Titanic Belfast Gallery Refresh

Titanic Belfast has re-opened its doors to the public on Saturday 04^th March following a multimillion-pound gallery refresh programme.

Marcon were delighted to be appointed Principal Contractor once again to deliver the fit out of this world-famous visitor attraction.  We are honoured to be able to say we have delivered all gallery fit outs to date within this iconic building, as well as the fit out of the Galley Cafe, Bistro 401, and Titanic Store.

The refreshed experience combines immersive technology with original maritime heritage collection to tell the authentic story of the Titanic and offer an enriched and emotive experience.

Marcon were responsible for the manufacture and installation of all bespoke joinery items and set work displays and the co-ordination, integration, and management of all mechanical and digital interactives; AV; models; Lightboxes; Graphic Installation, Metal work and lighting.

The four new galleries within the Titanic Experience have been named Never Again; Ballard’s Quest; The Ship of Dreams and The Lasting Legacy.

The new experience begins as visitors leave The Sinking.  On the staircase between gallery six and seven visitors see a backlit double height wall noting the names of all the passengers aboard the ship.  The staircase represents the transition between the living and those who perished.  The survivors are above the waterline, the others underneath. Lights behind the fabric add a soft glow effect to the names. Projections show the different groups of victims: the women vs. the men, children vs. adults, third class vs. first class.

Positioned prominently in front of those names is one of only twelve remaining Titanic life jackets in the world, the first of the new artefact collection now on display.

Gallery 7

Within gallery seven, the Titanic disaster was caused by a chain reaction of several mistakes.  This is demonstrated by large tumbling dominos. Each of the dominoes focuses on one step in the chain reaction.  For example, on one of the dominoes, visitors will hear details of the missing binocular box keys which limited the vision of the lookout on the crow’s nest. The original keys for the Binocular Box on RMS Titanic are now on display.  The dominoes continue to show measures that were taken since to prevent such a disaster in the future.

The wall behind the dominoes is filled with pages from and photographs of the British and American inquiry reports.  This gives visitors an insight and helps them to understand how extensive the inquiries were.

Gallery 8

Within Gallery 8, visitors will learn of Dr Robert Ballard’s quest to fulfil his lifelong dream to discover the ship’s wreck. After numerous expeditions fails, Ballard used a new diving system, called Argo, that would change deep-sea exploration.

Gallery 8 is split into zones and incorporates models, digital interactives, interpretive graphic panels, demonstrating the stages of discovering the Titanic wreckage.

Gallery Nine

Gallery 9 creates the Wow factor.  Visitors have a panoramic view of the entire gallery space and its centrepiece, an 8-meter-long model of the Titanic. The floor to ceiling projections takes visitors on an immersive journey, depicting the fulfilled and broken dreams of Titanic’s creators, passengers, and survivors.

The existing glass floor within gallery 9 has been integrated in the new scenography, visitors can view footage of the wreck and submarines exploring the site below their feet.

Showcases on the lower floor of gallery 9 highlight some of the rarest pieces of memorabilia from the ship on display for the first time. A pocket watch frozen at the time its wearer entered the water. A violin belonging to Wallace Hartley who was one of the musicians now famous for continuing to play as the Titanic sank.

Gallery 10

A bespoke panoramic wall was manufactured to display memorabilia. Within the wall there are AV screens where people can test their knowledge of Titanic through an interactive quiz or watch clips from movies like A Night to Remember or Titanic. A projection show provides the audience with how the legacy of the Titanic lives on in the city today.  Before leaving the exhibition, visitors can strike a pose to capture their Jack and Rose photo moment on the bow of the ship.