Real objects | Real stories

Quebec City, March 18, 2010 – Festival d’été international de Québec, in collaboration with Serge Grimaux and Premier Exhibitions Inc. announced today the presentation of TITANIC: THE ARTIFACT EXHIBITION. Located in the Espace 400e Pavilion at the Port of Québec, this outstanding Exhibition, which has toured the world, will open to the public starting June 19. Tickets are now on sale at www.expotitanic.ca.

“We are extremely pleased to finally be able to offer this historic and moving Exhibition to the people of Quebec City. It will surely touch hundreds of thousands of people,” said the Chair of the Board for the Festival d’été international de Québec, Marie-France Poulin.

“Last year, BODIES: THE EXHIBITION was a huge success, drawing a record number of visitors. This experience showed us to what extent the public was interested in events like this that bring life to the Old Port area, and this encouraged us to come back with a different, but every bit as exciting exhibition,” added Daniel Gélinas, General Manager of the organization.

Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition proposes a visit through the re-created decors of the world’s most celebrated ocean liner, in which artifacts recovered from the depths of the ocean have regained their rightful place. These artifacts from yesterday tell the tragic story of Titanic which lies at a depth of more than 3,843 m feet at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.

Together, the re-created decors, the recovered artifacts, the photos of the period and the passengers who sailed aboard Titanic tell the story of this marvel of technology from the beginning of the 20th century, its tragic sinking and the scientific exploits accomplished in finding the wreck and arranging the recovery expeditions.

“Presented in several of the world’s major cities in recent years, TITANIC: The Artifact Exhibition has been seen by over 22 million visitors to date. Much more than an exhibition, it is an unforgettable experience that is as entertaining as it is educational. This event is a perfect example of the new medium known as ‘edutainment’ ! You might say that the time has come for the world’s most famous ship to dock in the Port of Québec!” concluded Serge Grimaux.

The Exhibition begins at the Harland & Wolff shipyards, in Belfast Ireland, where construction of the R.M.S. Titanic started in 1909. Nicknamed "The Unsinkable", it represented a major technical challenge that triumphed over its numerous competitors and became the symbol of floating luxury. In 1912, Titanic was the largest transatlantic cruise liner in the world.  Carried aboard by the excitement of the departure, the visitor sets foot on the White Star Line’s pride and joy to relive the maiden voyage of April 1912, and receives a replica boarding pass of an actual passenger aboard Titanic.

The visit continues in re-created decors of Titanic and in the conditions prevailing during the voyage: sounds, temperature and light variations creating the atmosphere. Artifacts recovered from the bottom of the ocean are testimonies of the life on board, whether luxurious or ordinary, and of the diversity of passengers.  To that end, artifacts are displayed in a steerage cabin, in passageways, in a first class suite and in other decors recreating the famous ship.

In the Passenger Gallery, personal artifacts, testimonies from those aboard the Ship and photos of the period tell their stories and those of the staff on board: for some, the joy of leaving; for others, especially the immigrants, the hope of a new life.  In the frozen environment of the shipwreck and of the rescue operation, visitors move to the Memorial Gallery to look for the passenger whose boarding pass they hold on the list of the 2,228 names aboard Titanic.  In the days that followed the sinking of the doomed ship, headlines on the front pages of newspapers announced the disaster that killed 1,523 people, leaving only 705 survivors.  Later on, the inquiry boards published their reports.

In addition to images on the various techniques and navigation tools, the scientific segment of the Exhibition centers on discovering the wreck site, its exploration by submersibles, including the Nautile 2, the recovery expeditions as well as the treatment and conservation efforts with regards to the artifacts themselves.  Audio-guides provide a realistic visit in the re-created decors of the Titanic. The guide’s voice provides further technical information and outlines certain images and artifacts. The comedian’s voices reproduce exchanges between the crewmembers and bring to life comments from the passengers. The musical accompaniment and background noises bring to life the ambiance inside Titanic.

It is this page of history that has fascinated the entire world for almost a century that Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition opens up in a unique and moving fashion.  Produced by R.M.S. Titanic, the only company authorized to recover artifacts from Titanic’s debris field.