MUSEUMS: A CATALYST FOR GROWTH
by Lim Lay Ying
Property Times, New Straits Times
25th December 2004

See also, Property Round-Up for 2004/2005 and The Overhang Situation in the Property Market

Dan Brown’s bestselling novel “The Da Vinci Code” begins and ends its story in the Louvre, Paris, one of the oldest and most famous art museums in the world. Originally designed as a palace, the Louvre was eventually established as a museum in 1793. In the last two decades of the 20th century, extensive renovations were carried out that modernised the building, doubled its exhibition space, and increased its research facilities. It now attracts more than four million visitors a year, and is the most popular museum in France which is known as ‘The Land of Museums’. Museums in France contribute significantly to the tourism industry – in 1997, the 1200 official museums in the country received 65 million visitors; one third of these were foreign tourists.

Museums also play an important role in the preservation of history and culture, and can transport visitors in time to make them aware of the contingencies of another age. The ‘Chinese’ cultural parks in Hong Kong and Singapore (Middle Kingdom, Sung Dynasty, and Tang Dynasty) aim to convey a living interpretation of historic China to people who have lost contact with their cultural roots. Equally, the Polynesian in Hawaii can find a representation of the various Polynesian traditions in the Polynesian Cultural Centre, while his or her aspirations may be geared to the modern American way of life.

The Malaysian government has also begun to recognise the importance of museums. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi recently called on the Malaysian Press Institute to set up a Press Photography Museum to showcase the country’s history (NSTP, 8 December 2004). There are also plans by PNB Merdeka Ventures Sdn Bhd to build a mini independence museum and a sports museum at the Merdeka and National Stadiums respectively (NSTP, 21 April 2003) as a move to sustain conservation.

Cultural Destination

Unfortunately, museums have all along been perceived as stuffy, boring places to most people – stocked with lifeless relics that are irrelevant to a rapidly changing culture. Furthermore, Malaysians in general have not inculcated a museum-going habit, and most of them would rather spend two hours in a cinema than in a museum. Modern technology has not helped – as the younger generation become more attuned to computer technology and animated visual interpretations, their interest can only be captured by more innovative and imaginative features.

Even France, suffered from low visitor turnout as recently as three decades ago. It was only when the Georges-Pompidou Centre was founded in Paris in 1977 that a revival in France’s museum scene was seen. The Centre was envisioned by its founder as a cultural destination that would combine modern art, music, cinema, books, and industrial, architectural, and audiovisual research in one space. At the time, the concept of combining a museum, library and research institute under one roof was considered quite revolutionary. However, to be economically viable, it is only logical that museums look at different ways to generate public interest.

Today, the 80,000 m²­-glass structure houses the National Museum of Modern Art, the Public Information Library (which alone attracts 14,000 visitors a day), the Research and Design Institute for Contemporary Music, a cinema and performance halls, as well as public facilities such as a restaurant, café and bookstores.

Multipurpose Uses

Another example of a museum offering multipurpose uses is the Melbourne Museum, which opened in 2000 as the largest museum complex in the southern hemisphere. Aside from the museum itself, there is an adjoining IMAX theatre, and a public research centre called InfoZone that enables visitors free access to research a wide range of topics from its print, multimedia, and online collections. The Melbourne Museum also has facilities for research, and is heavily involved in projects that are mostly run as collaborations with universities or government agencies.

The museum itself is made up of eight permanent galleries and one touring hall which hosts visiting exhibitions from around the world. One of the museum’s more unique features is the Forest Gallery, which is a living interpretation of the evolution of Australia’s forest environment. It features 8,000 plants from more than 120 different species, as well as 20 different animals including snakes, birds, fish, and frogs. The “living gallery” theme is a recurrent one, with the Science & Life Gallery showcasing live insects in its “Bugs Alive!” display. (see pictures).

Figure 1: Museum (Exterior)


Figure 2: Bugs Alive Display


Figure 3: Forest Gallery


Figure 4: Another View of the Forest Gallery

A major part of any museum or edutainment centre’s success is its ability to engage its visitors through interactive displays and activities. The Melbourne Museum utilises this concept throughout its galleries and also provides informative guided tours several times a day. At La Cité des Sciences et Industrie, La Villete, Paris, the techniques used to convey scientific information (hands-on devices and audio-visual techniques) provide a vivid educational experience.

Innovative presentions

At Futuroscope, Poitiers, the close association between research technology and leisure techniques is being developed using innovative presentations to cover a wide range of audio-visual techniques.

These include Kaleidoscope presentation with 10 screens of various sizes (one is spherical): Showspan, 70 mm film shown at 60 frames per second (more than twice the normal speed of projection); Kinemax, 70 mm onto a 6,500 square feet screen; Cinema Dynamique using the ‘Dynamic Cinema’ technique developed by Intamin; Cinema Circulaire, circular cinema with nine 35 mm projectors; Omnimax, 70 mm projection onto a semi-spherical screen; and Cinema in Relief, 70 mm projectors with visitors wearing polarized glasses to experience an illusion of three-dimensional images.

The park is part of a more extensive development which includes an industrial complex based on telecommunications and a research centre for innovative development.

It is becoming increasingly difficult for museums to maintain their significance in an age where people demand more in terms of entertainment value, and prefer to be participants instead of mere spectators. Furthermore, with rapid technological advances and changes in culture, it is increasingly important for museums to strike a balance between old and new, and find more creative and complementary uses of space.

Malaysia’s move to build more museums is a step in the right direction. There are already some fine examples in the form of Petronas’ Petrosains Discovery Centre located at Suria KLCC and the National Science Centre at Bukit Kiara, both of which are in the capital city. They can be appealing destinations in their own right, and also serve as catalysts for growth in developments surrounding them.