Titanic commemoration underway in Halifax
Posted April 9, 2012 6:18 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
People around the world will be marking the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic on April 15 and Halifax’s week-long litany of memorials is being touted as one of the top events of the year.
Fox and CNN have both list Halifax’s Titanic events among their top 10 events of the year.
The executive director of Titanic 100 says it’s clear all eyes are on Halifax.
“The Australian Tourism Review, they pick Halifax Titanic 100 commemorations as the Number 1 tourism event of the year, above of the London Olympics,” said Ken Pinto. “The awareness is just huge. Over the next 10, 15, 20 years that’s going to very important – on the one side – to our cultural development, and on the other side to our economic development. Tourism is our second biggest industry.”
Events kick off with this week’s film festival A Night to Remember, which features nightly screenings and lectures from Monday to
“We’re doing a panel discussing the pop culture aspect of the Titanic and then the local aspects of the Titanic,” said Ron Foley MacDonald. http://www.titanic100.ca/#/events
Also launching Monday is the multi-media performance “The Depths of Sorrow,” an abstract narrative depicting the Titanic’s maiden voyage. It shows at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic at 8 and 9 p.m. Monday, free of charge.
“(It includes) Historic photographs and hand-drawn images and also created animations,” explained interpretive dancer Veronique MacKenzie. “So, you’ll see my ghostly image thrown up on the screen to interact with the video image of myself.”
The Bedford Institute of Oceanography and Titanic 100 is hosting a seminar starting Monday to explore the city’s connection to the fated ship.
Keynote speakers include resource engineering geophysicist with Natural Resources Canada Steve Blasco, who was also chief scientist aboard the first scientific expedition to the Titanic wreck site; Garry Shutlak, senior reference archivist with Nova Scotia Archives; and Blair Beed, author of Titanic Victims in Halifax Graveyards. The seminar is open to the public and free of charge.
Alderney Landing Community Cultural Centre has been showing the live play Titanic: The Untold Story, ending April 10.
Plays, concerts, candle-lit processions and a recreation of the Titanic Memorial service are also schedule during this week and next.
On Saturday, 21 performers and musical groups will take part in A Night of Bells at Grand Parade.
