Quest for Immortality - The World of Ancient Egypt

We went to the National Museum of Singapore on Sunday, 17 January to watch the exhibition Quest for Immortality - The World of Ancient Egypt. Here is a synopsis of the exhibition from the museum...
The ancient Egyptian world is often characterised by a fascinating and remarkably supple mental universe. Ancient Egyptians melded images in ways that often beggar logic. They linked material elements with a realm inaccessible to humans, as reflected both in their daily conduct and their emphasis on the afterlife that led to their quest for immortality.
Quest for Immortality – The World of Ancient Egypt offers an insight to the ancient Egyptian’s attitude to life and the afterlife, and the preparations they made to ensure their transition from earthly existence to immortality. Discover the Egyptians’ means of equipping the dead – through mummification, provision of sustenance, magic and ritual – and explore the evolution of their burial rites as well as the changing relationship between man and ritual through time.
With 230 artefacts spanning from 4000 BCE to 950 CE, this exhibition endeavours to place tomb objects in their social, religious and artistic context, demonstrating the diversity and adaptability of an art that has prevailed in both time and space.
I noted two things once I stepped into the exhibition area - the darkness of the area and the number of people there. The place was packed when we were there - being Sunday afternoon and all. And the darkness? That I couldn't understand. Some statues were even hidden behind walls and are only visible through cracks in the partitions. I guess they wanted to make it feel mysterious and eerie but I thought it was unnecessary and the effect in Antalya Museum was definitely much better!

Walking down the passage from the door were statues, sphinx, carvings, stelae, jewelry and cosmetics, and ending with an area with sarcophaguses and mummies - one of which has an x-ray showing two infants burried with her. There were also short clips projected on walls showing funerals and preservation of bodies.

It was an interesting albeit morbid exhibition, but it was definitely much smaller and not as exciting as what the organisers and media had made it out to be. Did the exhibition make me think of immortality - probably not. Did the exhibition renewed my desire to visit Egypt - yes it does! Show me the real pyramid anytime!

[Photos taken during the exhibition were posted here.]

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