CULTURE
The Intergalactic
Space Chronicle
New in Trauma Tourism - The Recreation of the Titanic
By Wolf Gnat
The trend of recreating historical traumas in virtual, augmented, or mixed reality has been around for years. But for those trauma tourists who just can’t get enough, the Titanic mixed media experience is promising to be a big one.
A massive life-sized ship has been constructed for this exhibit, with humanoid androids reenacting some of the major roles in the event. All the ocean water effects are in virtual reality, as well as the sinking effect. As the virtual water floods the actual new boat, the ship tilts and all the computerized furniture reacts in a synchronized chaotic manner.
After testing the “traumatic attraction” I can attest to its horrific nature. But it raises an important question as to what is the value of re-experiencing a traumatic event, especially someone else's.
I wondered as I walked through the flooding hallways, while the visceral shrieks of very life-like androids echoed all around me, is this cynical? Is it disrespectful towards the poor souls who actually went through this disaster? Are we insensitive to the past?
Or maybe it's something more than that. Perhaps it is a way for us to confront our own fears of the past. Some of their experiences seem disconnected from our lives, so much so that we can't really grasp them. So we try to touch and feel it through other imagery and sensory forms.
I think I felt more compassion towards the victims after the Titanic interactive experience and maybe that in itself is the justification for such a form of sensationalism. Is it any different than an old Virtual Movie or an augmented news piece?
Is it just for trauma thrill-seekers? Not at all! Is this a pleasant weekend activity for the family? Pleasant, may not be an accurate description, but it is certainly jolting, if that's what you're into.
It could make for an interesting date, so long as you don't leave your date to sink with the ship. I feel that might be a deal-breaker for me.
