Introduction
Culture can be defined as people belief on something and is passed from one generation to another. This culture can be material or even non material. On material culture, it includes a society’s belief on norms and values. Culture can be used to educate people on various issues like certain events which happened in the past. Certain events like the national museums are areas whereby people can be taught about their culture. It’s through culture whereby people are enlightened about their culture, respect for ones culture and understanding of this culture. But in the modern societies, culture has received a different meaning.
Most people use culture as a way of sustaining their daily life. To a far extend, people have been converted in to commodities whereby, they can use themselves as a marketing business. For instance, artists use culture mostly when performing and its through this culture which helps them earn a living.Commodification on the other hand as Marx puts it, is the act of selling something in return of money.Commodification is the process associated with capitalism by which institutions, objects, attributes, signs and even people are turned into commodities. A commodity is something whose prime purpose is sale in the marketplace.
The idea of consumption becoming central to society has been identified as a key characteristic of post-modernity. For example, Marxist cultural theorist Fredric Jameson in a 1984 article in New Left Review called Postmodernism, or, the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism, argued that commodification has extended into all realms of personal and social life and that escape from the market is impossible. People at a larger extend can be seen as commodities and this is shown by actors or even artists who perform art as a business. These artists usually perform their art in the national museums with the aim of sustaining their lifes.Also it’s through the films they produce which when sold can make them earn a living.(Clifford, 2005).
National museum in Singapore
Museums are centers of business, culture expressions and learning for most people. For instance, the national museum in Singapore has a variety of roles which include the following, many public programmes like cultural fairs are facilitated in this museum, and workshops on culture and heritage are also facilitated in this museum. Back in history, the role of museums was to preserve, present and promote the history and the cultural heritage of that country.
The focus of a museum in history for instance the national museum in Singapore was largely inward looking and concentrated their artifacts and artworks displaying them on the galleries of this museum and served as gatekeepers of history, culture and heritage. The national museum in Singapore is an example of a culture for life.Contrally, today; these museums are used for commodification whereby certain objects and even people are used as commodities for marketing. They use this culture in order to support their life’s for instance the case of the Singapore operas. This museum is based on architects.
These architects present a tabular rise for light designers which are usually for exhibition. The founder of this museum likens this museum to a 126,000 square foot. This national museum was founded as a national museum in Singapore whereby it could attract many tourists from so may parts of the world. It was started in 1887.The mission of this museum was traditionally for cultural exchange but its role changed drastically in the modern world. People use these museums to do their business. This institution also used its recent constitution project with the mission of expanding its curatorial focus. (Newholm, and Shaw, 2005).
This museum encompasses the national building of this country and its cultural identity. It is in this museum whereby most of the cultural activities take place. Many people use this museum as a way of earning a life. (Newholm, and Shaw, 2005).
Inside this museum, it is decorated using the Singapore locally available materials representing their culture. Looking at the walls, they are beautifully decorated hence providing such beautiful scenery. The decorations in this wall have led the museum to attract so many people. It uses incurators to line the room perimeter. The Singapore hand made fabrics are then used to decorate this wall after the lining has been made. In this museum, each panel has lightemotion grazed each textile with an AR111 tightened to a four degree beam spread. This is made to attract attention of the visitors. A strong illusion is also provided in these walls which actually look very attractive.
Many artists usually use this museum to present their culture for instance the Singaporean Opera singers who worked as itinerant performers in this museum. It is in this museum whereby these artists usually perform their art and many people come from different parts of the world to see these artists performing on the stage. These artists use this museum as a way of selling their culture in the market place.
It is argued that culture is one of the most selling businesses in most parts of the world. In this museum, the decorations on the wall act as art whereby the designers use their knowledge in art to decorate these walls. These walls are illuminated with a strong light which makes this place look so attractive. The artists also use this place to do their business. It’s through performing to the audience whereby, they can market their art. A good example of these artists is the Singaporean opera singers who usually use the museum in their daily activities. (Bracewell, 1998).
The national museum in Singapore attracts millions of international tourists each year hence improving the economy of this country. Each year, millions pass through the doors of this museum in order to enjoy the masterpieces like the Mona Lisa and the chic fashion shows in this museum. It is due to the activities done in this museum which has led the countries economy to improve drastically due to the fantastic shows there. Many artists are also to improve their living standards through this because; it’s through their own performance which makes them support their life. The national museum is also taking the centre stage in popular culture.
It has played a pivotal role in blockbuster movies like the national treasure among other movies. These people who actually play these movies do it for business and get a lot of money out of this art. Out of research, 16,000 visitors visit this museum in a day. Most of these people are tourists who live a lot of money in this country.
The national museum also acts as gateway in fostering peace and harmony in this country. For instance today, we are living in a world which faces threat of international which is fueled by fanatical religious ideologies and radicals. As a result, there is the greater need of stronger cross cultural understanding and respect. It is in these museums whereby people are taught their own culture and how to respect other people culture.
People come from different nationalities with different ethnic groups some of which are seen to be minor when compared with others. It is in these museums whereby cultural exchange can take place, people are also enlightened on their culture and this helps to promote culture, respect and understanding of other people culture as different from our own. Singapore as a multi-racial and multi religious society, it is aware of the importance of racial and religious harmony.
It is through this issue that many artists use culture to educate people in these museums hence earning living. They also produce movies and tapes concerning culture and how people should understand their own culture, sell them to the audience and it’s through this, they record a lot of money in return. (Bracewell, 1998).
Recently, the national museum in Singapore presented a two month long festival under the crescent moon. In this festival, it featured a lot of performance all over Singapore, films and lectures on the rich heritage of the Arab world and the Turkish people. It was during this period when these performances and artisans were in a position to record a lot of money through their performance and films. As a result, the economy grew since it drew people from different parts of the country to come and watch this event. Muslims also show their events in the museum. (Ashworth, Voogd, and Pellenbarg, 2006).
Christian churches and Muslims also use these museums as a way of promoting their dominations. You find that these people use the theatre to record their films and tapes which in turn are sold to the members of the public. The money got from these films and tapes are used by the church or even mosque to do its activities.
Schools visit the museum often to do a variety of activities. Museums are centers of experimental learning and important partners of education. It’s through the museum whereby students have a greater understanding and appreciation of science and technology among the young. The museums act as an important component of the curriculum of our schools. It is in these museums whereby they are taught about their culture. They also use the national museums to do their activities like, they usually meet with students from other schools and perform their cultural dances their. As a result, the museum can act as a good place for these students since they can also spent their leisure time and get enlighten about their culture. (Ashworth, Voogd, and Pellenbarg, 2006).
Conclusion
To conclude, Culture can be used as a way of earning a life. Most artists use their talents when performing. They usually perform in the museums since these places act as centers for many activities like for educational purposes, cultural heritage among other activities. For instance, schools visit these museums and perform their cultural activities their. They also get educated on their culture and as a result, they have respect and understanding of other people’s culture. The national museum also acts as gateway in fostering peace and harmony in this country. Today, we are living in a world which faces international threat which is fueled by fanatical religious ideologies, radicals among other groups.
As a result, there is the greater need of stronger cross cultural understanding and respect. It is in these museums whereby people are taught their own culture and how to respect other people culture. The artists in these museums use the museum as a way of selling their culture in the market place. It is argued that culture is one of the most selling businesses in most parts of the world. In the national museum in Singapore, the decorations on the wall act as art whereby the designers use their knowledge in art to decorate these walls. The walls provide attractive scenery for tourists in return.
Reference
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