Judith Woods
Titanic Aquatic
Icy fingers grip my body and pull me into the past as I enter the ghostly exhibit taking place now at the Georgia Aquarium, honoring the RMS Titanic and its ill-fated voyage. The first exhibit of its kind at the aquarium, it’s clear that they have set the bar high for any future attractions. This experience touches the soul and envelops the senses as it walks its “passengers” through the tragic demise of the historic ship and the 1,517 people who lost their lives. Not since Kate and Leo sailed the seas in the film have I felt this close to the majesty and wonder that is Titanic.
Entering the exhibit, I am handed a boarding pass with the name of one of the actual passengers who sailed the ship during her disastrous maiden voyage in 1914. Looking down at the thin, rectangular piece of paper, I trace the name with my finger, feeling somewhat attached to this individual whose fate I will discover at the end of my tour. I place the ticket in my back pocket, take a deep breath and walk down the wooden gang plank that leads into the first small room. The ice blue walls are filled with 95-year-old artifacts that once lay at the bottom of the frigid ocean.
The thick, wooden floor, cool, climate-controlled temperature and warm lighting gives the feeling that I have stepped back in time and am now walking on one of the ship’s outdoor decks. As I peer down through a thin box built from climate resistant sheets of glass, I see personal belongings and relics brought up from the icy depths. I read the brief history of each item matted inside a small frame just to the side of each clear cube. It is difficult not to be awe struck by the history and heartbreaking story that surrounds the RMS Titanic and the brilliant way in which the aquarium has brought it to life.
As the tour continues, I enter the first class cabin and the floor beneath my feet changes from hard plank wood to elaborate, plush carpet. Behind velvet red rope sits a replica of one of the first-class rooms. The feeling here is one of elegance, almost ostentatious and the artifacts set just beyond the decorated cabin match accordingly. As I make my way through the small hallways and begin touring more modest rooms, it becomes clear that this exhibit is an experience for all the senses. Lighting dims, the temperature drops, sounds become more ghostly and the hallways seem to close in as I make my way through the third class accommodations and into the more dramatic areas that depict the actual sinking of this enormous ship.
The full experience of this exhibit, which continues through September 9, 2009, is meant to convey the full emotion of that fateful night. As I enter into one of the last rooms on the tour, I am struck – no pun intended- by a huge piece of frigid, sparkling white ice, approximately 12 feet high, set in the far corner of the room. Alongside the freezing rock is a large scroll explaining that the ice formation I am touching is the exact temperature that the icy Atlantic water was on the night of April 14, 1914 when the Titanic sank.
My mind shifts to the boarding pass in my back pocket, might that person have perished in those frigid, black waters? My question is quickly answered when I step into the final room, set up with old pieces of clothing and many personal belongings brought back from the bottom of the ocean floor. On the soft mahogany walls are tall, flat pieces of board with writing on them. Each one depicts a story of someone’s life – a couple who died together, neither willing to leave the other behind, a businessman who gave up his seat on one of the life rafts in order to save his pregnant wife – each story different, each personal, each real. The final board announces the names of all 2,223 passengers, including both those who lived and those who died. I feel an odd sense of relief as I see my name on the list of survivors.
It is difficult to leave the Titanic exhibit without being touched by the sheer magnitude and sad history attached to the ship. This is truly a work that will open your mind and touch your soul; it’s an experience that must not be missed.
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