Be prepared to be educated, amazed, and overwhelmed at Exhibition Hub’s latest installation, “Titanic: An Immersive Voyage,” which makes its world premiere today, July 26, in Doraville.
At a media preview on Thursday, executive producer John Zaller gave this Rough Draft reporter a personal tour through the exhibit. His latest project took more than three years to conceive and assemble using 300 artifacts from Titanic and its sister vessels, the Olympic and the Britanic, as well as the Carpathia, the vessel that rescued more than 700 survivors on the fateful night.
Zaller said the Titanic exhibition is different from other similar storytelling efforts in that it tells the story in reverse order, first introducing the iceberg that was the “unsinkable” ship’s downfall. The story then moves on to the intricate planning and execution of the ship’s construction in Belfast, Ireland to the maiden voyage in April of 1912, and its devastating demise only two days later.
“We wanted to bring to life in a realistic way the Titanic, the most glorious ship that ever sailed,” he said. “Every element in here works together to place you right in the story.”
Included in the experience are exacting reproductions of the Titanic’s rooms: conventional recreations of the first- and third-class cabins, and carefully retouched color renditions of the lobby, dining rooms, crow’s nest, and other areas in the 45,000-ton ship.
The enormity of information in each room can be overwhelming, but viewers stay engaged by the many ways that it is disseminated – through interactive boards, hands-on activities, projection mapping, actual artifacts (all items enclosed in glass cases are actual items from one of the ships), voiceover narration, and (could it be true?) some olfactory effects.
It doesn’t shy away or whitewash the operational flaws and missteps leading to the Titanic’s collision with the iceberg and the subsequent poor decisions that led to the death of more than 1,500 people on that frigid Atlantic night.
However, it also highlights the heroic efforts of the many who sacrificed their lives for others, including the ship’s captain, Edward J. Smith, who in one of his last acts of leadership, reportedly saved an infant before casting himself into the sea. The glass display naming each survivor and victim puts into perspective the depth of the tragedy.
The crown jewel of the experience is the must-see walking VR experience. It cannot be accurately described other than to say that this reporter and her friend were impressed, overwhelmed, delighted, shaken, and just a little dizzy when the headsets were removed.
Tickets are now on sale for the experience, which will run at least through the end of the year. The Exhibition Hub Art Center is located at 5660 Buford Highway NE.
