4d Storm Chamber

A powerful experience, combining history and sailing in an evocative setting with the new frontiers of edutainment

The new exhibit includes a first part on the theme of storms in history: through paintings, prints, engravings, votive offerings and simple objects of common life that were aboard the lifeboats, visitors can discover the origins, motivations and stories of those who chose to sail the most fearsome waters such as those of Cape Horn, the protagonists of the new exhibit. It is in the second part, in line with the Galata Sea Museum’s “Get on Board” philosophy, that the 4D experience takes place.

The future-naufrago finds himself in a dark compartment, illuminated by a single strong light facing the ceiling, where a lifeboat-an original 19th-century whaler with all its equipment-is overturned,in the image of ultimate desperation. The excited voice of the boatswain who appears on the screen in his “Southwestern,” typical attire (oilskin and hat) of the time, calls the audience to board another lifeboat, take their places on the benches, cling to the oars, and start rowing because, as the boatswain shouts, “our ship is going to sink and we have to get away.” Meanwhile, screens light up, showing Cape Horn, while waves and rain showers alternating with strong gusts of wind engage the visitor in a multisensory experience. The boat pecks, rising and falling on the waves–better hold on tight–around the survivors pass like ghosts the albatrosses, orcas and whales.

A few minutes of intense immersion to understand that the sea is not to be trifled with. A powerful experience, combining history and boating in an evocative setting with the new frontiers of edutainment.

Thanks to the employment of innovative technologies, the learning experience is here combined with the interactive and multisensory one.