Titanic expert shares knowledge

The 1 500m² exhibit will be open from 18 September to 8 November and numerous real artefacts salvaged from the Titanic wreck will be on display, as well as authentically recreated first- and third-class accommodation with furnishings from the original manufacturers.

Surely it would be logical to assume that curating so many relics from the sunken ship is a mammoth task, so who could possibly be up to maintaining them while they are shipped across the globe for exhibition, one might ask?

This is the colossal duty of Alexandra Klingelhofer, vice-president of collections for Premier Exhibitions, who is currently spending time in Joburg to make sure the event runs smoothly, and that all artefacts are properly preserved and transported when the exhibition moves to Cape Town in November.

Deemed to be one of the world’s leading Titanic experts, Klingelhofer has always been fond of all things historical. “I am an objects conservator, curator and researcher,” explained Klingelhofer, who resides in Atlanta, USA.

“So I am in charge of overseeing and taking care of all the artefacts in order to preserve them for future generations to come.

“The more I study the Titanic, the more stories I find that need to be told. Like looking at a hallmark on a piece of jewellery can tell us who it was made by, and who may have bought it. It leads to giving more in-depth insight into the lives of people and crew on board.”

Klingelhofer said those wanting to attend the exhibition can expect to feel like they were being taken back in time. “They will get to experience their own journey on the Titanic, given a boarding pass of an actual listed passenger, regardless of first-, second- or third-class, and experience a taste of what life on the ship was like before it hit the iceberg.”

She added that as attendees wander through the exhibit and identify with the passenger’s boarding pass assigned to them, they would get a real feeling of what the passenger experienced from when the ship left the harbour in Southhampton on 10 April 1912, to the fateful evening it sank in one of the deadliest modern maritime disasters five days later.

“As you follow the storyline through the exhibit, I think once you start getting to the ice warnings and seeing the iceberg, you will be able to realise just how cold it was that night,” she added, alluding to the fear and dread Titanic passengers must have felt.

Educational, emotional, and appropriate for all ages, Titanic: The Artefact Exhibition, pays homage to the indomitable force of the human spirit in the face of tragedy.

Tickets are available at www.webtickets.co.za and priced for all ages including adults, students, pensioners and children, with special discounts available for big groups, school groups and corporates.

Details: www.titanicexpo.co.za