Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition @ ArtScience Museum, Singapore

Singapore may be known as a shopper's paradise, what with almost every luxury brand all well seen and accounted for here, but personally, the best places to be here in the Lion City are in their wonderful museums.  The ex-fiancee (now hubby) knew this well enough that every time I visited him here (well before we were married), we'd usually squeeze in a visit to at least one.

And their exhibitions are simply amazing!  Take, for instance, the most recently concluded 6-month long Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition held at the ArtScience Museum.


Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition at the ArtScience Museum

I have always had a certain fascination about the sinking of the RMS Titanic ever since reading about it during one of my many after-class high school library stays (I was a freshie back then circa 1995.)  Being such a history buff, I devoured tons of articles about the disaster and its aftermath.

So our move here to Singapore was very timely as the ArtScience Museum at the Marina Bay Sands was about to wrap up the visiting Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition within a few days of our arrival.


ArtScience Museum



The Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition features about 275 artifacts recovered from the shipwreak, which also includes 14 never before displayed items.  Alongside these marvelous displays are stories of select passengers (from those perished and those who survived) and extensive recreations of some of the ship's rooms and areas.

Scanned copy of the exhibition flyer

This is the very first time the exhibition has been brought to Southeast Asia, and just in time, too, to commemorate the tragedy's 100th anniversary.

Replica newspapres headlining the Titanic tragedy

Entrance to the exhibit

It was quite unfortunate that picture taking and video recording were prohibited inside the exhibit (a first for me here since all the museums I've visited before allowed both), so I'll have to borrow some photos from the ArtScience Museum's facebook page.

This is what greets visitors upon entering (minus the ship captain).
You can have your picture taken at S$50 a shot.

Construction materials and tools used in building the Titanic

1st class cabin (reconstruction)

The Titanic's grand staircase (reconstruction)

3rd class cabin (reconstruction)

Touch the iceberg to get a feel of how cold the water was when the ship sank
(The actual iceberg, made up of salt water, is actually colder since it has a much lower freezing point
as compared to fresh water of which this replica is made from)

Display of artifacts discovered.  One of the more creepy but extremely fascinating parts of the exhibit
since it tries to show people how these exact items where discovered at the bottom of the sea.

There was also one more part of the exhibit that I absolutely adored -- a reconstruction of one of the Titanic's decks at night.  It was so strangely terrifying but beautiful at the same time.  It's as if you're actually on board the ship's deck.  I was also moved by the stories of both survivors and the victims (seriously beats any old Jack-Kate story.)

In the end, one is left in awe over the sinking of the RMS Titanic.  Disastrous, yes, but it will be forever credited with most of the life saving equipment and naval procedures we currently have on hand.

Now this is one exhibit I wouldn't mind going to over and over again.

***

Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition
October 29, 2011 to April 29, 2012
ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands
10 Bayfront Avenue
Singapore 018958
E      MuseumEnquiries@marinabaysands.com
W     http://www.marinabaysands.com/Singapore-Museum/
        http://www.titanic.sg/
FB   https://www.facebook.com/ArtScienceMuseum/

Planning to visit?  Drop by my "Getting Around Singapore" post (click here) for more details on how to get around the Lion City.