The scent of flowers from the Tembusu, a tree favoured by the late Lee Kuan Yew? Sweet. The smell of hot soil, concrete and grass after a drizzle? Tropical. The aroma of brewed tea upon entering an old colonial bungalow? Nostalgic. The sewer stench of the old Singapore River…wait, what?
This is the one of the reasons to visit the newly revamped permanent galleries at the National Museum of Singapore: a scent station in the Singapore History Gallery where you can lean in, close your eyes and take a whiff of the Singapore River’s smell before it underwent a 10-year Clean River campaign in 1977.
That smell, which used to be blanket the entire Boat Quay, was recreated by Swiss fragrance and flavour developer Givaudan using seaweed, marine, watery, moss, rotten eggs, tropical fruits, gasoline, rubbish and mud.
There are eight scents to sniff out in the revamped permanent galleries — most of them will be ambient, while the rest, like the old Singapore River, will be thoughfully contained in scent stations.
Givaudan, which sponsored two scents, also created a limited-edition unisex eau de parfum in celebration of SG50, called City, using a blend of local ingredients ranging from exotic orchids and spicy peppers to musky ambrette. Though it will be sold for $80 (50ml bottle) at the Museum Label gift store, proceeds are to be donated to the National Museum.
New Permanent Galleries Opening Weekend Carnival is on Sep 19 & 20, 10am-7pm, at the National Museum of Singapore. There are several free family-oriented activites, click here for the list: www.nationalmuseum.sg.
