CONTENT
Joshua Sim
Manager (Content & Exhibition)
What if the key figures in Singapore’s history between the 13th and 20th centuries had Facebook or Twitter accounts?
This make-belief idea has been staged in the interactive online book, 700years.sg, fleshing out stories from over 700 years through the invented social media feeds of 25 major historical figures. It features luminaries from the first king of Singapore, Sang Nila Utama, and Stamford Raffles to early pioneers such as Lim Boon Keng, Naraina Pillai, and Syed Mohamed Alsagoff.
The interactive book is targeted at the masses, especially secondary school students, and delivers deeper insight into Singapore’s story across time.
“In the era of social media, the intersection between the public and private lives of historical figures strikes a familiar chord to many people,” Joshua explains. “I found that piecing together different characters and events into an easily accessible format is key to getting young people interested in our history.”
As a researcher for the Singapore Bicentennial Office (SBO), Joshua curates SBO-led products, such as books, comics, videos, merchandise, websites, and exhibitions, in collaboration with several people.
The trained sociologist and researcher, who focuses on Singapore’s history, was drawn to the strong content that was planned for this commemorative project.
A key challenge, he says, was to extract information from thousands of pages of several publications for the climate exhibit at the atrium. “It tells the story of global forces and their impact on Singapore’s history. There are many elements including the rise and fall of empires, shifts in nature and population, and trade,” he explains. “It took much effort to compile their impact was on Singapore and piece them together chronologically.”
Sometimes innovative solutions were required to resolve certain conflicting accounts, like the fall of the Singapura Kingdom in the 14th century. As there is no consensus among historians, the team used masks to present both accounts without breaking the narrative arc.