Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition at the V&A Waterfront

It's your last chance to re-live the excitement, terror and tragedy of the Titanic... This exhibition must close on 13 March!

One of the world’s most visited exhibitions arrives on our shores on Sunday, 22 November 2015 at the V&A Waterfront’s Watershed. Since its tragic sinking in the early hours of 15 April 1912, the Titanic has taken on almost mythical status in the world’s popular imagination. Although most of us now associate the lavish leviathan with James Cameron's film, this exhibition is a tribute to the 1 523 people who lost their lives on that fateful night, telling their stories through an array of actual artifacts rescued from the sea floor. This exhibition closes in three weeks so BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW! 

Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition has enjoyed much acclaim around the world, with millions of visitors flocking to see it in locations across the USA, Europe and Asia.

With a strong educational bent, the show focuses on the compelling human stories of the people who were on board the calamitous craft. From delicate perfume bottles and ceramics to a pair of men’s gloves and a pocket watch belonging to a South African named Solomon Brown, the recovered items reveal glimpses into their former owners’ lives.

As one of the most anticipated exhibitions ever to grace Cape Town, the show allows visitors to view the authentic artifacts, imagine the grandeur of the rooms and gasp at a recreated iceberg that gives some insight into the horror young Frederick Fleet must have felt during his lookout duty on that moonless night. It will also shed some light on the lives of the South Africans on board the ship. Guests are invited to re-live the excitement, terror and tragedy of the Titanic experience – from the ships’ construction, to life on board, the sinking of the unsinkable, and the recovery and preservation of the wreck.

SOME OF THE RECOVERED TITANIC ARTIFACTS TO LOOK OUT FOR AT THE TITANIC EXHIBITION IN CAPE TOWN

Perfume bottles: Perfume maker Adolphe Saalfeld was travelling as a first-class passenger with a portfolio of his most recent scent samples, which he planned to sell to upmarket New York department stores. Although Saalfeld survived the sinking, he left his vials behind – 62 of which were recovered from the ocean floor, some still containing their oils.

Brown’s gold pocket watch: Perhaps of special interest to South Africans, on view is a watch belonging to a hotel owner in Cape Town called Thomas William Solomon Brown, who was travelling in second class with his wife and daughter. Thomas Brown placed his loved ones in a lifeboat, but tragically didn’t manage to save himself.

Postcards & letters: Seventeen-year-old Edgar Samuel Andrew unhappily boarded the Titanic in order to attend his brother’s wedding in America, and in doing so, missed out on meeting his friend Josey Cowan, who was travelling to London from Argentina. His suitcase was recovered in 2000, containing postcards, books and letters from home, including a letter to Josey reading, “You figure, Josey, I am boarding the greatest steamship in the world, but I don’t really feel proud of it at all, right now I wish the Titanic were lying at the bottom of the ocean.” Edgar did not survive.

A two dollar note: Incredibly, this note endured and is still legible today, despite being rescued from a depth of 12,467 feet below the sea’s surface.

WHAT ELSE TO EXPECT AT THE 2016 TITANIC: THE ARTIFACT EXHIBITION IN CAPE TOWN

EDUCATIONAL OUTINGS FOR SCHOOLS: Perfect for people of all ages, the Titanic Exhibition is primarily a moving educational experience that provides a fascinating glimpse into the past and one of the most incredible feats of human engineering. There are various school packages available, including a Titanic Expo and Two Oceans Aquarium Combo for R80 per person, allowing learners entry to both of the Mother City’s top attractions. Aside from the packages, teachers get in for free and have access to three award-winning curriculums available to download via the website.

TITANIC MERCHANDISE AND TITANIC WINES: If you’re after some mementoes from the exhibition, then make sure you pay a visit to the merchandise shop. There’ll be an array of historically inspired objects on offer, along with specially made Titanic wines.

Historical, heart-rending and beautifully melancholic, the Titanic Exhibition is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that tells the stories of the 1 523 people who lost their lives in one of the most dramatic maritime disasters of the age. Appealing to a wide audience, the expo is fascinating from every angle, including the ship’s rediscovery 73 years after she sank and the ongoing recovery mission, which has thus far rendered over 5 500 artefacts. Today, Titanic is as impactful as ever, and the ghosts of her past haunt us in the present-day objects she once carried so ably.

TICKETS TO THE 2016 TITANIC EXHIBITION: THE ARTIFACT EXHIBITION IN CAPE TOWN

The exhibition is open every day from 9am until 6pm, including public holidays. Tickets are available from Webtickets.co.za and at the door and cost the following:

For more information, visit Titanicexpo.co.za, phone +27 (0)78 236 3780 or email Jarrett@exporsa.co.za.

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Interested in other exhibitions around Cape Town? Take a look at our overview of November events in Cape Town and surrounds so you don’t miss a single shindig.

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