Pretensions is rather embarassed to note that she has not visited the National Museum of Singapore since its renovation was completed in December 2006. She was actually there for a meeting today, but was half an hour early and decided to trot through the latest exhibition - Weapons of Mass Desire or Design and Consumption in the Aftermath of WWII.

The exhibition's rather uhm, unique, name comes from a very original premise. How did the technologies developed for warfare during WWII influence daily life in the '60s? What consumer products came about as a result of modern warfare? Many of the most influential ones, as it turns out.

P decided to photoblog the exhibition using her mobile phone cam, so forgive the slightly grainy photos (or imagine they're there to add a genuine '60s feel).

	Not part of the exhibition, but there was an amazing installation of 6-7 scarlet (mechanically) swinging chandeliers near the Canyon. The pattern of swing varies every 15 minutes.
	At the Rotunda, P spotted this charming European lady with her young son, who was having great fun playing with the Imprint installation (think pin-art)
	View of the Museum interior architecture from the Rotunda - the building is quite spectacular.
	Side view of a Vespa. Vespas were created by the same Italian factory that turned out propellors and engines for wartime aircraft.
	The Vespa logo - after WWII, the Italians needed affordable transport and the Vespa fit the bill.
	The father of the Rolleiflex camera, Heinz Waaske, was originally a precision mechanic. He was taken prisoner during WWII and it was then he was first introduced to camera technology.
	Charles and Ray Eames were the first to develop molded plywood chairs for the mass market (they had a splint business in WWII). They also pioneered the use of fiberglass (previously used for radar domes) and other materials for home furnishings.
	P can't remember how this fit into the exhibition.
	George Nelson used the plastic and steel intended to prevent corrosion in battleships to create his iconic bubble lamps.
	The Pfaff sewing machine company was one of the first to introduce portable consumer sewing machines in Germany, largely out of necessity after WWII.
	Camouflage has gone from soldier's necessity to fashion material, with Jean Paul Gaultier bringing it back for his 2008 collection.
	Does anyone remember pre-Philips Siera? Some attribute the post-war development of the transistor to the interest in military communications by radio during the war.
	Christian Dior's designs dominated post-war fashion with his sculpted hourglass silhouette for women. P was actually wearing a Dior-shaped summer dress today - can you see her reflection?