Curriculum Vitae
Eisen is the Swiss Army knife of content creation and research, having planned and executed projects such as books, maps, tours, indoor and outdoor exhibitions, events and programmes, and even award-winning museums. His art is ferreting out the right information, crafting meaning and value out of it, and succinctly conveying it to the masses.
Motto
“Be Realistic, Demand the Impossible”
Work Experience and Achievements
Chief Curator, Hell's Museum, 2021 - Present
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Chief Curator of Hell's Museum, a five-star museum inside Haw Par Villa which presents perspectives of death and the afterlife across civilisations, religions, and cultures.
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Oversaw planning, construction, curation, research, and content. Coordinated multiple teams, and with external partners, consultants, vendors, and sponsors to set up and market the museum.
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In March 2022, five months after opening, the museum became Singapore’s #1 museum on TripAdvisor.
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Presently in charge of content curation, tours, operations and maintenance, and hiring, managing, and rostering of a museum team.
Senior History Researcher, 2017 - Present
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Presently working as a Senior History Researcher for Singapore History Consultants Pte. Ltd. (SHC), a private heritage consultancy based in Singapore, and its associate company, Journeys Pte. Ltd., a heritage specialist which manages Haw Par Villa.
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Content creation and research for heritage projects, programmes, tours, exhibitions, publications, and sites.
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Project lead for major events.
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Lead researcher and specialist in historical knowledge for Haw Par Villa (a sculpture garden in Pasir Panjang, managed by Journeys) and the Battlebox (a former World War II underground command centre in Fort Canning Hill, currently a museum managed by SHC).
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Content generator for marketing and PR efforts for Haw Par Villa and the Battlebox.
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Mentored and trained junior members of SHC’s Research Team, and interns.
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Some notable projects:
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2022
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Curated an exhibition titled End of an Era - The Legacy of a Vanishing Trade: Yeo Swee Huat Paper Agency, which tells the story of Singapore's dying paper offering industry.
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Organised and directed cultural festivals in Haw Par Villa - Vesak Day in May, and the Spirits Festival in August. Commemorative prayers, public panel discussions, and exhibitions were held.
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2019
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Organised in Haw Par Villa a two-day international academic conference, Great Powers and Grand Strategies in the Asia Pacific: 1900-1954. Oversaw planning and execution. Coordinated multiple teams, and with co-organiser the National University of Singapore.
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Researched and created content for The Kallang Story: A Sports, Arts and Heritage Trail, which covers the heritage of Kallang and the Singapore Sports Hub. The Trail includes 18 Markers, a Guide Book, a Wayfinding Map, and a Heritage Walk.
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2018
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Researched, scripted, and conducted a Journeys tour, Journeys to Hell: Death and the Afterlife in Haw Par Villa. It was a finalist for the 2018 Singapore Tourism Awards.
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2017
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Ran the media campaign for the commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the Fall of Singapore at Kranji War Cemetery on 15 February.
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The event attracted media coverage in 21 outlets across 10 nations such as Australia, China, India, and Japan.
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Docent, Battlebox, 2016-2017
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Conducted military history tours for the Battlebox.
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Ran the museum and its Visitor Centre on a day-to-day basis.
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Mentored junior members of the Battlebox docent team, and trained them to conduct tours.
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From 2017 to March 2022, the Battlebox was Singapore’s #1 museum on TripAdvisor.
History Researcher, 2013-2016
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Worked as a History Researcher for SHC and Journeys.
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2016: Revamped and relaunched the museum experience for the Battlebox. Researched, scripted, and conducted a tour, The Battlebox Tour: A Story of Strategy & Surrender, which formed the core of the Battlebox’s museum experience.
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2014: Researched and created content for an SG50 heritage event jointly organised by Journeys and the Singapore Tourism Board, to promote Haw Par Villa. A tour, talk, booklet, and storyboards were crafted for the event.
Freelance Research and Editorial Consultant, 2013
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Worked with Pek Kio Community Centre and Straits Times Press to research and write a 120-page book, 50 Years in Pek Kio: Rejuvenating the Past, on the physical and social history of the community centre.
Journalist, The Straits Times, 2009-2013
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Reported on the education and youth beat.
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Coordinator for The Straits Times’ magazine for secondary schools, IN.
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Duties included editorial planning and layout, ensuring articles and photographs came together to form a cohesive newspaper, and copy-editing of articles.
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Mentored and trained junior journalists.
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2010: A key member of the IN editorial team that won a World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) award for News in Education.
Book Publication
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Published in May 2019 by Marshall Cavendish.
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Topics covered: Singapore history, transport, urban development.
Personal Endeavours
Book projects
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Worked on Jalan Singapura: 700 Years of Movement in Singapore from 2011 to 2019.
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Presently working on a second book, also on Singapore history.
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Co-founded SG Tipsy Trivia - Singapore's only regular, Singapore-themed trivia quiz - in December 2012.
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Presently one of four co-organisers.
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Presently one of two co-organisers.
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Co-conducted Jane's Walks of Toa Payoh in 2016, Old Woodlands Town Centre in 2017, and Bukit Panjang in 2018.
Education
National University of Singapore, 2005-2009
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Graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with First Class Honours in History.
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Achieved Valedictorian status for my graduating cohort of 2009.
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Won the Shell History Medal for the First Place in the History Honours Exam, Academic Year 2008/09.
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Won the Wong Lin Ken Memorial Medal and Book Prize for the Best Academic Exercise in the Honours Year in History, Academic Year 2008/09.
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My Honours Thesis, The Proclamation of Independence Memorial in Malacca: History, Memory and Silences, was published in 2010 in Studies in Malaysian & Singapore History: Mubin Sheppard Memorial Essays.