AC 5007 - Batch 5 - ZHOU ZIJIE

EVALUATING HERITAGE INTERPRETATION AT NUS BABA HOUSE: AN ANALYSIS BASED ON A LITERATURE REVIEW FRAMEWORK

ZHOU ZIJIE A0268571U SUPERVISOR: PROF. JOHANNES WIDODO

A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ART IN ARCHITECTURAL CONSERVATION DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE

2023

Abstract As Singapore increasingly values architectural conservation, numerous historically significant architectures undergo conservation via adaptive reuse.

Notably, historic house museums serve as a typical way of connecting with local history while displaying buildings in their original form. NUS Baba House, a wellpreserved Peranakan townhouse, exemplifies this approach. An assessment of its heritage interpretation can help us better clarify the criteria for this type of heritage interpretation. However, existing principles lack instructions for historic house museum typology and Singaporean contexts. This dissertation systematically addresses the evaluation of heritage interpretation at NUS Baba House in four stages through a literature-derived heritage interpretation assessment framework. And provide tailored enhancement recommendations in five dimensions from authenticity, sustainability, professionalism and interactivity of guided tours, inclusiveness, relation to the community. Although the applicability of the assessment framework needs more cases to verify, this study offers a practical evaluation framework for Singaporean historic house museums, filling a gap in existing guidelines and providing valuable suggestions for enhancing heritage interpretation for NUS Baba House and other similar heritage site.

Key Words: Heritage Interpretation; Historic House Museum; Singapore; NUS Baba House

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Acknowledgement The completion of this dissertation marks the end of a year of my studies in Architectural Conservation at the National University of Singapore. I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks to all those who played a role in the accomplishment of this dissertation. Without your support and guidance, this work would not have been possible.

First and foremost, I am deeply thankful to my supervisor, Professor Johannes WIDODO. Your expertise and insights have been instrumental in shaping the direction of this study. I am also grateful to Professor WONG Yunn Chii, HO Puay Peng and Nikhil JOSHI, for your many solid suggestions on the feasibility of my dissertation.

Special thanks go to the people involved at NUS Baba House. Thanks to curator Peter LEE and Kelvin ANG for their care for my research. Thanks to my mentor Chng Pei Ling, who has been caring and guiding my research and provided me with very useful reference books. Thanks to Mabel for answering a lot of questions about the history of Baba House and connecting me with professionals to answer my queries. Thanks to Donald for facilitating my search for references. Thanks to Samantha and Summer for their detailed information and advice on Baba House's interpretation. The above contributions significantly enhanced the quality of the research.

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I would also like to express my gratitude for the help and support provided by my fellow students in Architectural Conservation programme. Your encouragement and understanding have been a source of strength throughout this academic journey.

In addition, heartfelt thanks to my family for their unwavering support and belief in my abilities. Your love and encouragement have been my driving force.

Finally, I want to express gratitude to myself – the fearless individual who arrived in Singapore a year ago with courage to start from scratch. I have no regrets about my choice and look forward to passionately continuing my exploration journey of architectural heritage conservation in the future.

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Table of Contents

Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... i Acknowledgement ................................................................................................................ ii 1.

2.

3.

4.

Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 1.1.

Research background ............................................................................................................... 1

1.2.

Research Statement ................................................................................................................... 2

1.3.

Research implications and limitations.............................................................................. 2

Literature review ......................................................................................................... 3 2.1.

Heritage interpretation ........................................................................................................... 3

2.2.

Heritage interpretation in historic house museums ................................................... 6

2.3.

Heritage interpretation in Singapore................................................................................ 8

Methodology ................................................................................................................ 11 3.1.

Introduction of the case ........................................................................................................ 11

3.2.

Research framework and methodology ......................................................................... 12

Finding and discussion ............................................................................................. 15 4.1.

Stage 1: Review existing guidelines in heritage interpretation .......................... 15

4.2.

Stage 2: Develop heritage interpretation assessment framework .................... 16

4.3. Stage 3: Review the heritage interpretation of NUS Baba House ...................... 18 4.2.1. Objectives and themes ................................................................................................ 18 4.2.2. Architecture and collection ...................................................................................... 19 4.2.3. Presentation and guided tours ................................................................................ 23 4.2.4. Outreach and education ............................................................................................ 25 4.4.

5.

Stage 4: Assess the heritage interpretation of NUS Baba House ........................ 27

Recommendations ..................................................................................................... 31 5.1.

Enhance the authenticity through guided tours and e-resources ...................... 31

5.2.

Identify main themes and strengthen cooperation .................................................. 32

5.3.

Deepen experience and regulate behaviour of tour guides................................... 33

5.4.

Enhance multilingualism and accessibility .................................................................. 34

5.5.

Enhance neighbourhood connectivity as a community museum ....................... 35 iv

6.

Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 37

Bibliography ......................................................................................................................... 39 Appendices ............................................................................................................................ 42 Appendix 1: Summary of general heritage interpretation guidelines .......................... 42 Appendix 2: Summary of interpreting historic house museums guidelines................ 44 Appendix 3: Summary of heritage interpretation guidelines in Singapore ................ 46 Appendix 4: Summary of display strategies for each space in NUS Baba House ...... 48 Appendix 5: Summary of the booking based guided tours in NUS Baba House ........ 49 Appendix 6: Summary of other interpretive systems in NUS Baba House................... 50 Appendix 7: Summary of outreach and education programmes in NUS Baba House ...................................................................................................................................................................... 52

Words Count: 9,349 Including the abstract, table of contents, main body of texts, and captions Excluding acknowledgement, bibliography, and appendices

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1.

Introduction

1.1.

Research background In recent years, as architectural conservation has gradually gained attention in

Singapore, many valuable historic architectures have been preserved through various means of adaptive re-use. One of the typical ways is the Historic House Museum. It refers to historical buildings that were once inhabited and are now open to the public as museums. It usually exhibits the furniture and artefacts inside, preserves the spirit of the owner and has a strong connection with the local historical memory (Museums Association et al., 1987). Therefore, unlike many historic buildings that are now being converted to serve as "containers" for new functions, historic house museums regard the building and the history and culture behind it as a whole, and their core concept is to develop the building as a museum through heritage interpretation, which is defined by ICOMOS (2008) as a broad range of possibilities aimed at raising public awareness as well as improving comprehension of cultural heritage places. NUS Baba House, one of the few wellpreserved traditional townhouses of Peranakan Chinese, is a typical example of a historic house museum in Singapore. By evaluating and analysing the effectiveness of its heritage interpretation, it will not only help it to optimise its own heritage interpretation but will also help us to clarify what a good interpretation of a historic house museum in Singapore should be.

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However, as existed principals of heritage interpretation are more general, such as the classic six principles of heritage interpretation by Freeman Tilden, and the ICOMOS Ename Charter’s seven principles for heritage interpretation and presentation, etc. There is no respond to the context of Singapore and the typology of historic house museums in particular. Therefore, cannot assess the effectiveness of heritage interpretation at NUS Baba House with a more complete and specific perspective.

1.2.

Research Statement Based on the above background, the main issues addressed in this paper are

reviewing of academic literatures and international and local documents related to heritage interpretation to summarise a heritage interpretation assessment framework and apply it to the assessment of the interpretation at NUS Baba House.

1.3.

Research implications and limitations This study will help in the assessment of the heritage interpretation system of

NUS Baba House from a practical level, fill the gap that there is no assessment framework for heritage interpretation of historic house museums in Singapore, and provide an assessment reference for other museums of the same type in Singapore.

However, due to practical constraints, the applicability of the framework summarised in this research needs to be further explored through more case studies.

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2.

Literature review

2.1.

Heritage interpretation The most widely used international definition of heritage interpretation in

recent times is defined by the ICOMOS Charter for the Interpretation and Presentation of Cultural Heritage Site (2008). Before the official launch of this Charter, the recent debate on the definition of heritage interpretation and its related topics had been going on for more than half a century, and it is still a popular topic within the heritage filed today.

Modern heritage interpretation began with the practice of guided nature walks in the United States National Parks, which became popular in the early 1900's.

American naturalist John Muir firstly used the word "interpret" to express the process of communicating the beauty of nature to others (Lin & Liu, 2023), and Muir's close friend, Mills (1920), inherited his ideas and summarised the early interpretation of nature guides. Consciously distinguishing the interpretation of nature parks from ordinary educational activities, he emphasised the special aspect of heritage interpretation is that engage visitors' brains as well as their hearts.

However, the Mills were based on the informal experience of individual guides until Stephen Mather, the National Park Service's (NPS) earliest Director, initiated two comprehensive educational programmes in Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks, combining more interpretive tools with the idea that interpretation was not just a general educational activity. After 1930, under the endeavor of the new 3

director of the NPS, Horace Albright, heritage interpretation began to expand from natural interpretation to the historical and cultural realm and gradually became one of the core elements of U.S. national parks conservation work.

Inspired by Muir, Mills, and the theoretical summaries of early interpretive explorations in national parks, Tilden (1957), systematically established a definition of interpretation and its six principles, emphasising that conservation is based on the individual's rationality and emotion in understanding and appreciating heritage, rather than didactic propaganda and indoctrination. It continues to profoundly influence and guide the practice of heritage interpretation today. Although Tilden's heritage interpretation focuses more on the act of interpretation and less on the description of the sites that are the object of interpretation (Fu & Wang, 2023).

According to Sam H. Ham's observation, it was in the 1960s, after the release of Tilden's theories, that the discussion of heritage interpretation increased, and a variety of standards and norms began to be developed and released. Demonstrates the seminal role of Tilden and his interpretive practice in the US National Parks in the development of interpretation theory for heritage (Lin & Liu, 2023).

And then, based on Tilden's concept of heritage interpretation, the academic field began to continuously refine the meaning and elements of the concept. Ham (1992), a famous American interpreter, eveloped based on William J. Lewis, formally proposed the thematic approach, and summarised the "EROT" (Enjoyable, Relevant, Organized, Thematic) framework is the most representative. Later, it was renamed

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as TORE (thematic, organised, relevant, enjoyable) model, which provides a framework for guiding the practice of heritage interpretation.

After half a century of practice and theoretical exploration since the formulation of Tilden's theory of heritage interpretation, the Charter published by ICOMOS (2008) for the first time explicitly puts forward the distinction between the relationship and concept of interpretation and presentation of heritage and defines its objectives and principles. Compared with Tilden's theory, the Charter highlights the dynamic two-way interaction between heritage interpretation and heritage sites, clarifies the role and positioning of interpretation in the process of heritage conservation and management, and better guides practice from an epistemological level (Fu & Wang, 2023). Since its launch, the Charter has become a guiding document in the field of international heritage interpretation.

Recently, with new trends such as the revolution of digital media, the increasing connection between cultures around the world, and the increased comprehension of tourists (Slack, 2020), the Charter is also in urgent need of continuous updating.

The formal establishment of the UNESCO World Heritage Interpretation and Presentation Centre (WHIPIC) in 2022 marks the expansion of interpretation and presentation from the single field of cultural heritage to the broader field of world heritage. Based on the review of previous definitions of cultural heritage interpretation, WHIPIC emphasised the community participation and cultural

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inclusiveness in its theoretical research report (Kang & Kim, 2022), reflecting new trends in contemporary heritage interpretation.

In conclusion, in terms of theory, the theoretical prototype of heritage interpretation was put forward by Tilden, and subsequent studies are basically based on the development and derivation of this framework, among which TORE proposed by Sam H. Ham is the most representative. In terms of practice, ICOMOS Charter is still the most authoritative guidebook for heritage interpretation practice.

However, due to the practical characteristic of heritage interpretation, there are more practical explorations and fewer theoretical constructions, moreover with the innovation of technology and media, it is more important to construct models of heritage interpretation in specific contemporary context.

2.2.

Heritage interpretation in historic house museums In 1850, Americans were influenced by the British ethos of maintaining historic

buildings and monuments, as well as the value of the structures themselves, the Hasbrouck House was purchased by the government and became the first historic house museum to be preserved by the Americans (Butcher-Younghans, 1996). By the 1930s, Coleman (1933) had seen the growth of historic house museums and argued that they had become a component of American national identity. However, there was no specific guidance to guide its management as well as interpretation.

Between the mid-1940s and the early 1950s, due to the impact of rapid urbanisation, 6

American society's focus on historic sites gradually increased, and the number of historic house museums, as one of the main means of preserving and utilising historic buildings, therefore continued to grow, taking up a large proportion of the total number of museums in the United States (Liu, 2013). In the 1970s and 1980s, patriotism with the bicentennial of the Revolution continued to increase their numbers (Butcher-Younghans, 1996).

Based on this context, Butcher-Younghans (1996) provided the first practical guidance and disciplines for the field of historic house museums. It proposes the principles of interpretation, such as capturing as many different people as possible who have lived in the place, extending the narrative to a larger context, respecting its historical authenticity, and creatively proposes three types of historical house museums: documentary, representative, and aesthetic. It also puts forward specific practical suggestions from the preparation of interpretation projects, research methods, interpretation methods and means.

The conference was conducted successfully in Geno, Italy, in November 1997, as more historic houses were accessible to the public. Historic house museums were discussed for the first time on a large scale, with experts discussing their restoration, conservation and educational dissemination, and the establishment of a committee for this purpose was proposed in cooperation with ICOM. In 1998, the International Committee for Museums of Historic Buildings (DEMHIST) was formally established,

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marking the standardization of the development and research of historic house museums.

Influenced by Sherry Butcher-Younghans, Donnelly (2002) suggests that the interpretation of historic house museums needs to see them as a whole and not be limited to a single-perspective narrative. For example, narratives of different genders, races, etc. deserve attention. Drawing on the experience of innovative organisations across the United States, Turino and Balgooy (2019) argued that as times change, historic house museums need to evolve with the times, and made suggestions such as strengthening connections with neighbouring communities, enhancing

cooperation

with

other

museums,

promoting

innovation

in

interpretation, and using modern tools.

To sum up, as this type of museum becomes more and more common, the discussion and academic research on them have gradually increased, of which the principals have mentioned by the Butcher-Younghans (1996) and the guidelines established by DEMHIST have become the main reference for the interpretation of this typology at present. However, there are still many areas that need to be further explored when placed in specific regional and case scenarios.

2.3.

Heritage interpretation in Singapore In Singapore, there is currently no specific regulation on heritage interpretation,

and most of the current practice of heritage interpretation mainly follows the 8

ICOMOS Charter. However, Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) (2022) has introduced 16 examples of good local heritage interpretation practices in four building types (shophouse and terrace house, religious building, institutional building, and warehouse), summarised the types of heritage interpretation, and specified the criteria for selecting outstanding cases, which provide a practical reference for the value orientation of heritage interpretation in Singapore. Special emphasis has been placed on the need for an inclusive approach to enable wider community participation, revealing the importance of community participation in heritage interpretation in Singapore.

In addition, in 1995, the URA Architectural Heritage Awards (AHA) were established, as one of the highest honours for the conservation of historic buildings in Singapore, its judging criteria also demonstrates the value orientation of heritage interpretation to a certain extent. In the 2020 Criteria Review, it is specifically mentioned that in addition to encouraging higher standards of conservation, there is also a need to focus on enhancing the value of intangible heritage to the community, and to promote the historical relevance of the place through the application of heritage interpretation (URA, 2022). This demonstrates URA's community-orientation, cultural-orientation, and sustainability-orientation in heritage conservation. According to National Heritage Board (NHB) (2023), the Our SG Heritage Plan 2.0 is a strategy for Singapore's heritage industry for the following five years, although it does not specifically state the content related to heritage

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interpretation, it can also be seen through its aim, vision and strategies that inclusion and diversity, community and linkage, industry and innovation are the directions that Singapore's heritage interpretation need to be focused on in now and in the future.

To summarise, Singapore continues to adhere to worldwide standards in the realm of heritage interpretation, and no unique local guidelines exist. But the relevant government departments have consciously guided the specific practice through case studies, award criteria, overall planning, etc., which shows the importance of summarizing a set of heritage interpretation guidelines suitable for Singapore is increasingly evident.

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3.

Methodology

3.1.

Introduction of the case NUS Baba House is located at 157 Neil Road, Blair Plain conservation area. It is

a three-story townhouse, which in terms of architectural style, it is the Second Transitional Shophouse Style, in which designers and builders moved to reduce decoration, characterised by a basic and streamlined design (URA, 2017). It reflects the context of social development and multi-racial integration in 1920s Singapore.

In terms of functionality, it is a historic house museum that has been completely restored to depict Peranakan Chinese household culture in Singapore during the last century, with over 2,000 pieces of antiques and decorative items currently display on the 1st and 2nd floors, and contemporary Peranakan themed exhibitions on the 3rd floor of the building (STB, 2023).

Originally built in 1895 as a two-storey townhouse, the house was purchased by the Wee Family, a Peranakan shipbuilding tycoon, around 1910 and a third storey was added to the house to form the present-day layout. Vacant for more than half a century, Ms. Agnes Tan acquired and refurbished the house in 2006 for $4 million in commemoration of her father, Tun Tan Cheng Lock, a notable Peranakan businessman. In 2007, a formal conservation programme was initiated, led by the NUS Museum, the Department of Architecture of the NUS, the URA and the Peranakan Association of Singapore. The restoration was completed in September

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2008 and the house, named NUS Baba House, is officially open to the public to this day (NUS Baba House, 2022).

NUS Baba House was chosen as a case study for heritage interpretation assessment because it is considered to be one of the few remaining indigenous Peranakan traditional shophouses in Singapore with well-preserved interiors, and it is a good case study for the conservation and interpretation of Singapore's colonial residences (Foo et al., 2016). At the same time, its major difference from other historical house museums is that it does not only conserve the façade of the building, but also facilitates appreciation, reflection and research into the Straits Chinese history and culture by restoring and revitalising the interior spaces. It is therefore fair to say that NUS Baba House is one of the best representatives of Singapore's historic house museums.

In addition to the importance and representativeness of the NUS Baba House mentioned above, the fact that the author worked as a part-time docent at this house for more than half a year, which enhances the convenience of data collection in the later stages of the research, can also be one of the reasons for choosing this case study for the research.

3.2.

Research framework and methodology According to the literature review, there is currently no guideline for assessing

heritage interpretation of historic house museum in Singapore, therefore this 12

research proposed 4-stage process for assessing heritage interpretation at NUS Baba House as shown in Figure 1.

Stage 1 Literature Review

Stage 2 Framework Development

Stage 3 Case Review

Stage 4 Case Assessment

Figure 1: Research stages in assessing heritage interpretation at NUS Baba House. Source: Author.

At Stage 1, a comprehensive literature review was carried out from the three directions of heritage interpretation assessment guidelines, including general heritage interpretation, heritage interpretation in historic house museums, and heritage interpretation in Singapore, with each of the guidelines being summarised and concluded. The selection of these three directions is because the final assessment framework can be examined from general to typological to regional aspects, which is more comprehensive. The review of the guidelines was based on if they are classic and representative of the field, i.e., they have been widely recognised and cited, and that the other guidelines have been developed and derived from their foundation.

Then, based on the three directions of the guidelines summarised in the Stage1, Stage 2 will merge all of them through a continuous comparison and induction process to arrive at a final framework of guidelines that can be used for evaluating the interpretation of the heritage of the Singapore Historic House Museum. In the process of merging and consolidating, the logic of concatenation rather than intersection is adopted, i.e., all the guidelines of the three directions will be 13

aggregated together, and those with the same or similar meanings will be merged into a single guideline, while those that are not the same will be retained, to ensure that the final assessment framework is comprehensive and complete.

Next is Stage 3, which summarised the current status of heritage interpretation at the NUS Baba House based on relevant literature research and site observation.

The framework basically covers all the elements of interpretation, including objectives and themes, architecture and collection, presentation and guided tours, outreach and education.

Finally, Stage 4, combines the current state of interpretation summarised in Stage 3, and compares it with the assessment framework summarised in Stage 2.

Each guideline will be used to evaluate the interpretation of NUS Baba House as either "Satisfactory" or "To be Improved", and for those that are evaluated as "To be Improved", the possible reasons will be listed, and recommendations will be provided.

Overall, using a combination of qualitative research methods such as literature research, comparative and inductive methods, and site observation, this study will go through the four stages of literature review, framework development, case review, and case assessment, and ultimately provide specific recommendations for the NUS Baba House in terms of heritage interpretation.

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4.

Finding and discussion

4.1.

Stage 1: Review existing guidelines in heritage interpretation Based on the literature review of the three directions of heritage interpretation,

the following will summarise the core guidelines of each direction.

Firstly, reviewed Tilden's six heritage interpretive principles, Sam H. Ham's TORE model of heritage interpretation, and the seven principles of heritage interpretation published by the ICOMOS Charter, to derive nine general guidelines for heritage interpretation. See appendix 1 for details.

Second, focused on Sherry Butcher-Younghans' book in 1993, and summarised the guidelines mentioned in Chapter 10, supplemented by some of the ideas mentioned by Jessica Foy Donnelly's book, as well as some of the other literatures.

The nine guidelines were summarised in interpreting the historic house museums as shown in appendix 2.

Finally, summarised by textual analyses of the 16 case reports in the URA guided handbook Heritage Interpretation: Do It Right, analysed of criteria and objectives in URA's Architectural Heritage Award, and analysesd of relevant missions, objectives, and strategies in NHB's Our Heritage Plan 2.0 to derive the preliminary six guidelines for heritage interpretation in Singapore, as shown in appendix 3.

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4.2.

Stage 2: Develop heritage interpretation assessment framework To facilitate a better application in the actual assessment, the 24 guidelines are

further compared and summarised, at the same time, reference is made to the categorisation of the cultural heritage interpretation system by Zhou and Yan (2016) and Liu and Hui (2021) to finally come up with 13 guidelines for the interpretation assessment framework for the historic house museums in Singapore, which cover the four categories including interpretive resources, contents, media and recipients.

See Table 1 for more details.

Table 1: Heritage interpretation assessment framework for the historic house museum in Singapore.

Source: Author.

Resources of Interpretation 1. Authenticity Interpretation needs to respect the authenticity of the heritage, minimise damage to the value of the heritage when renovating it and ensure that it is irreversible at all times, as well as providing appropriate descriptions and indications of non-authentic objects.

2. Sustainability The interpretation of the historic house museums needs to give consideration to the long-term sustainability of its interpretation, including but not limited to the sustainability of its cultural value, the sustainability of its daily maintenance, and the sustainability of its social empowerment.

3. Diversity of Information Acquisition The acquisition of primary sources for interpretation is a comprehensive process of acquiring information that can be studied from the past and the present, as well as archaeological excavations on the ground.

Contents of Interpretation 4. Thematic Interpretation It is not just a collection and listing of information, but a thematic explanation and disclosure of its important value.

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5. Diversity of Perspectives Historic house museums need to take care of at least six perspectives of interpretation, including the background of the era, the contextual environment, architecture, artefacts, people, conservation. At the same time need to clarify the theme, to avoid information redundancy.

6. Relativity and Accessibility The content of the interpretation needs to be relevant to the audience and easily understood, e.g. the logic of the interpretation is logical and organised.

7. Interpretation of Space Scene with Historical Atmosphere The characteristic of the historical house museum is that it has a space with historical authenticity, so the interpretation needs to focus on creating a scene with a sense of historical atmosphere through the space.

Media of Interpretation 8. Enrichment and Innovation In addition to the traditional art exhibitions, talks, architecture tours, and other means of interpretation that meet the needs of contemporary audiences can also be actively introduced after evaluation.

9. Aesthetic and Enjoyment Interpretation is an art that needs to have a certain aesthetic value and at the same time be able to immerse people in it.

10. Professionalism and Interactivity of Guided Tours As one of the most common ways of interpretation in historic house museums, guided tours need to be based on professionalism and have a certain degree of interactivity in order to better enhance the effect of interpretation.

Recipients of Interpretation 11. Inclusiveness Interpretation needs to take into account the needs of different stakeholders, such as age, race, gender, nationality, physical condition, etc., and provide targeted means of interpretation on a daily or temporary basis.

12. Relate to the Community Interpretation needs to consider the values necessary for the daily life of the community.

Interpretation should not only focus on the historic building itself, but also clarify and show its relationship with the area in which it is located.

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13. Evaluative Interpretation methods and techniques are constantly changing due to people's understanding of the past, and therefore need to be kept up to date through continuous interpretation evaluation.

4.3.

Stage 3: Review the heritage interpretation of NUS Baba House This section will systematically review the current status of NUS Baba House

heritage interpretation from four perspectives: objectives and themes, architecture and collection, presentation and guided tours, and outreach and education, using information obtained from literature research and site observation.

4.2.1.

Objectives and themes

Peter lee, the honorary curator of the NUS Baba House, recorded that he initially sought the views of the key stakeholders of the Baba House before deciding on the interpretation strategy and theme.

The founding donator Ms Agnes Tan Kim Lwi proactively support the field of education in Singapore and would like to commemorate her father, the late visionary business and community leader, Tun Tan Cheng Lock (Foo et al., 2016).

The former owners Wee Lin and his brother Wee Sun, propose to preserve and safeguard the architecture and interior heritage of their family (Foo et al., 2016), and explore how the house can be of value to Singapore's heritage (Suryadinata, 2010, pp. 145–169).

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The current administrator NUS actively facilitate intellectual and cultural life within and beyond the University (NUS Museum, 2023).

The primary partner, URA, officially designated the Blair Plain Conservation Area as a residential historic district. Except for seven listed cases, any commercial use was strictly prohibited in the area and continues to be so (URA, 2023).

Therefore, based on the demands of different stakeholders, the curators have finally defined the core interpretative goals of NUS Baba House as an interdisciplinary educational and cultural dissemination center designed for interactive interpretations of its multifaceted histories, spanning social, commercial, architectural, art historical, and geographical dimensions. While the name might imply a focus solely on showcasing Baba or Peranakan culture, the house also encourages contemporary engagements with Peranakan culture and community, supports the study of architectural heritage and conservation, and delves into the social histories of the Blair Plain neighborhood (Suryadinata, 2010, pp. 145–169).

To sum up, starting from the core demands of the stakeholders, NUS Baba House clarifies its interpretative goals and themes, and then all the specific interpretative strategies, contents and means are developed based on them.

4.2.2.

Architecture and collection

Based on the curator Peter lee's description, live-in house is the core concept adopted in his interpretation and planning of the architectural space. It specifically 19

denotes a location where a visitor would experience the sensation of entering a house to meet its resident. Its core is to articulate the building as a house in a residential zone, and for the visitor to experience the interiors as spaces filled with household items and furniture, rather than with overtly designated and protected museum artefacts. The principle is that the building, the artefacts, and the historic community relationships need to be viewed as a whole, creating a concept of spatial theatre with authenticity. Modern materials and alternatives are avoided as much as possible, as are museum-style displays such as explanatory captions, encased or cordoned-off displays, and marked tour routes. This interpretation concept, on the one hand, respects and protects its original function, layout, and display as a family house, which to some extent reflects its interpretation of the authenticity of heritage; on the other hand, by creating such an authentic atmosphere, it can help the museum to achieve the purpose of education and dissemination of culture in a more subliminal way. If it is to be displayed like a traditional museum space, on the contrary, it will pull away the distance between the visitors and disturb the visitors' sense of experience.

According to Peter's account, the whole house was restored and laid out according to the style of 1928, which is based on the family history, the year of the furniture, and the turning point of the golden age of the Peranakan (for the Wee family, who was engaged in the sea trading business, the Great Depression in 1929 made their business show a downward trend). However, in studying the spatial

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arrangement, Peter also made reference to photographs of the interior of the house inadvertently taken by his uncle Lee Kip Lin in the 1960s.

As the summary of display strategies for each space in NUS Baba House shown in the appendix 4, the concept of authenticity of the live-in house is basically followed in the process of restoration and presentation of buildings and artefacts, with some specific aspects worth noting: Firstly, the creation of a sense of authenticity. In order to ensure the immersion and authenticity of the tour experience, all artefacts are placed as naturally as possible in appropriate locations, without setting up too many traditional museums will use the cordon and fixed explanatory signs and so on. Only particularly fragile artefacts will be preserved by the NUS Museum. In addition, this involved creating an authentic ambiance dating to about 1928, with as many original artefacts belonging to the family as possible, and replacing any missing items with artefacts of a similar type. The manager of the house describes that 60% of the artefacts and furniture in the house currently belonged to the house originally, and that the rest of the artefacts came from donations, linked to the families of prominent 19th century and early 20th century Peranakans, such as Lee Choon Guan and Tan Kim Seng. Together, these artefacts show the complete Baba House.

Secondly, it is conservation as interpretation. As a museum of historic architecture with a core mission of educational dissemination, the process of conservation and restoration of Baba House did not stop after its official opening. In

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collaboration with the NUS Department of Architecture, students were able to use the walls of the front courtyard, the reception hall, and the rear bedroom corridor to test and experiment with the use of lime plaster in different mixing ratios and combinations of different techniques in order to find the best solution for the restoration material. This process was also documented and displayed in the Baba House. The conservation process as an exhibition is one of the unique resources that the historic house museum has to offer.

Last but not least, the space is utilised to the fullest extent. Baba House makes visitors feel as if they are in a real home by fully restoring the original layout and furnishings of the first and second floors. Perhaps to avoid duplication of content, the curators have converted the third floor, which originally functioned as a bedroom, into an exhibition space, which is currently dedicated to the theme of Peranakan cultural identity as well as some of the archeological findings and artefacts of the Baba House, which greatly enriches the overall content of the interpretation and enhances the visitor's experience. In addition, as a museum, the NUS Baba House has been museumised in terms of its fundamental functions, with new infrastructures built to fulfil visitors' essential requirements, including barrierfree access, lifts, toilets, new staircases, offices and storerooms, and the use of public areas such as stairwells for the presentation of restoration and archaeological content.

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In conclusion, in terms of architecture and collection, NUS Baba House takes the live-in house as the core of its concept and creates an authentic and immersive museum of historical architecture from multiple dimensions, including architectural conservation, spatial layout, and furniture and artefacts.

4.2.3.

Presentation and guided tours

The interpretation system of NUS Baba House is based on the booking based guided tours, supplemented by other means such as signage, 3D model guided maps, and videos. The reason for this interpretation strategy is that, on the one hand, for the protection of the structure and the overall atmosphere of the house, the reservation system can effectively control the number of visitors and facilitate the better management of the tour process; on the other hand, through the setting of the reservation system, it makes the visit become a proactive behaviour, and it can screen out the audience who love and cherish the heritage, which is also conducive to the preservation of the house.

According to Peter Lee's account, all the information texts are taken from public records and the archives of the Wee family. All the weekday docents are trained in a strict and uniform way, but each one will have a different interpretation according to his or her own style. The detailed summary of the booking based guided tours can be find in the appendix 5.

23

In addition to guided tours, other interpretive systems can be classified according to form as non-fixed display boards, fixed display boards, e-websites, 3D model guided maps, videos, and music. Their main purpose is to help visitors better understand the content and value of important spaces and artefacts in the museum during their visit. The comprehensive summary of other interpretive systems can be found in appendix 6.

Based on the compilation of the interpretive system of the NUS Baba House, the main features can be summarised as: In terms of content, it takes the family history of the Wee family and its architectural heritage as an entry point to explain the cultural customs of the Peranakan and the story of the building in the process of conservation and archaeological excavation, covering both material and non-material aspects, such as architecture, space, artifacts, culture, history, and so on.

In terms of format, the guided tour as the main method of interpretation, supplemented by other display boards, is interactive and flexible, enabling it to enrich and disseminate the content without destroying the heritage; however, on the other hand, the ability and quality of the guides have a great impact on the effectiveness of the interpretation.

In terms of organisation, the number of visitors is limited by reservation, which is a good way to regulate the management; at the same time, visitors are asked to fill in a feedback questionnaire at the end of the guided tour, so that there are some

24

feedbacks can be applied to the subsequent enhancement and improvement of the tour.

Overall, the guided tours of the NUS Baba House as the main mode of interpretation, and the diversion of visitors through the reservation system, help the historic house museum to do a good job of interpretation and at the same time better protect the heritage itself.

4.2.4.

Outreach and education

In addition to regular interpretation content, NUS Baba house also organises thematic events, publishes thematic social media content, and publishes related cultural books to enable a wider and more diverse audience to experience and understand the value of heritage, and to help it achieve its education and dissemination purposes. See the summary of mainly thematic activities in annex x.

According to the summary of outreach and education programmes in appendix 7, the following conclusions can be drawn.

In terms of programme format, there is a wide variety of types, including tours, workshops, online live-casts, talks, panel discussions, short film screenings, but mainly talks and workshops.

In terms of programme targets, the core audiences are NUS students, staff and alumni, primary and secondary school students and parents, as well as the wider community, which basically covers the groups that should be covered in the 25

interpretive objectives. In addition, the programme will also focus on different groups of people, for example, in the Around the Tok Panjang: A Guided Tour on Women and the Baba House series in 2022, the core perspective of the programme will focus on Straits Chinese women.

In terms of the programme theme, the content is very diverse, including but not limited to the architecture, conservation and restoration, history, culture, heritage and art of the Baba House itself; the experience of architectural conservation and archaeology; the architecture, culture, customs, family life, gender issues, etc. of the Peranakan Chinese; the neighbourhood community, heritage, and artists; and the culture of the Chinese family and religion and culture. It basically covers all aspects mentioned in the interpretive themes. In addition, from the theme setting, it can be seen that the activities of NUS Baba House are both academic and community-based, and the tendency of community-based nature is becoming more and more obvious.

In terms of programme organisation, activities are basically arranged on weekends or public holidays, and the length of the activities is controlled within 12 hours to provide a better participation experience. If the activities are held offline in the baba house, the general size of 20-30 people, a larger number of people will be divided into groups; and the activities, such as drawing flower bricks, learning calligraphy, etc., will be basically arranged on the ground floor of the spacious area of the ancestral hall, so as to facilitate the management of the staff and to protect the architectural heritage from damage. Activities are basically free of charge, and if a

26

fee is required, it basically ranges from S$5 to S$30. If you are a student, staff or alumni of the NUS, there are also discounts or even free benefits, which lowers the threshold for audience participation.

In terms of programme impact, the event has from the beginning focused on cobranding or collaborating with different organisations or large-scale events in the community in order to achieve a wider impact. For example, participation in events such as the Architectural Heritage Season organised by URA, Singapore Art Week organised by the National Arts Council, and a series of joint events with organisations such as Gen, TED x Singapore in 2022. In addition, NUS Baba House has also been committed to providing a second-class educational venue for schools of different age groups. For example, the just-concluded Build Your Own Baba House event in 2023 is a collaboration with catholic high school, in which second-year high school students act as guides to introduce the house's history and stories to visitors.

In conclusion, NUS Baba House's current interpretation activities have achieved a good deal in terms of format, audience, theme, organisation and impact, however, in order to achieve sustainable impact, more community involvement and more systematic event organisation are directions that need to be further considered.

4.4.

Stage 4: Assess the heritage interpretation of NUS Baba House This section matches the status of NUS Baba House's interpretation system with

the 13 interpretation guidelines assessment framework to assess the effectiveness 27

of specific interpretations of NUS Baba House. The specific basis for the assessment is detailed in the Table 2 below.

Table 2: Assessment for the heritage interpretation of NUS Baba House. Source: Author.

Resources of Interpretation 1. Authenticity

To be improved The building and its decorations are restored in original styles and materials, and the layout of the interior of the first and second floors basically follows the layout of the original owner, which fulfils the original authenticity.

However, some of the furniture and artefacts do not originate from the Wee family, were donated by others, thus constituting a complete scenographic interpretation, which is more inclined to a kind of staged authenticity, and to a certain extent, will be confused with its original authentic heritage, affecting the tourists' perception of authenticity.

2. Sustainability

To be improved The guided tours by appointment control the flow of visitors, thus contributing to the sustainable conservation of the house and its artefacts.

Although a number of outreach educational events have been organised, the timing, audience and themes of the events have been fragmented and inconsistent, to the detriment of sustainability interpretation.

3. Diversity of Information Acquisition

Satisfactory The interpretive material for the NUS Baba House, derived from public records and relevant information provided by the Wee family, as well as what was obtained in the archaeology of the house, basically covers the sources of access to information from the historic house museum as mentioned by Sherry Butcher-Younghans in her handbook.

Contents of Interpretation

4. Thematic Interpretation

Satisfactory From the beginning of the project research in 2007, Baba House has clearly defined the goal of thematic interpretation, and in the account of curator Peter Lee, several themes of curation were explicitly put forward, and the subsequent contents of interpretation basically centred on the interpretation of several core themes.

5. Diversity of Perspectives

Satisfactory

28

The interpretation of Baba House is based on the story of the Wee family and its architectural features, and describes various aspects of the period, peranakan culture and customs, heritage features, and the process of conservation and restoration, thus fulfilling the criterion of the diversity of interpretative perspectives.

6. Relativity and Accessibility

Satisfactory Using "family" as the main entry point for interpretation and creating a live-in house atmosphere is an entry point for interpretation that makes visitors of all genders, ages, and nationalities feel familiar, and combined with interactive tours, it lowers the barrier to understanding for visitors.

7. Interpretation of Space Scene with Historical Atmosphere

Satisfactory The first and second floors of NUS Baba house are basically presented according to the original layout, creating a space with a historical atmosphere, such as some stacked books and daily used objects are presented in detail. In addition, although the third floor has been used as a new exhibition space, the curators have cleverly used music to create a historical imagination, so that visitors can imagine the Wee Family dancing on this floor in the course of viewing the exhibition.

Media of Interpretation

8. Enrichment and Innovation

Satisfactory At present, Baba House's means of interpretation are mainly based on daily guided tours supplemented by display boards and occasional outreach programmes. This basically covers the types of interpretation methods mentioned by Sherry Butcher-Younghans in her manual, with some innovative interpretation methods such as 3D model maps.

9. Aesthetic and Enjoyment

Satisfactory Because the live-in house interpretation strategy helps Baba House to be able to preserve and display its historical buildings, decorations, artefacts, etc. in an intact way, compared to the traditional display boards, the Historical House Museum itself is the best place for aesthetic and immersive enjoyment.

10.

Professionalism and Interactivity of Guided Tours

To be improved On weekdays, the docents of the heritage tour need to go through special training and assessment before they can be formally on duty to give explanations, so professionalism is guaranteed, but as the tour is mainly led by the docents, who follow the prescribed routes and explanatory texts, the interactivity and flexibility are relatively weak.

29

The Saturday exploratory event complements this by allowing visitors to explore freely after receiving an introduction from the hosts, and volunteers are available at each key space to provide advice and simple explanations. However, the volunteers are not professionally trained, so their professionalism may be lacking.

Recipients of Interpretation 11. Inclusiveness

To be improved The inclusiveness explained by NUS Baba House is mainly embodied in multi-language, gender equality, multi-age groups, accessibility, and so on.

In terms of multilingualism, the heritage tour on weekdays provides guided tours in Japanese on a regular basis, in addition to English; the selfguided tours on weekends also provide services in both English and Chinese. However, the exhibition boards in the museum are still predominantly in English, and the multilingual guided tour service is not stable, for example, the Chinese guided tour service was previously provided, but was discontinued due to the lack of docent.

In terms of gender equality and multi-age groups, Baba House has demonstrated its care for different groups by organising talks and workshops from time to time.

In terms of accessibility, although the space of Baba House is limited, there is still a passageway for wheelchair users in the newly constructed part of the backyard, and a lift has been added, which can be considered as an ingenious move without destroying the original structure of the building.

However, the fact that few people with disabilities visit the building, apart from the need to continue to improve the infrastructure to meet the needs of different groups of people, such as the hearing impaired, visually impaired, physically disabled and so on, there is also a need to enhance the degree of accessibility at the level of booking and publicity.

12. Relates to the Community

To be improved Baba House currently invites the neighbouring community to participate in occasional programmes, and also leads visits and learning sessions for people who are not part of the community. It also disseminates information about its own community through social media.

However, in the daily guided tours, the content of the neighbouring community is rarely mentioned, and the focus is more on the building itself.

13. Evaluative

Satisfactory Baba house is now inviting participants to fill in feedback questionnaires after daily tours and activities, which has become a regular feature.

30

5.

Recommendations Based on the results of the above assessment, the following paragraphs will

reflect on the specific reasons and recommendations regarding the areas that need to be improved.

5.1.

Enhance the authenticity through guided tours and e-resources NUS Baba House is essentially a museum, and the authenticity of the exhibits is

always the core concern of visitors, which can be clearly perceived in the questions answered by the daily guided tours. However, due to the original intention of creating an authentic atmosphere, the curators hope to construct a real visiting experience for the audience, and therefore minimise the signage display system commonly used in traditional museums, and replace it with the introduction of specific information through the guide's explanations, supplemented by a number of non-fixed display boards, which results in the lack of a way to judge the authenticity of the artifacts and furnishings when visitors freely explore the house, which further affects its authenticity. Butcher-Younghans (1996) also clearly states that it is vital to inform visitors that the furniture on display was not used by the family but rather represents the sorts of items they may have had.

Therefore, without destroying the overall atmosphere of the displays inside the NUS Baba House, this study suggests that the interpretation of authenticity can be enhanced in the following two ways: 31

Firstly, the necessity of guided tours for the interpretation of authenticity is emphasised. As described by the curator, guided tours are a more flexible form of interpretation than fixed museum signage. Therefore, when it is found that visitors' doubts about the authenticity of exhibits are becoming more and more frequent, museum administrators should provide new training to all docents on the need to proactively introduce and emphasise the authenticity of exhibits for visitors during their tours and to respond professionally to visitors' enquiries about specific details.

Secondly, make full use of e-resources to strengthen the interpretation of authenticity. If in the real exhibition space, it is not appropriate to use too many traditional exhibition signs to introduce the authenticity of the exhibits, it can be considered making full use of the existing 3D model, in the introduction of artefacts and space, to emphasize the authenticity of its attributes, and guide the user to view on their own.

5.2.

Identify main themes and strengthen cooperation NUS Baba house's implementation of the sustainability principle is reflected in

the fact that it uses guided tours by reservation to control the flow of people and to preserve its architecture and heritage in a sustainable way. However, the sustainability of the programme is not as good as it could be, at least not in terms of consistency in the organisation of past events, which is not conducive to the sustainability of its educational and communication objectives. This may be due to 32

the limited human and resource capacity of the organisation, which prevents it from sustaining too many projects. In order to address this problem, and on the premise that manpower and resources cannot be changed by default, it is necessary to first conduct a comprehensive review of past activities and the feedback collected, identify the main focus of the activities, and actively seek long-term partners or projects, so as to leverage the power of other organisations and activities to amplify their impact and enhance their sustainability.

5.3.

Deepen experience and regulate behaviour of tour guides As mentioned above, guided tours in NUS Baba House are currently categorised

into two types, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. It is true that, as the main interpretation method of the Baba House, it must have been carefully thought out during the initial setup, for example, due to the high cost of training and the high mobility of volunteers for self-guided tours, there is no standardised training for them; whereas, for the heritage tours, the emphasis is more on completeness and professionalism, and it is difficult to regulate the interactivity as each guide has a different style. However, in order to achieve a better interpretation, it is possible to do better in these two areas, and the following are some suggestions: Firstly, provide all docents and volunteers with a uniform guide to interpretation and standardisation, and hold regular assessments. In order to achieve better interpretive effectiveness, standardisation and regulation is a must.

33

Based on feedback from previous visitors and tour guides, the house manager needs to design and write a unified sample commentary and specification guide for each serving or future new guide to learn and refer to and arrange for regular assessments to enhance the professionalism of the guides. However, the reference does not mean that all docents must read from the same script. In actual scenarios, docents are still encouraged to narrate the same master version of the text in their own personal style.

Secondly, design regular interactive sessions for the guided tours and train the guides to learn them. Currently, the interactive behaviour of the guided tours in the Baba House relies heavily on personal experience and style. In the subsequent guided tours, the house manager needs to consciously design interactive sessions for the guides, and let each guide learn and apply them to his/her own guided tours in order to improve the overall interactivity.

5.4.

Enhance multilingualism and accessibility As Singapore is a multi-racial society, inclusiveness is also very important to

Baba House. Based on the above summary, Baba House has consciously taken care of inclusiveness from infrastructure to activities, but perhaps due to the number of tourists and the limited nature of its own resources, there are still some areas that can be improved.

34

Firstly, planned training of docents in languages other than English. In the docent training programme, certain preferential reduction policies can be provided for non-English language docent to encourage more languages to join the docent.

Secondly, all display boards are linked to the website content through QR codes to provide multi-language explanatory information.

Thirdly, progressively promote the construction of barrier-free facilities and interpretation, including but not limited to display boards, interpretation services and routes optimised for different groups of people, such as the hearing-impaired, visually impaired and physically handicapped; as well as letting more people with disabilities know about and have the opportunity to take part in guided tours of the Baba House from the publicity level.

5.5.

Enhance neighbourhood connectivity as a community museum Community is a recurring theme in the examples of good heritage

interpretation provided by URA. Recently, NUS Baba House has also become aware of the importance of local community in interpretation, using social media and offline activities to explore and tell the relationships and stories of Baba House and its neighbouring communities. However, as mentioned above, there is currently less mention of community-related content in the daily guided tours of the house, which focus more on the content of the house itself. This may be due to the inertia of the docent's narratives and the fact that new interpretive themes are not applied to their 35

explanations. Therefore, it is important to evaluate and review the work of the docents on a regular basis, and to add the content of local stories to the existing explanations. For example, after the hosting introduces the overall background of the building, it can introduce some historical background stories of the neighbourhood for the tourists, so as to enhance the tourists' perceptions of the overall context.

In addition, as a historical building museum, it is also important for Baba House to take the initiative to become a community centre for the Blair Plain Historical District, to organise more activities, such as make full use of the exhibition space on the third floor for exhibitions that tell the story of the district, to take on the function of a community museum, and to make more frequent links with the community and other museums of the same type.

36

6.

Conclusion To conclude, this dissertation is divided into four stages to comprehensively

assess the effectiveness of heritage interpretation in NUS Baba House.

Firstly, through a systematic review of previous literature and related policies, this study summarises the principles and models of heritage interpretation mentioned by Freeman Tilden (1957), Sam H. Ham (1992), ICOMOS Ename Charter (2008), and obtains nine guidelines for general heritage interpretation; extracts the articles by Sherry Butcher-Younghans (1993), Jessica Foy Donnelly (2002) and others, summarises nine guidelines for heritage interpretation in historic house museums; summaries relevant documents from URA AHA Criteria (2020), URA Do It Right (2022), Our SG Heritage Plan 2.0 (2023), and distilled six guidelines for the heritage interpretation in Singapore.

The above 24 guidelines were then compared and summarised to arrive at a 13-item framework for heritage interpretation at the historic house museum in Singapore, covering the four dimensions of heritage interpretation including resources, contents, media, and recipients.

Next, the current status of heritage interpretation at the NUS Baba House is systematically analysed from four aspects: objects and themes, architecture and collection, presentation and guided tours, outreach and education. NUS Baba House has launched a series of interpretation activities with live-in house and guided tours by appointment as the core interpretation strategies.

37

Finally, comparing the interpretation status summarised above with the assessment framework, the NUS Baba House was found to have room for improvement in the five areas of authenticity, sustainability, professionalism and interactivity of guided tours, inclusiveness, and relativity to the community. At the end, the corresponding suggestions were provided.

The study, which has initially sorted out a set of assessment framework applicable to historic house museums in Singapore, fills in the gap of the current lack of a specific heritage interpretation guideline framework in Singapore, helps in the assessment of heritage interpretation of NUS Baba House, and provides practical suggestions for it, as well as a reference for the assessment of other heritage interpretations of the same type in Singapore.

Although the study has successfully demonstrated these contributions above, it has certain limitations regarding the means of evaluation of Baba House interpretation and the applicability of the evaluation framework in view of the time constraints.

Based on the findings of this dissertation, future research directions can obtain first-hand information through more ways, such as interviews, questionnaires, etc., to evaluate the interpretation effect of Baba House from the viewpoint of visitors' evaluation; and can also improve the feasibility of the evaluation framework by using more actual cases and introducing experts to carry out the evaluation by using the Delphi approach.

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Bibliography Ball , D. (2008). Profile for a historic house museum curator. ICOM DEMHIST. https://demhist.mini.icom.museum/practice/training/ Butcher-Younghans, S. (1996). Historic house museums: A practical handbook for their care, preservation, and management. Oxford University Press.

Coleman, L. V. (1933). Historic house museums. American Association of Museums.

Donnelly, J. F. (2002). Interpreting historic house museums. Altamira Press.

Foo, S. L., Lim, C. S., Wee, S. T., & Yeo, K. S. (2016). NUS Baba House : Architecture and artefacts of a straits Chinese home. Nus Baba House.

Fu, Z., & Wang, J. (2023). The origin and development of concept and principles of heritage interpretation and presentation from the perspective of international documents. China Cultural Heritage, 3, 52–59.

Ham, S. H. (1992). Environmental interpretation: A practical guide for people with big ideas and small budgets. Fulcrum Group.

ICOMOS. (2008). ICOMOS Charter for the Interpretation and Presentation of Cultural Heritage Sites. International Journal of Cultural Property, 15(04), 377–383. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0940739108080417 Kang, S., & Kim, A. (2022). UNESCO WHIPIC: Definitions and concepts of heritage interpretation and presentation 2022 - theoretical research report. UNESCO WHIPIC.

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Lin, J., & Liu, S. (2023). The exploration and construction of american heritage interpretation ideas — focusing on the interpretation and practice of national parks. Study on Natural and Cultural Heritage, 8(2), 69–76. https://doi.org/10.19490/j.cnki.issn2096-698X.2023.02.069-076 Liu, S. (2013). Historic presentations and cultural interpretations: A study on american historic house museums. Southeast Culture, 1, 117–122.

Liu, Y., & Hui, W. L. (2021). Construction of interpretation and presentation system of cultural heritage site: An analysis of the old city, zuoying. Heritage, 4(1), 316–332. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage4010020 Mills, E. A. (1920). The adventures of a nature guide. Doubleday, Page & Company.

Museums Association, United Kingdom Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, & Group of Designers and Interpreters in Museums. (1987).

Lighting : A conference on lighting in museums,galleries and historic houses.

Museums Association.

National Heritage Board (NHB). (2023). Our SG heritage plan 2.0.

NUS Baba House. (2022). About the NUS Baba House. Nus.edu.sg. https://babahouse.nus.edu.sg/explore/about-baba-house/ NUS Museum. (2023). About NUS Museum. Nus.edu.sg. https://museum.nus.edu.sg/explore/about/ Slack, S. (2020). Interpreting heritage: A guide to planning and practice. Routledge.

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STB. (2023). NUS Baba House. Www.visitsingapore.com. https://www.visitsingapore.com/see-do-singapore/cultureheritage/heritage-discovery/nus-baba-house/ Suryadinata, L. (2010). Peranakan Chinese : In a globalizing southeast asia (pp.

145–169). Chinese Heritage Center.

Tilden, F. (1957). Interpreting our heritage. University of North Carolina Press.

Turino, K. C., & Balgooy, M. van. (2019). Reimagining historic house museums.

Rowman & Littlefield.

URA. (2017). Understanding the shophouse. Www.ura.gov.sg. https://www.ura.gov.sg/Corporate/Guidelines/Conservation/Conservatio n-Guidelines/Part-1-Overview/Understanding-TheShophouse#:~:text=The%20Shophouse%20Styles%20comprise%20the URA. (2022). Architectural heritage awards. Www.ura.gov.sg. https://www.ura.gov.sg/Corporate/Get-Involved/Conserve-BuiltHeritage/Architectural-Heritage-Season/Architectural-Heritage-Awards URA. (2023). Blair Plain conservation area . Www.ura.gov.sg. https://www.ura.gov.sg/ConservationPortal/Explore/History?bldgid=BLPLN Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). (2022). Heritage interpretation: Do it right.

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Appendices Appendix 1: Summary of general heritage interpretation guidelines Source: summarised by the author based on the literatures Principles

Freeman Tilden

Sam H. Ham

ICOMOS Charter

(1957)

(1992)

(2008)

Thematic Reveal

Reveal -

Interpretation has a

/

It should not just be a

Interpretation is

theme.

collection and listing

information-based

of information, but a

revelation.

thematic explanation

Interpretation must

and exposure of its

do more than just

significant value.

communicate facts.

Relativity and

Interpretation should

Interpretation is

Promote public access

Accessibility

be tailored to the

relevant and

to cultural heritage

The content of the

individual viewer.

organized.

sites, ensuring both

exposition needs to

physical and

be relevant to the

intellectual

audience and easily

engagement.

understood.

Wholeness and

Present the whole

/

Rely on evidence

Universality

picture rather than a

obtained through

The interpretive

portion of it. The

recognized scientific

perspective needs to

notion of

and scholarly

focus on the whole

interpretation is to

methodologies, as

and its relationship to

explain the

well as insights from

the local, and the

relationships between

vibrant living cultural

sources of

objects.

traditions.

information need to be broad and detailed.

Aesthetics and

Interpreting is a form

Interpretation is

enjoyment

of art that integrates

enjoyable.

Interpretation is an

various artistic

art that requires a

elements.

/

certain aesthetic value, as well as the ability to immerse oneself in it.

Locality

/

/

Connect with broader social, cultural,

42

Interpretation needs

historical, and natural

to include

contexts and

information about the

environments.

wider context in which the subject of the elaboration is located.

Authenticity

/

/

Should adhere to the

Interpretation needs

fundamental

to respect the original

principles of

authenticity of the

authenticity in

heritage, and at the

accordance with the

same time needs to

spirit of the Nara

minimise the damage

Document (1994).

to its value when renovating it, ensuring that it is irreversible at all times.

Sustainability

/

/

It should demonstrate

The interpretive

sensitivity to its

programme needs to

natural and cultural

take full account of

surroundings, with an

natural, cultural and

emphasis on

social sustainability.

incorporating social, financial, and environmental sustainability as key objectives.

Inclusiveness

Distinct age groups

/

Interpretation needs

have independent

meaningful

to take into account

demands, which

collaboration among

the different needs of

necessitates the use

heritage

different

of different

professionals, host

stakeholders, e.g. age,

interpretative

and associated

race, gender,

programmes.

communities, and

nationality, etc., and

It should result from

other stakeholders.

tailor measures accordingly.

Continuous Provoke

The primary goal of

/

Provoke is not a

interpretation is not

training, and

phase, but an ongoing

education, but rather

assessment are 43

Ongoing research,

process that aims to

provocation. People

integral elements of

inspire and motivate

should be motivated

interpreting a cultural

the audience through

to take action as a

heritage site.

various means.

result of their interpretation.

Appendix 2: Summary of interpreting historic house museums guidelines Source: summarised by the author based on the literatures Principals Comprehensive

-

Information Sources The acquisition of primary

Jessica Foy Donnelly

（1993）

(2002) and others

Conducting Historical

/

Research -

sources for interpretation is a comprehensive process of

Sherry Butcher-Younghans

Studying the House and Its Contents

-

Archaeology

-

- Try to include as many

Be considered as "whole site,"

Interpretation Themes

community members'

benefiting from diverse

It is necessary to take care of

personalities and points

perspectives that extend

different perspectives of

of view as feasible.

beyond a singular narrative.

obtaining information, which can be studied from the past and the present, in addition to archaeological excavations on the ground.

Diverse and Focused

interpretation, mainly

-

- When interpreting an

including the five aspects of

event that occurred on

the era background, external

the location, attempt to

environment, architecture,

broaden the emphasis

cultural relics, and people; at

and broaden the linkages.

the same time, it is necessary to clarify the theme to avoid

-

Avoid presenting too much information

the confusion of the theme caused by the redundancy of information.

Inclusive Interpretation

Interpreters must modify the

Examines the inclusion of

Targets

tour for the age groups

narratives on non-traditional

The needs of audiences of

involved. Be prepared for a

interpretive themes in house

different ages, genders,

variety of ages and try

museum presentations,

physical conditions, etc. need 44

to be taken into account as

different techniques for each

covering subjects like women

much as possible and

group.

and domestic gender roles.

reflected in daily or temporary interpretations.

Enrichment Interpretive

-

Brochures and Pamphlets

Techniques

-

Site Orientation

The combined application of

-

Self-Guided Tours

one or more interpretive

-

Stationed Interpreters

techniques to aid

-

Guided Tours

interpretation.

-

Demonstrations

-

Role Playing or Character

/

Presentation -

Living-History Performances

-

Lectures, Workshops, and Conferences

Authenticity and Objectivity

-

Classes for Students

-

Careful collection of

Interpretation requires a

material based on

reverence for authenticity

historical truth

and objectivity, while items that are not authentic need to

-

/

Avoid over-glorification or deification

be appropriately illustrated and signalled.

Emphasising the

It have to clarify why artefacts,

importance of conservation

wallpapers, antique textiles,

As a museum of historic

silver light fittings, and other

buildings is itself a museum

things cannot be handled,

based on a protected building

emphasising the need of

and its associated artefacts,

conservation and preservation

interpretation also needs to

to visitors.

/

emphasise the protection of the building and artefacts.

Focus on creating a sense of

When re-creating historical

atmosphere of the

spaces, curatorial personnel

details of life need to be

historical space scene

should set aside their current

well thought out.

The special feature of the

perspectives and notions.

-

-

The atmosphere and

Display signage should

historical building museum is

not undermine the

that it has a historical space,

overall historic ambience

so the interpretation also

-

Openness and

needs to focus on creating a

conservation of heritage

scene with a sense of

assets 45

historical atmosphere through the space.

Professionalism and

When explaining a home

Interactivity of Guided

museum to the public, all

Tours

interpreters, whether

As one of the most common

volunteers or paid personnel,

ways of interpretation in

must maintain a high level of

historical building museums,

expertise.

/

guided tours need to be built on a professional basis with a certain degree of interactivity in order to better achieve the effect of interpretation.

Continuous enhancement

At the end of tours,

The comprehension of history

based on evaluation

visitor questionnaires

is perpetually evolving, and if

feedback

might provide insight

a historic house museum fails

Interpretive evaluation can

into how well the

to stay pertinent to the

come from visitors, or from

presentation was

evolving approaches and

self-reflection by guides and

received.

trends in interpreting the

Another excellent method

past, it faces the risk of not

interpretation needs to be

of assessment is self-

enduring.

continuously optimised based

evaluation by tape

on feedback.

recorder or videotape.

curators, but in any case,

-

-

Appendix 3: Summary of heritage interpretation guidelines in Singapore Source: summarised by the author based on the literatures Principals

URA AHA Criteria

URA Do It Right

Our SG Heritage

（2020）

(2022)

Plan 2.0 （2023）

Present the Original

Inclusion of heritage

The Red House

History and

interpretation

Bakery continues to

Memories

components to evoke

function as both a

Through thorough

memories and convey

bakery and dining

research, the original

the historical

space. Onsite

functions, stories, etc.

relevance of the

storyboards are

of the real history are

location.

utilized to acquaint

followed and

the public with the

presented.

origins and evolution of its history.

46

/

Building Community

Generate value for the

The Temasek

Community: A group

Connections for

community by

Shophouse features a

of individuals who are

Everyday Life

elevating the

spacious central

united by our

Interpretation needs

intangible aspects of

atrium designed to

common ancestry and

to consider the values

heritage buildings.

accommodate public

dedicated in

necessary to provide

events such as talks

conveying our

for the everyday life

and community

collective story.

of the community.

gatherings.

Diverse Interpretive

Give acknowledgment

The National Gallery

Identity: A nation

Perspectives

to a broader range of

Singapore has

inspired and fortified

Tapping into the

expertise and a

commissioned a

by our rich

stories of different

diverse set of

detailed record of the

multicultural heritage

layers and the

stakeholders.

restoration process

and diversity.

narrative

and the history of the

perspectives of

two buildings as part

different themes to

of the restoration

bring out the richer

project. This

values of the heritage

information is also

as much as possible.

elegantly presented in a publication or interactive exhibition.

Innovative Means of

/

Through virtual tours,

Innovation: A heritage

Interpretation

Thian Hock Keng

sector poised for the

A number of

shares its 170-year-

future, driven by

interpretive tools that

old history, customs,

creativity and

meet the needs of

and faith with the

innovation.

contemporary

public.

audiences can be actively introduced after being evaluated.

Sustainable

Promote continuous

Continuing to play a

Industry: A dynamic

Interpretation

endeavors in the

crucial role in

heritage ecosystem

Interpretation is

maintenance and

reviving traditional

that places value on

about the

administration of

festivals and street

its people, fosters

conservation of

heritage buildings.

events in Telok Ayer,

connections with

heritage and the

Thian Hock Keng does

industry, and

sustainable

not rest on its past.

generates

development of

opportunities for

mankind and society.

Singaporeans.

Engage Site Context

/

Given a distinctive

Interpretation needs

interior

to focus not only on

interpretation, Lor 47

/

the historic building

24A Shophouses

itself, but also to

contribute positively

clarify and

to the streetscape and

demonstrate its

the genuinely eclectic

relationship to the

character of Geylang.

area and its significance.

Appendix 4: Summary of display strategies for each space in NUS Baba House Source: Suryadinata (2010, pp. 145–169) and Foo et al. (2016) Restoration and Presentation Strategies Position

Status

Space

Recreate /

Original Facade

Most

/

original

Relocation

Decoration - fix

The colour schem -

ceramic and plaster

based on the

relief

extraction of

ornamentations.

materials from the walls, revealed that blue pigment was originally used, and was therefore restored during the restoration.

1st-level

Most

Front

many pieces of

original

courtyard

furniture originally

photographs

layout and

Reception

belonging to the

and paintings,

furnitures

hall

family.

for conservation

-

Ancestral

reasons

hall

-

Kitchen 2nd-level

Most

Rear

original

bedroom

layout and

Master

furnitures

bedroom

wee family

kitchen & its utensils

-

red-and-gold

-

The furniture of

wedding beds

rear bedroom is

some cabinets

donated.

-

The photographs in

48

corridor are new item.

-

The desk in corridor is relocated from ancestral hall.

3rd-level

Reuse

The gallery

-

BackyardAddition

New

/

the highest roof

Convert the original

beam painted

bedroom to a

with bagua

flexible empty space,

Gable end

as a modern

decoration

exhibition space.

Exposed bricks

/

New lifts, toilets,

construction

staircases, office and storage rooms, and barrier-free access were constructed.

Appendix 5: Summary of the booking based guided tours in NUS Baba House Source: https://www.eventbrite.sg/o/nus-baba-house-34266263469 Items Visiting Time

Guided Heritage Tour

Self-guided Explore Event

Weekdays (except Mondays)

Saturday

10:00am-11:30am

01:00pm-02:00pm 01:15pm-02:15pm 02:45pm-03:45pm 03:00pm-04:00pm

Participation

-

Advance online booking is required

Threshold

-

Walk in is available if offline booking is not full.

Participation

$10 (free for citizens and PRs, students, NUS staff and alumni, ICOM and

Fees

Museum Roundtable members)

Limitations

Maximum 13

Maximum 13 / session

49

Visiting Area

All

Language of

English-based, with regular guided

the Tour

tours in Japanese.

Format of the

Professionally trained guides lead the

Volunteers will be available to

Tour

way throughout the tour.

provide information at fixed locations.

Content of the

Focusing on wee family stories,

Answers to specific questions based

Tour

architectural features, and peranakan

on general knowledge, supplemented

cultural customs, it is more

by active introduction of historical

storytelling, professional, and

background, anecdotes, etc., more

standardised.

interactive, but lack of

English-based

standardisation.

Appendix 6: Summary of other interpretive systems in NUS Baba House Source: author.

Media

Image

Explanation

Non-fixed display

There are two types of information

boards, QR codes

boards for self-guided tours, which

as entry points for

are placed at the corresponding

web content

locations: One is a large board with black letters on a white background, textual information and pictures, used to introduce the space.

One is a small board on a yellow background with a QR code and a title to introduce key artefacts, and the QR code will lead to a website showing the specific content.

50

Fixed display

Located in the new construction

boards

part of the backyard, there are relevant small fixed panels at the lift entrances, stairwells and room entrances for information about the conservation process, the archaeological process, the history of the house and so on.

3D model guided

Offline, QR codes are placed on

map

tables in the reception hall and at the lift entrances on each floor, which can be scanned to view a 3D model showing the overall space, recording information about important artefacts and spaces.

Videos

There are televisions in the stairway on the 2nd floor and in the exhibition space on the 3rd floor to show videos, currently showing documentaries on the conservation of the building and archaeology during the restoration of the Baba House.

Music

/

A small stereo was placed at the original stairway on the third floor to play dance music that peranakan would listen to in the old days in response to the scene of family members of the wee family, the previous owners of the house, dancing on the third floor.

51

Appendix 7: Summary of outreach and education programmes in NUS Baba House Source: summarised based on the Eventbite, Peatix, Instagram platform Type

Theme

Age groups

Fee

Scale

2023 Workshop

Build your own Baba House

6 years and above

$5

/

/

free

/

NUS

$60

Max 13

/

free

Max 30

2022 Panel

Negotiating Social Identities

Discussion

in Heritage Spaces

Workshop

Film Photography Workshop with ila

Short Film

Film Series - Worlding

Screenings

Through Cinema

Online Talk

Objects of Domesticity

/

/

/

Live Cast

Around the Tok Panjang Chat:

/

/

/

17 years and above

/

/

10 - 12 Years

$20

7-10

Writing the Nonya Guided Tour

Around the Tok Panjang: A Guided Tour on Women and the Baba House

Workshop

Be an Archaeologist for a Day!

adult-child pairs Tours

Student & Staff Tours at the

NUS

pairs free

Baba House

5/ session

2021 Workshop

Sketch your day at the NUS

12 years and above

Baba House

$30 (NUS) $120 (Public)

52

/

Online Talk

Present Past: a speaker series

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

on heritage conservation Online Talk

Painting Lanes, Painting Memories: A Dialogue with Yip Yew Chong

Online Panel

Visualising Glossaries: Representation, Design, and Connections 2020

Online Panel

Grounded Conversations with Chris Yap

Speaker Series

Dialects & Dialogues: Languages and Identities Before the Nation-state 2019

Offline Talk

Why Lime Matters in Built Heritage Conservation

Explore Talk

Peranakan ancestral worship practices

Explore Food

kueh dadar demonstration Making sambal blachan

Explore Craft

kueh bangkit demonstration

/

/

/

Explore Talk

In property we trust:

/

/

/

/

/

/

worshipping the god of wealth in contemporary singapore Explore

calligraphy demonstration

Programme 2018

53

Offline Talk

Sepoy Lines and Traces

/

/

Max 60

Talk

Ambins along the Five

/

/

Max 60

/

/

Max 60

12 years and above

10

Max 16

/

/

Max 40

13 years and above

free

13 / per

13 years and above

$30

16 /per

7-12 years old

$50

Max 14

Footway: Baweanese Ponthuks at Everton Road Talk

Public Housing and the Singapore Improvement Trust

Tour

Conservation Works at NUS Baba House 2017

Talk

Artist, Architecture & Community: Malacca & Singapore 2016

Tour

Curator Tour of Preserve/Conserve/Restore: Studies at 157 Neil Road 2015

Talk

NUS Baba House [CultureHackSG 1.0]

Workshop

NUS Baba House [Cyanotype Workshops] 2014

Workshop

Creative tile painting workshop for parent & child

54