The Titanic Exhibition Inspires a Heritage Faith Concept?
One more interesting experience regarding the Irish visit. I took the opportunity to visit the new Titanic Exhibition in Belfast. It must be one of the best designed exhibition centres in the country. Its just newly opened, but already ts proving a great hit. I'm sure hat the building itself will win architectural awards but also the exhibition itself. the whole experience is imaginative and creative. I wonder what the same designers would do if they got the opportunity to develop a C.S Lewis exhibition. But that's for another day.
This in reality is not simply about the Titanic. the exhibition seeks to plot the history of Belfast as an industrial city in the British Empire. Among many interesting facts I discovered Belfast was the largest rope manufacturer in the world. In Belfast they could manufacture coils of ropes as long as two miles. One wonders what you'd want a two mile rope for? It gives a new meaning to the idea " give them enough rope... but then the Irish were always generous.
When it comes to the story of the building of the Titanic it helps us all see that Britain at the turn of the 20th century was a society that thought it could do anything. Victorian and Edwardian Britain had no inferiority complexes, especially when it came to engineering and design. It makes you feel somewhat sad to think that very little manufacturing happens in the UK anymore. There is however a definite market for telling stories and there is a genuine interest in historical subjects.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFrDhpzigug[/youtube]The finally years however of the 20th century have ended with people questioning modernity and searching for a new narrative that will allow them to make sense of their lives. There is little doubt that one could draw parallels between the folly of the Tower of Babel and humanities' quest to to build bigger and greater.
Titanic is a salutary reminder that none of us can boast about our strength and longevity. No one can be sure of the moment or the hour. It is also a reminder to us that no one or no organisation can ever afford to be complacent when relying on human endeavour. Human beings make mistakes non of us are infalable.
One further comment before i leave this topic. Talking about the ever growing tourist market. i can't understand what we in the Church of Scotland don't get more involved with the opportunities that tourism can bring to the church. I think we should develop a new strategy based on faith and heritage tourism. Ask yourself what are we not telling Scotland the story of the Reformation. Why not develop the Assembly Halls as our exhibition centre. We're just on the main route that is leading to the busiest tourist attraction in Edinburgh.
If we told our faith and heritage story we would engage with literally thousands of people and who knows a second Pentecost.
Posted By: italker On: 31 May 2012 At: 1:02pm
Well Helmut you never cease to amaze me you are a mind of information