January 17, 2017, 11:58 AM 
Remember last year's OH! Open House's art walk that allowed you to enter strangers' houses in the name of art?
Well, they are back again with something similar, but not entirely.
Clearly the concept of trespassing experiencing art in other people's homes is very appealing. Many have flocked to OH! Open House's past art walks in Potong Pasir, Joo Chiat, and Marine Parade, just to name a few.
This year, OH! Open House continues their practice of breaking away from the traditional art museum/gallery set-up, by creating a space in an unlikely place: a two-storey terraced house in Chip Bee Gardens.
This is no ordinary house
On the outside, the terraced house looks like any other in the area. But step inside and you'll enter a weird and strange world of artefacts and art that represent Singapore's natural history from colonial times to the present.
A peek into the Bizarre Honour collection. Courtesy of OH! Open House.
The experience begins with a briefing by representatives from OH!.
We are told that the house is a museum set up by the (fictitious) Bizarre Honour, a very private natural history society in Singapore. This is the first time the museum welcomes the public to view its collection of over 300 natural objects and artefacts.
Taxidermies, archival photos, and animal traps are just some of the curious artefacts/art pieces displayed in the house, which has been designed to look like an indoor forest.
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There is a twist to this whole experience. Unlike a conventional museum, which has signs to direct you through an exhibition from start to finish, the Bizarre Honour eschews such hand-holding.
Instead, you are expected to roam freely throughout the two-storey house, decide on your own starting/ending point, and form your own interpretation of Singapore's natural history.
The Bizarre Honour takes inspiration from cabinets of curiosities or wunderkammer (wonder cabinet) - collections of rare, exotic objects designed to inspire wonder and creative thought.
Illustration of a Cabinet of Curiosities. Source.
To aid you in your role as an intrepid explorer, you are given a dossier of research, photos, and memos that complements the experience. It is a comprehensive 80-page wealth of information that will leave you ruminating on Singapore's natural history long after your visit.
For example, did you know that the freshwater tilapia found in present day Singapore is also known as Japanese fish or Java fish? That's because the fish, which is native to Java, was introduced to Singapore's freshwater bodies by the Japanese during the Occupation as an additional food source.
Courtesy of OH! Open House.
The experience with the Bizarre Honour was deeply personal and highly immersive.
Each 30-minute session allows for a maximum of two participants, which gives you plenty of space to wander around and make sense of this strange world.
The Bizarre Honour runs Fridays to Sundays, from 13 January to 22 January, and 3 February to 26 February. More details can be found here.
If you like viewing art in other people's houses:
OH! Open House lets you explore Joo Chiat homes without getting chased out
Some homes in Potong Pasir will open up for you to kaypoh this weekend, in the name of art
Top photo courtesy of OH! Open House
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