Why do people flock to experience the Titanic disaster?

Immersive displays that recreate the ocean liner’s fateful voyage attract audiences globally. But are they valuable historical experiences, or do they turn tragedy into entertainment?

The Titanic’s great interior chambers slowly filled with water. Videos played on the floor, ceiling and walls of a warehouse in south London show fixtures and fittings disappearing beneath the waves. This is one of the centerpieces of The Legend of the Titanic: The Immersive Exhibition, which is designed to make ticket holders feel as if they are on board a stricken ocean liner, using a combination of video projections and virtual reality (VR) sections, where visitors put on headsets.

In the exhibit’s gift shop, there are souvenir whistles to attract attention, and postcards of the sunken ship surrounded by icebergs. Couples line up in front of a green screen so they can reenact the famous Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet from James Cameron’s 1997 film at the bow of the ship. Others play “iceberg avoidance” computer games on a computer where you have to steer the ship between icy obstacles, or drink prosecco at the bar. Multiple virtual reality segments, which allow you to walk along the deck in the sunshine and wander through the boat’s lavish interiors, as well as venture into a submarine to reach the wreck, are a real-life mode of transportation. But the aforementioned part of the experience, in which you’re surrounded by 360-degree video displays of the water-filled ship, feels distasteful and more voyeuristic than educational or emotional.

FKP Scorpio Entertainment

The exhibition received a very positive score of 4.2 on TripAdvisor, with ticket holders praising the VR technology, information panels and stories. Visitor Julie Akhtar of Virginia Water in Surrey, England, says she felt a sense of belonging “from the moment we walked through the doors” and the VR element made her “feel part of” life on board. Her only criticism was that the tickets were expensive and that “the opportunity to have my photo taken as Kate Winslet and Leonard DiCaprio was a bit too commercial for me.” Sarah Mattock from Brighton was equally impressed. “It was a good effort,” she says. “I know it’s a bit crude, but Titanic I’ve always been fascinated by since I was little.”