‘Titans of the Past’ – An Exhibition

By: Foo Rong En & Lakshmi Ganesan

Many of us have grown up visiting the Singapore Science Centre – after all, it is a magnet for no-nonsense school trips.  Now, though we have reason to re-visit them, for their latest exhibition is a massive delight (literally!), with spot-on collaborations, tightly-curated offerings and stunning highlights. Rather the usual static exhibitions, ‘Titans of the past’ exhibition is filled with dinosaurs that actually move!

The first part of the exhibition “The Growth and Behaviour of Dinosaurs” is a joint development by Dr Jack Horner, curator of Palaeontology at the Museum of the Rockies, Montana State University and Kokoro. It covers the controversy that more than one third of all dinosaur species from the Cretaceous period may be juveniles instead of being of a different species. Visitors can look forward to the visually-arresting display of Triceratops specimens, aligned to show their growth from baby to adult.

The state-of-the-art animatronics from Kokoro were realistic and engaging. Coupled with interactive stations and the main highlight of a largest found real skull of T-Rex spanning 1.42m, there is no expense spared at making the exhibition a memorable one for both adults and children alike. Just when one thinks that the exhibition is ending, another component is revealed.

The animatronics-heavy “Ice Age, The Exhibition” by Aurea Exhibitions, packs a punch in terms of visual impact- 10 animatronics animals from the Ice Age move in scenes depicting their habitat, where visitors are invited to find out about their characteristics, diet and their environment.

For the first time in Asia, 2 life-sized dinosaur casts of the Argentinosaurus (the largest Sauropod ever found) and the Giganotosaurus (one of the largest terrestrial carnivores in the late Cretaceous period) are exhibited. With the Argentinosaurus reaching a height of 7m and length of 36m, it is no wonder visitors feel that sense of awe and excitement when faced with the hulking size of such creatures that roamed the earth 66 million years ago. With a slew of hands-on workshops on dinosaur forensics as well as activity booklets to enhance visitors’ understanding of dinosaurs, “Titans of the Past” is set to be a Jurassic Park lover’s dream.