The story of the Titanic continues to fascinate and an exhibition at the o2 in London is testament to this. Titanic – The Artefact Exhibition has been pulling in the crowds and as a result has extended its run to July 31. The exhibition succeeds in telling this harrowing story using the latest in modern technology.
As you enter the large exhibition you have your photograph taken on a ‘green screen’ which is then projected onto an image of the grand staircase of the liner. Visitors are also given a boarding pass, with details of a real passenger – ours was Mrs Antoni Yazbeck, third class, cabin number unknown.
The first section documents the ship – how it was built, the rooms, and the decoration – from the amount of coal needed to fuel the giant furnaces to the staff required to serve on board.
The artefacts here are moving and strangely pedestrian – a pipe, jewels, a shoe – and the amazing survival of some pieces is as interesting – champagne still in its bottle, cases of china undamaged despite years of attack from seawater, salt and bacteria in its deep, watery grave.
Social history is documented through the obvious class structure, always a fascination in any study of the Titanic – in today’s money, a third class cabin cost £500 while a first class ticket was an eye-watering £20,000.
Highlights include a real representation of the iceberg, made of fresh water, that you can touch; you can smell perfume pulled from the wreckage and even touch a piece of the liner. Most moving is the full roll of passengers listing who died and who survived – at this point you check your ticket and see if the name of the person on your boarding pass survived. Thankfully, Mrs Yazbeck lived to tell the tale.
The organisers have collated a comprehensive service of educational programmes, activities and packages. For details visit the website at www.titaniclondon.co.uk.
