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National Library Exhibitions

Book Havens of Bras Basah: Curiocity

Find out about Book Havens of Bras Basah: Curiocity.

Last updated 16 July 2026
"BOOK HAVENS of BRAS BASAH" text over a sepia-toned illustration of a cityscape with historical buildings.
A solid red horizontal rectangle.

  • Permanent Exhibition

  • 10:00am - 9:00pm

  • Immersive Room, Central Library

A bright red rectangular block fills the entire image.

The Bras Basah Bugis precinct was once home to many iconic schools, bookshops and libraries. Embark on a journey through the neighbourhood's storied past in this immersive projection with Augmented Reality (AR).

Inspired by Curiocity (an NLB website for stories about places in Singapore), this installation showcases the area's rich history through a nine-minute time-lapse projection across three eras.

Watch the landscape evolve from pre-war days to the present, and catch the way of life progress from man-pulled rickshaws to automated vehicles. Dive deeper as selected landmarks spring to life with AR points, revealing fun facts and literary treasures behind the book havens of Bras Basah!