of public art in holistic, interdisciplinary and broad-based education.
8 October 2019
October at the NUS Museum: between war and the artist, art and the tropics
This October, NUS Museum unveils two new exhibitions surveying the art historical in the region from distinct positions.
31 May 2019
New exhibition from Gilles Massot to be unveiled at NUS Museum
“…you have to lose your way to find yourself in the right place” presents the works of Singapore-based French artist, Gilles Massot. Featuring a selection of photographs, videos, sketches and writings from his extensive corpus of works.
14 February 2019
Glossaries of the Straits Chinese Homemaking
Following eleven years of giving glimpses of a Peranakan family’s domestic life in the early 20th century, NUS Baba House presents the exhibition Glossaries of the Straits Chinese Homemaking.
22 March 2018
NUS' cultural icon refreshed for a new generation
The University Cultural Centre's first major renovation improves the high standard of guest comfort, efficiency and production possibilities.
3 February 2017
Exhibition: From the Ashes: Reviving Myanmar Celadon Ceramics
NUS Museum presents ongoing attempts to revive the technology of making ash-glazed ceramics in Myanmar.
23 November 2016
Exhibition: Between the brush lines of Lim Tze Peng
Solo exhibition at NUS Museum considers 70-year oeuvre of Singapore's oldest living artist.
1 November 2016
Book Launch: NUS Baba House launches inaugural guidebook
From architecture to social history, book reveals the myriad facets of Singapore's only restored Straits Chinese family home.
21 October 2016
Exhibition: Looking within - What makes an exhibition?
NUS Museum presents exhibition introspecting into curatorial impulses and the exhibitionary medium.
1 July 2016
Exhibition: "Who wants to remember a war?"
NUS Museum draws on war posters, woodcuts and drawings to explore contemporary narratives of the Vietnam War.
10 May 2016
Award: NUS Museum wins inaugural award for innovative museological practice
International Committee of University Museums and Collections recognises efforts to facilitate conversation between audiences and exhibitions.
14 April 2016
Exhibition: Figuring Ng Eng Teng
NUS Museum reveals unstudied elements and works from the late Cultural Medallion recipient’s practice.
Student Voices
Diary of an NUS Museum Intern: Guo Xiu Jin
Diary of an NUS Museum Intern is a series of blog posts written by our interns about their experiences during the course of their internships. Working alongside their mentors, our interns have waded through tons of historical research, assisted in curatorial work, pitched in during exhibition installations and organised outreach events! If you would like to become our next intern, visit NUS Museum’s student development page for more information.
Guo Xiu Jin is a third-year Architecture student at the NUS School of Design & Environment. As our Collections Intern, Jin worked on exploring possible improvements to Collections Online, which is NUS Museum’s online database of artefacts.
It all began with the question ‘what is a museum?’. What happens in a museum? What should happen in a museum? As an architecture student, I’ve been challenged to design museums before. My research came with the realisation that they housed all these wonderful exhibitions, but I had no idea how they came to be. The inner workings of a museum were opaque to me, someone on the outside. So, I applied.
My very first task was to attend Digital Conversations, a series of talks by the National Museum of Singapore on the topic of Virtual Reality (VR). I cannot underscore how much of an eye-opening experience it was. This was my first taste of VR and without trying it yourself, I cannot sufficiently describe the experience. It was a new medium that artists were exploring – were museums of today equipped to exhibit their works?
Imagine if, in the future, you could rebuild it yourself, brick by brick. This could help build national identity, reconnect with people with their heritage. Isn’t that the role of a museum?
Later, we would visit NUS Museum. Despite its smaller size, there are uniquely fascinating spaces that I have never seen before in another museum. The prep-rooms are experimental spaces for artists and curators to explore different ideas and are actually open to public. Not only do they pull back the curtain on their thoughts and work, the public can even contribute and interact with the works.
This prep-room features various explorations by artist Fyerool Darma. It highlights how the thoughts and creative energies that artists have goes beyond simply providing a backdrop for a painting. It might be a fabric from the ceiling, or spilling onto the walls.
We also had a behind-the-scenes introduction to the work by conservators at NUS Museum. I could make an entire blog post about this. Their workspaces, their work in restoration, the ethical dilemmas that they have to be considerate of – there are so many things to talk about, such as how do you preserve temporary artworks? What if, by exhibiting the artwork, it decayed? They navigate these delicate issues which, when done well, are invisible to the audience at an exhibition.
Depending on the make-up of the paint, white paint to the naked eye will look different under UV light. This helps conservators identify the type of paint used, and possibly the period when the painting was made.
NUS Museum is staffed by a group of dedicated and passionate people. One meeting with the curator Su Ling sticks in my mind. A petite woman, it was not her stature but her use of language that impresses. Simple and direct. I remember a quiet realisation at how much it revealed the organised and insightful mind behind it. I gained a newfound respect at the scope that the staff at NUS Museum considers. The order of exhibits, the logic, spatial arrangement, humidity, lighting, pests. The tangible and intangible. Each one brimming with questions.
This exercise let us handle some artefacts in person. The inside of my gloves were slick with sweat. If I dropped and broke one, that was it. They were genuine artefacts. Fun fact: The museum stripped out a section of floor tiles because they were too bumpy for trolleys.
Every intern were given artworks to research and write about. As a ‘non-art person’, writing about art is not something I had ever done before. It wasn’t uncommon to get lost in jargon while reading texts, or in conversations, prompting more research. Yet, I was surprised to find a small pleasure in the research. Why did he do this? What was the inspiration? Is he alive? From a stranger, the artist turns into someone you have a connection with. There was a weird excitement when I found out that the artist was indeed alive and in touch with NUS Museum.
- Student Voices
News
18 November 2025
16 May 2025
NUS Baba House to undergo two years of conservation works
Enthusiasts can look forward to a slate of programmes ahead of and during the temporary closure.
6 October 2023
NUS Museum receives largest-ever donation of Straits Chinese artefacts
"Collected by Mrs Alice Tan over a 30-year period, the donated artefacts will contribute to a deeper study of the impact of Straits Chinese culture in Singapore and the region, and provide broadened avenues for interdisciplinary collaborations."
15 August 2023
From personal photo collection to exhibition: NUS Museum's latest showcase features visual narratives by 9 members of the NUS community
Titled Photography Journal Open Call (PJOC), the exhibition presents an eclectic collection of photographic works by nine NUS students, alumni artists and academic staff.
12 April 2021
Nurturing a creative campus through public art advocacy
The Public Art Initiative was launched to underscore NUS’ commitment to deepening the role of public art in holistic, interdisciplinary and broad-based education.
8 October 2019
October at the NUS Museum: between war and the artist, art and the tropics
This October, NUS Museum unveils two new exhibitions surveying the art historical in the region from distinct positions.
31 May 2019
New exhibition from Gilles Massot to be unveiled at NUS Museum
“…you have to lose your way to find yourself in the right place” presents the works of Singapore-based French artist, Gilles Massot. Featuring a selection of photographs, videos, sketches and writings from his extensive corpus of works.
14 February 2019
Glossaries of the Straits Chinese Homemaking
Following eleven years of giving glimpses of a Peranakan family’s domestic life in the early 20th century, NUS Baba House presents the exhibition Glossaries of the Straits Chinese Homemaking.
22 March 2018
NUS' cultural icon refreshed for a new generation
The University Cultural Centre's first major renovation improves the high standard of guest comfort, efficiency and production possibilities.
3 February 2017
Exhibition: From the Ashes: Reviving Myanmar Celadon Ceramics
NUS Museum presents ongoing attempts to revive the technology of making ash-glazed ceramics in Myanmar.
23 November 2016
Exhibition: Between the brush lines of Lim Tze Peng
Solo exhibition at NUS Museum considers 70-year oeuvre of Singapore's oldest living artist.
1 November 2016
Book Launch: NUS Baba House launches inaugural guidebook
From architecture to social history, book reveals the myriad facets of Singapore's only restored Straits Chinese family home.
21 October 2016
Exhibition: Looking within - What makes an exhibition?
NUS Museum presents exhibition introspecting into curatorial impulses and the exhibitionary medium.
1 July 2016
Exhibition: "Who wants to remember a war?"
NUS Museum draws on war posters, woodcuts and drawings to explore contemporary narratives of the Vietnam War.
10 May 2016
Award: NUS Museum wins inaugural award for innovative museological practice
International Committee of University Museums and Collections recognises efforts to facilitate conversation between audiences and exhibitions.
14 April 2016
Exhibition: Figuring Ng Eng Teng
NUS Museum reveals unstudied elements and works from the late Cultural Medallion recipient’s practice.
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