According to the Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, the exhibition brings together more than 700 original objects of great historic and human value; objects which were direct witnesses of the horrors of Auschwitz and the Holocaust. These objects serve as the guiding thread of a rigorous and moving account of the history of the German Nazi camp Auschwitz and its dwellers, both victims and perpetrators.

Through this daunting selection of objects from the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum as well as more than 20 institutions and museums all over the world, the Auschwitz exhibition portrays the complex reality of the notorious camp, the universal symbol of the human tragedies that resulted from Nazi ideology, and the world of victims and perpetrators with a clear goal to elucidate how such a place could come into being and dig into how its existence has determined our present worldview.

This exhibition is recommended for ages 12+. Although the history of Auschwitz is challenging, we have developed this exhibition not only with profound respect for the victims but also for our visitors. Care has been taken to ensure that there are no gratuitous depictions of violence. Every effort has been made to consider the emotional impact this story can have on our visitors so that they can safely explore this history, seek to understand it better and make meaning for themselves.

Auschwitz, Not Long Ago. Not Far Away takes approximately two to three hours to experience. Because of the content of this exhibition, the audio tour is mandatory for all visitors and will be automatically added to the ticket price.

For more information, check out ReaganLibrary.gov.

“Mummies of the World: The Exhibition” opens at The Corner Gallery in the Playhouse Square District on Sept. 23 for a limited engagement, open to the public on Thursdays through Sundays, according to a news release from organizers.

The exhibition will bring visitors face-to-face with ancient history with a collection of ancient mummies and artifacts from Europe, South America and Ancient Egypt.

“There are interactive kiosks throughout. There are multimedia displays,” said David Greene, Playhouse Square’s Senior VP of Marketing. “So you can interact with and do a great deal of learning about the mummification process, about the science behind it. All of the mummies are real people; they all have stories.”

The Corner Gallery is located at 1305 Euclid Avenue.

For more information on the exhibit and to purchase tickets, click here.

“Mummies of the World is one of the most popular traveling exhibitions in North America, and we are thrilled to host it at Playhouse Square in The Corner Gallery,” said Playhouse Square Senior Vice President of Programming David Greene in a press release. “We are excited that this exhibit will allow us to further activate the Playhouse Square District and give guests – both new and returning – different, exciting and memorable experiences when they come and visit.”

“Mummies of the World” is described as the largest exhibition of real mummies and related artifacts ever assembled. Previous stops in Miami, St. Louis and Hartford featured the mummified remains of 40 humans and animals, though the exhibition’s producer, World Heritage Exhibitions, says content may vary by market. The collection includes mummies from Europe, South America and Ancient Egypt. Artifact displays provide a window into these ancient civilizations, while multimedia exhibits illustrate how modern science plays a role in unlocking their mysteries.

“We say that ‘inside every mummy is a story waiting to be told’ and Mummies of the World tells thousands of years of captivating history,” said John Norman, President of World Heritage Exhibitions. “Visitors to the exhibition are in for a fascinating journey highlighted by real stories of real people. Throughout this exhibition, we really get to know these individuals and families, who, in many cases, were everyday people just like you and me. It’s that common humanity which truly connects us and brings history alive, creating a unique learning experience for visitors or all ages.”

In its announcement, Playhouse Square cautioned the show might not be suitable for younger children and acknowledged there are differing cultural and religious views on the display of deceased individuals. “Mummies of the World: The Exhibition” will run Thursday-Sunday through at least January at The Corner Gallery at 1305 Euclid Ave. Tickets, ranging in price from $10 for students to $24.95 for adults, are available now at playhousesquare.org/mummies or by calling 216-241-6000.

The new venue, along with the upcoming opening of Fresh Garden Café in the former Dynomite Burgers kiosk in U.S. Bank Plaza, is part of an effort to liven up the city’s theater district. Included in that is the free outdoor concert by Andy Grammar and new marquee lighting ceremony on Sept. 28.

“Between our incredible line-up of performances in our theaters to our fantastic eateries and the addition of these new venues and special events, the Playhouse Square District will be brimming with energy, and we are excited to welcome everyone to take part in these experiences,” Playhouse Square President & CEO Craig Hassall said.

Don’t fret, this isn’t a bunch of scientists trying to recreate the dinosaur species, even though it may look that way. The engineers behind this incredible exhibition are playing with life-like animatronics. 

Your journey through the exhibition will begin onboard a ferry taking you to Isla Nublar, the island where dinosaurs were bred in Jurassic Park. Here, you’ll be able to walk through the iconic ‘Jurassic World’ gates and encounter a life-sized brachiosaurus, velociraptors, and the fearsome Tyrannosaurus Rex. Younger fans of children’s show Camp Cretaceous will be able to snap a selfie with baby dino, Bumpy.

Rex Kingdom is the highlight, set up with replica high-voltage fences from the films and a moving, life-size meat-eating T.Rex that will make those with nerves of steel jump. The exhibition is family friendly, this might be one you want to skip if you have younger kids in tow as it could be nightmare inducing.

Jurassic World: The Exhibition will be presented starting Friday, September 22, for a limited time at the newly reimagined 3,000 sqm SuperLuna Pavilion, Sydney Showground at Sydney Olympic Park. 

Admission starts at $39 for children (ages 3+) and $49 for adults (ages 16+). For more information or to book, visit jurassicworldexhibition.com.au

Featuring more than 700 original artifacts from one of the darkest times in human history, Auschwitz. Not Long Ago. Not Far Away. is a moving tribute to those lost in the infamous concentration camp.

The exhibition focuses on the artifacts borrowed from 20+ institutions and museums all over the world. Among these institutions is the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, located on the site of the concentration camp itself.

As one visitor put it: “I thought I understood, but no lesson on history, no podcast, and no novel can prepare you for the impact and power these artifacts…these atrocities…these stories…. behold.”

Auschwitz. Not Long Ago. Not Far Away. is a traveling exhibition that has been attended by people from all over the world. And after a virtually sold-out summer, it has become one of the most-visited exhibitions The Reagan Library has ever seen.

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute’s CEO, David Trulio said of the high turnout, “It is more important than ever that people learn from the exhibition and never forget the suffering people endured so that we can ensure history never repeats itself.”

Auschwitz. Not Long Ago. Not Far Away. includes an audio tour and takes roughly 2-3 hours to complete. Please note that the exhibition is not recommended for children under the age of 12.

The limited-time experience has been extended through January, but will not return to the West Coast once it closes. So be sure to catch this important look into our past while it’s in Simi Valley.

 Tickets available here

 Reagan Museum and Air Force One Pavilion (40 Presidential Dr, Simi Valley, CA 93065)

Open daily 10 am – 5 pm

The exhibit, a reminder to never forget the atrocities of the past, is one of the most visited in the Reagan Library’s history, including a sold-out opening weekend.

Visitors can view more than 700 artifacts, photographs, stories and other information on display regarding the German Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz and its inhabitants, both victims and perpetrators.

Among the artifacts are hundreds of personal items that belonged to Auschwitz victims, including eyeglasses, suitcases and shoes, as well as a gas mask used by the SS and an original Model 2 freight train car used to deport Jews to ghettos and extermination camps in Poland during the war.

The traveling exhibit, featuring Holocaust artifacts from across the globe, premiered March 24 and was originally scheduled to close Aug. 13. Due to the exceptional interest, the library has extended its duration into next year.

“As visitors educate themselves about one of the most sinister times in human history, we have seen people from around the globe touched, many moved to tears, by the powerful stories the exhibition tells,” said David Trulio, president and CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute.

“Sadly, with antisemitism on the rise and acts of genocide still a reality in the world today, the exhibition’s name—Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.— could not be more appropriate. It is more important than ever that people learn from the exhibit and never forget the suffering people endured so that we can ensure history never repeats itself,” he said.

To date, the Reagan Library has sold tickets to patrons from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and internationally, as well as to more than 170 school groups representing nearly 10,000 students, many of whom were awarded financial grants to cover travel and ticket expenses to visit the exhibition.

“The visit to the Auschwitz exhibit was a compelling and moving experience for our students,” said Thomas Frank, a Thousand Oaks middle school principal.

“Through this exhibition, they [students] were able to confront the realities of the Holocaust, learn from history, and become advocates for tolerance, inclusivity and understanding.”

The exhibit is for ages 12 and up. Tickets have timed entries and must be purchased in advance at www.reagan.systemtickets.org/auschwitz. 

Auschwitz: Not long ago. Not far away looks at the Holocaust through the story of one of Nazi Germany’s most infamous death camps.

The exhibition at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley features more than 700 artifacts, ranging from the personal items of some of those who died to one of the train freight cars used to take Jews to concentration camps.

More than 130,000 people have toured the exhibition since it opened in March.

Yes, a dino roamed around one of Australia’s most famous beaches.

Yes, obviously it wasn’t a real dinosaur, but fans of the Jurassic franchise will be happy to go along with it. And yes, this clever girl did look supremely lifelike. Also yes: life really does find a way.

The velociraptor was first spotted at Marks Park, then made its way to the beach’s south end. Next, following a stint near Icebergs, it ventured up around Bondi Pavilion. That’s where it was captured — or, really, where the promotional stunt for Jurassic World: The Exhibition came to an end.

Letting a realistic-looking dino loose on Bondi was all about letting people know that the Jurassic World showcase that’s been touring the world will hit Sydney this spring, and celebrate 30 years since the first Jurassic Park movie rampaged through cinemas in the process. Before now, the exhibition has made its way to London, San Diego, Paris, Madrid, Seoul, Shanghai, Toronto and more, complete with life-sized and lifelike versions of the movie franchise’s animals.

What do Bondi Beach and Isla Nublar have in common? Dinosaurs now, although Bondi didn’t score its own version of the famous Jurassic Park and Jurassic World gates. That entryway will be on show at the exhibition, however, when it arrives at the 3000-square-metre SuperLuna Pavilion at Sydney Showground in Sydney Olympic Park from Friday, September 22.

Tickets are now on sale for Jurassic World: The Exhibition, which is another reason for the promo stunt. Sadly, there were no sightings of Sam Neill, Laura Dern or Jeff Goldblum at Bondi today — just the raptor.

Add an ancient critter to the list of attention-grabbing Bondi pop-ups in the past year, including a Stranger Things rift, a giant rainbow sand sculpture in the countdown to Sydney WorldPride and a mass installation for photographer Spencer Tunick, which briefly turned the sandy stretch into a nude beach.

It’s been a big few years for pop culture-themed pop-ups in Australia, too, including Borat, Nicole Kidman, Homer Simpson and the creepy Red Light, Green Light doll from Squid Game also making an appearance in Sydney. Homer Simpson’s huge head made its way to Queensland, too, while Melbourne has scored an Everything Everywhere All At Once-style multidimensional laundromat and a massive Timothée Chalamet mural to promote Dune.

Jurassic World: The Exhibition will display at SuperLuna Pavilion, Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park from Friday, September 22 — head to the exhibition’s website for tickets. 

While the ATL is full of surprises, witnessing imposing dinos roam freely across Pullman Yards is definitely not something we’d expect to see. And yet — the stuff of dreams landed right here, in Atlanta, last May when Jurassic World: The Exhibition opened its doors. Since then, we’ve wanted to see those Isla Nublar dinos for ourselves, fangs and all. 

For those of us who grew up watching the beloved franchise, the exhibition is a truly nostalgic journey that evokes cherished memories. The opportunity to encounter these majestic creatures up close is a dream come true that transports us back to the awe and wonder of our childhood, and the same can be said for those dino-obsessed kiddos who can’t seem to get enough of their figurines. The experience is a magical treat for young and old alike, transporting us to Alan Grant’s imagined park.

A remarkable blend of animatronics, captivating set design, immersive special effects and adorable charm truly makes the saga come alive — and after embarking on the incredible journey firsthand, we couldn’t wait to share our experience. Read on for our full review of the adventure… 

Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime adventure!

Our Jurassic World journey began on a ‘boat’ leading us to Isla Nublar, that mystical island inhabited by dinosaurs brought back to life. After receiving a fascinating briefing about the park through a voiceover, the legendary Jurassic Park gates stood tall before us, with the familiar and nostalgic “Welcome to Jurassic Park” theme song playing in our minds. 

Just then, we set our eyes on the towering brachiosaurus. We were amazed by the incredible animatronics that went into crafting every detail of the mighty dino — it really felt as though a giant creature was right there in front of us! We gazed in amazement for so long our necks felt the pain, but it was all worth it.

As we made our way through the rest of the experience, we couldn’t help but notice the transformation Pullman Yards had undergone: the venue was decked out in ferns and leaves, details of a true prehistoric wonderland. The resounding roars of dinosaurs added to the immersive atmosphere, making us feel as though we stepped through the screen and into the Jurassic World film. 

After being guided by wandering eyes through the foliage, we found ourselves at Hammond’s Creation Lab. Learning about the time period, exploring walls filled with dinosaur eggs, fossils, and even dino poop (yep) was both educational and fascinating. But the real highlight was undoubtedly our interaction with the tiny baby dinosaurs in the incubator!  

Filled with menacing jaws and rattling cages, the adventure is an adrenaline-pumping experience that keeps you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. One of those pulse-racing moments was coming face-to-face with the ghostly Indominus Rex. Its piercing gaze and menacing teeth gave us full body chills.

But despite the realistic nature of the exhibit, there’s nothing to be afraid of! You can leave your tranquilizer guns at home, since the chances of a dinosaur jumping at you through the cages are close to none. You’ll still get to witness the agility and intelligence of the dinosaurs in their movement, with a few jump scares here and there. 

If you came in the company of young children and are seeking a more lighthearted and kid-friendly adventure, Jurassic World: The Exhibition‘s got you covered as well! Little ones will have the chance to unleash their inner paleontologist by sifting through sand to uncover fascinating fossils, adding an educational and interactive layer to the experience.

But the excitement doesn’t end there for the kids: they’ll have the opportunity to interact with adorable dinosaurs like Bumpy, the Ankylosaurus from Camp Cretaceous. Just a heads up: if your kids want to take a cute dino home afterwards, don’t blame it on us! 

And of course, the thrilling conclusion of the experience is a show-stopper. The queen of the kingdom herself, the legendary T-Rex, makes a spectacular appearance in all her glory. The jaw-dropping special effects, performances, and realistic animatronics created an unforgettable atmosphere that had us — and the kids — gasping in surprise.

After the mesmerizing climax, we made our way to the gift shop: a treasure trove of Jurassic memorabilia and the perfect opportunity to take home some cherished souvenirs of our beloved adventure. We’ll definitely head back to Jurassic World: The Exhibition though, and we’d love to see you there! 

The incredible experience is an absolute must for anyone who loves dinosaurs, the Jurassic Park franchise, or simply wants to be transported back to the prehistoric era.

Immerse yourself in a world where ancient giants roam freely, right here in the ATL!

The exhibition features an interactive museum experience as well as bringing a collection of 181 dazzling objects to the city, many of which are newly discovered and have never left Egypt before. The exhibition features exquisite sculpture, precious gold treasures, sarcophagi, magnificent jewellery and amulets. Carefully selected from museums and historical sites across Egypt, these objects offer a captivating glimpse into the life and achievements of Ramses II.

Alongside the exhibits, visitors can enjoy state-of-the-art multimedia reproductions that vividly depict the opulence and splendour of ancient Egyptian civilisation. “Ramses and Nefertari: Journey to Osiris,” installed in an adjacent gallery, is a virtual reality tour of King Ramses II’s magnificent monuments, such as the temples of Abu Simbel and Nefertari’s Tomb. Drone photography, immersive video settings, multimedia productions, and photomurals are used to recreate such events as the Battle of Kadesh, the largest chariot battle ever fought. 

“Egyptian treasures have dazzled the world for centuries,” said Mostafa Waziri, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. He added that mystery surrounds Egypt’s origins, religions and monumental architecture, many of which were built during the reign of Ramses II. “This ability to transcend time has ensured the Egyptians have an eternal place in history, and I invite visitors to discover for themselves why Ramses II is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated and most powerful pharaoh of all time.”

Hon John Graham, New South Wales (NSW) Minister for Arts, Music, Night-time Economy, Jobs, and Tourism, emphasised that Sydney is the exhibition’s exclusive host city in the region, a development made possible by funding from the NSW government.

“Egypt was once among the most influential civilisations at the centre of the ancient world, and we are delighted that some of the greatest Egyptian treasures are coming to Sydney with this magnificent exhibition, which is set to inspire a new generation of young Australian Egyptologists,” Graham remarked. He encouraged all Australians to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Kim McKay, Director and CEO of the Australian Museum, expressed her excitement about showcasing historical objects of exceptional significance and astonishing beauty. “Ancient Egypt holds intrigue and fascination for all age groups, and I am confident that Ramses and The Gold of the Pharaohs in Sydney will introduce the mystery of the pharaohs to new generations of locals and visitors alike.”

CEO John Norman of World Heritage Exhibitions, which designed the exhibition, reported that “Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs” has been breaking attendance records worldwide. “Our team has created an extraordinary experience to celebrate the greatest Pharaoh in Egypt’s history, and the response from people has exceeded our highest expectations. We are thrilled to bring the exhibition to Sydney, and we believe Australians will be equally amazed.”

The exhibition’s international tour began in November 2021 in Houston, Texas. It later travelled to San Fransisco, and is currently captivating audiences in Paris.

The exhibition reveals the fabulous wealth of the pharaohs, the astonishing skill of ancient Egyptian tomb builders, and the superb workmanship of Egyptian artists. It also includes recently discovered animal mummies, including those of small cats, lion cubs, and a mongoose, from the Saqqara Necropolis, on view for the first time, as well as treasures discovered in the royal tombs in Dahshur and Tanis, many of which had never travelled before, as well as precious objects from several other periods of Egyptian history, much of it from intact royal tombs of the Middle Kingdom and the 21st and 22nd dynasties, Egypt’s Third Intermediate Period.

“This is an opportunity to experience ancient Egypt like never before,” said Norman, adding that visitors will not only see priceless historical artifacts, but will also be transported to Egyptian temples in an electrifying virtual reality journey across the sands of the Sahara. “We are proud… to bring these immersive, one-of-a-kind experiences to visitors across the globe.”

www.msichicago.org/explore/whats-here/exhibits/pompeii/

Address:

Museum of Science and Industry | Chicago, IL

5700 S Lake Shore Dr

Chicago

60637

Cross street:

at 57th St

Transport:

Bus: 6, 15, 28, 55. Train: Metra Electric or South Shore Line to 55th, 56th and 57th Street.

In 2019, NEON took a step further in supporting education by establishing the NEON – SUTD Scholarship. The aim of this initiative is to contribute to the academic success of aspiring talents and encourage academic and learning excellence by attracting outstanding students to pursue their undergraduate education at the prestigious Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).

Through this scholarship, NEON is providing students with a strong, multi-disciplinary STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education that aligns with the ever-changing landscape of the entertainment industry.

Scholarship opens up possibilities

Over the years, the NEON – SUTD Scholarship has nurtured the academic growth of three individuals, each contributing to their respective fields of study. One of these people is Max Lee, who recently graduated from SUTD’s Engineering Systems and Design program. His success story is an example of the positive impact that the scholarship has had on the lives of its recipients.

The scholarship helped to ease the financial burden of higher education for his family and allowed him to also take part in the basketball club and the SUTD Ambassador’s club. He also went on a subsidised overseas community trip to assist underprivileged people in developing countries. Now that he has graduated, he is financially independent and can even help to provide for his parents.

Lionell Loh, an inspiring recipient in 2020, pursued his passion in Information Systems and Technology Designs in SUTD and through his dedication, he now excels as a Software Engineer at Meta, making an impact in the tech world.

Equally impressive, Glenn Teo, the scholarship recipient of 2021, turned to Engineering Product Development and has since grown his career at Red Hat, a leading provider of enterprise open source solutions, as a Technical Graduate. These shining examples not only reflect the success of the NEON-SUTD Scholarship in nurturing outstanding scholars but also serve as a source of inspiration for aspiring minds to dream big and achieve the extraordinary.

Robin Chua, director of the Office of Advancement and Development at SUTD, says that NEON’s support of the scholarship “impacts the world.” He adds: “By enabling us to provide a world-class education and opening up a multitude of possibilities to our students, Singapore’s young aspiring talent are equipped to go forth and change the world.”

NEON says it believes that just as it strives to create grand and immersive experiences for its audiences, the same level of dedication should be extended to the education experience of scholarship recipients. By providing the necessary support and recognition, NEON ensures that these talented individuals are empowered to realise their full potential.

Recently, NEON’s attraction, Avatar: The Experience at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, won the Outstanding Attraction Experience award at the Singapore Tourism Awards 2023, in the Experience Excellence category.

A stunning homage to the beloved franchise, Jurassic World: The Exhibition is an immersive experience that promises to bring fans face-to-face with some of films’ most iconic characters. Described as a ‘family-friendly’ exhibition, the new attraction gives you the chance to explore some key moments from the series, starting first by walking through the iconic “Jurassic World” gates.

From here, Jurassic World: The Exhibition reads like a geek’s wishlist. Hit the trail and you’ll encounter a life-sized brachiosaurus, velociraptors, and if you’re (un)lucky, even a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Better yet, the exhibit organisers have confirmed newer additions to the franchise, such as “Bumpy” from the popular Netflix animated series Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous series will make an appearance, as well.

The launch of Jurassic World: The Exhibition in Sydney comes amid the franchise’s 30th anniversary and follows a series of sold-out engagements across the globe. Over the last few months, the attraction has nabbed record ticket sales across London, Paris, Madrid, Shanghai, Cologne, San Diego and many more. Now, it’s finally time for Sydneysiders to step foot inside Richard Hammond’s beleaguered park of wonders.

Jurassic World: The Exhibition kicks off on Friday, 22 September 2023 and will run for a limited time. You can find the blockbuster new attraction at the newly reimagined SuperLuna Pavilion, Sydney Showground at Sydney Olympic Park, with the waitlist now open for tickets. 

Walk through the famous gates and get up close to lifelike dinosaurs to celebrate three decades since ‘Jurassic Park’ first hit cinemas.

If you’re a dinosaur fan in Australia, life keeps finding a way to indulge your interest in prehistoric creatures. In Brisbane, the Dinosaurs of Patagonia museum showcase is currently displaying impressive fossils. In Melbourne and later Sydney, Dinos Alive: An Immersive Experience is about to hit. And also in the Harbour City, Jurassic World: The Exhibition will soon roar into town with its own critters, as well as a celebration of 30 years since the first Jurassic Park movie initially rampaged across the big screen.

Yes, it’s a great time to fascinated with dinosaurs right now — we’ve seen two seasons of Prehistoric Planet on streaming in the past two years, too — and this latest exhibition arrives as part of a global tour. A showcase with the same name displayed in Melbourne back in 2016, but this visit comes after stops everywhere from London, San Diego, Paris and Madrid to Seoul, Shanghai and Toronto. On offer: life-sized, lifelike versions of the movie franchise’s animals.

Expect to feel like you’ve been transported to Isla Nublar, complete with a walk through the big-screen saga’s famed gates. From there, you’ll walk through themed environments featuring dinos, including a brachiosaurus, velociraptors — yes, get ready to say “clever girl” — and a Tyrannosaurus rex.

Also linking in with the animated Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous series, there’ll be baby dinos, including the show’s Bumpy.

Sydneysiders and visitors to the New South Wales capital will be able to get roaming, and staring at animatronic dinos, from Friday, September 22 at the 3000-square-metre SuperLuna Pavilion at Sydney Showground in Sydney Olympic Park. Exactly how long the exhibition will hang around for hasn’t been announced, except that it’ll be a limited stay. If it’ll head to other Australian cities afterwards also hasn’t been revealed.

Now, all that’s left is to decide which Jurassic franchise character you want to emulate (the best choices: Laura Dern’s palaeobotanist Ellie Sattler, Sam Neill’s palaeontologist Alan Grant and Jeff Goldblum’s mathematician Ian Malcolm, of course).

And no, when Michael Crichton penned Jurassic Park in 1990, then Steven Spielberg turned it into a 1993 film, they wouldn’t have expected that this’d be the result three decades — and five more movies — later.

Jurassic World: The Exhibition will display at SuperLuna Pavilion, Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park from Friday, September 22 — head to the exhibition’s website to join the ticket waitlist. 

Time Out says

Have you ever dreamed of walking with dinosaurs? Well Sydney, life finds a way. Jurassic World: The Exhibition is roaring into the Harbour City this spring following recent record-breaking engagements in cities around the world. This enormous and immersive experience celebrates 30 years of the film franchise that began with the ground-breaking 1993 movie Jurassic Park.

At this family-friendly exhibit of Jurassic proportions, you can walk through the iconic “Jurassic World” gates and encounter a life-sized brachiosaurus, velociraptors, and the most fearsome dinosaur of all, the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex. (We’re yet to receive confirmation on whether you’ll also encounter the glistening, exposed chest hair of Jeff Goldblum as you explore the richly themed environments.)

Visitors will be able to imagine what it would have been like to roam amongst these breathtaking creatures (the dinosaurs, not Sam Neil and the gang), and even interact with baby dinos, including “Bumpy” from the popular animated series Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous (currently streaming on Netflix).

Are you finding yourself thinking that the mad scientists behind this experience “were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should”? Well, hold onto your butts. They’re not playing God with real extinct creatures, but with life-like animatronics. So, Sydney should avoid an apocalyptic T-Rex escape situation.

The exhibition engages audiences of all ages in settings inspired by the Jurassic World franchise and is produced in conjunction with Universal Live Entertainment, NEON, SuperLuna, Masterworks, Sony Music Entertainment Australia, and Animax Designs – the creators of the lifelike animatronic dinosaurs.

Jurassic World: The Exhibition will be presented starting Friday, September 22, for a limited time at the newly reimagined 3,000 sqm SuperLuna Pavilion, Sydney Showground at Sydney Olympic Park. 

Admission starts at $39 for children (ages 3+) and $49 for adults (ages 16+). Family and group tickets are also available, as well as special pricing for senior citizens and students. Ticketmaster pre-sale commences at 10am on Wednesday, July 26. General Public sale commences at 10am on Thursday, July 27. The Sydney waitlist is now open at jurassicworldexhibition.com.au. 

The deep importance of animals in ancient Egyptian religious practices will be on show when a major exhibition of antiquities opens in Australia in four months’ time.

The Australian Museum’s upcoming blockbuster will feature recently discovered mummified animals, including cats, a mongoose and a 10-month-old lion cub, which are thousands of years old.

They were unearthed south of Cairo at Saqqara – an active Egyptian burial site for three millennia – where a treasure trove of ancient relics has been unearthed.

“They were just discovered a couple of years ago, so not even Egyptians have had the chance to see these pieces,” Dr Mostafa Waziry, Secretary-General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities told AAP.

Dr Waziry, Egypt’s gatekeeper of all these finds, was visiting Australia from Cairo ahead of the opening of the ‘Ramses & The Gold Of The Pharaohs’ exhibition at the Sydney-based museum in November.

Archaeologists also came across scarabs, snakes, crocodiles, and a vervet monkey. Some of these animals had never been found mummified before, he said.

They also found a grave of 500 cats mummified as offerings to the Egyptian goddess Bastet, who was often depicted as a woman with the head of a cat.

It’s fascinating discoveries like these that keep Dr Waziry returning to dig at Egypt’s archaeological sites every week, after 30 years in the field.

“Whenever you discover something that nobody has seen for thousands of years, and you are the first one … it’s a feeling that you will never forget for the rest of your life,” he said.

The intrepid Egyptologist is the also star of two recent Netflix documentaries – the 2020 release Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb, and the trending series Unknown: The Lost Pyramid.

Dr Waziry is pleased the shows have been a success but said the Lost Pyramid filmmakers were simply following archaeologists doing their regular work.

“Everybody in the world is talking about this one, and how happy they are to watch us doing excavating and digging,” he said.

Ramses & The Gold of the Pharaohs will showcase 181 priceless artefacts, many of which have never left Egypt before.

They include royal masks, jewellery, amulets, and sarcophagi, on loan from the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

It’s designed to give viewers an insight into the life and times of Ramses II, who reigned from 1279 to 1213 BC and is arguably the greatest of all the pharaohs, according to Dr Waziry.

Ramses the Great lived to the age of 92 and is believed to have fathered more than 100 children.

Much of Egypt’s monumental architecture was built during his reign, including scores of giant landmarks built as tributes to Ramses.

The exhibition will include a virtual reality tour of two of the most impressive: the tomb of Queen Nefertari, his favourite royal consort, and the temples of Abu Simbel.

The exhibition has already been to the US and is currently in France, where it has attracted record-breaking crowds, according to World Heritage Exhibitions.

The Australian Museum had organised another Egyptian antiquities show, ‘Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh’ for 2021 but it was cancelled due to the pandemic.

Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs will run at the Australian Museum in Sydney from November 18 until May 2024, with tickets available from Monday.

Why does an over 3000-year-old culture still pull audiences, and what is the lure of the Egyptian blockbuster for Australians?

It all feels very familiar – images of pharaohs and mummies – in an Indiana Jones-cum-Tomb Raider kind of way. As audiences, we have been tutored into the world of Egyptology via the big screen, coffee table books, TV documentaries and even graphic cartoons. So, what does it feel like to stand in front of these objects? And is it worth the cost of bringing these exhibitions to Australia?

This week, the Australian Museum (AM) gave us a teaser to its $2.6 billion exhibition Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs, scheduled to open in November. The Museum was forced to cancel its 2021 blockbuster, Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh, due to COVID touring complications.

That was to be the first blockbuster presented by the AM after its $57.5 million refurbishment, and had received funding under the NSW Government’s Create NSW blockbusters funding initiative to do so.  ‘Obviously that blockbuster funding was cut with the exhibition not coming in,’ explains Fran Dorey, Archaeologist and Head of Exhibitions at AM. ‘However, with Ramses on offer, we had to reapply for new blockbuster funding, and we’ve been successful with that.’

But there is no loss to be felt with Tut replaced. Born circa 1303 BCE, Ramses the Great (Ramses II, who reigned from 1279 to 1213 BCE) lived longer than any other Egyptian pharaoh – including King Tut – had 100 children, and was a zealous architect and self-promoter. ‘Ramses would have been the rock star of the ancient world,’ Dorey tells ArtsHub.

Why is Ramses such a rock star?

Ramses lived to about 92, and came to epitomise the power and wealth during the New Kingdom period, with at least nine kings taking their name after him. Dorey says: ‘He was out there as a teenager being a great warrior and general in the Egyptian army. He became king when he was around 25 and ruled for about 66 years. He was also like a wanton PR machine. Wherever you go in Egypt – from the north all the way down to the south – he built temples, palaces and buildings with colossal statues of himself, and we’re talking 12- to 20-metre statues.

‘He also took over other people’s statues and ripped their names up and put his name on them. Egyptians would have seen him everywhere. We know he had at least eight wives and at least 100 children – so he was very prolific as a builder, a warrior, a politician and a breeder,’ Dorey continues.

And if that isn’t enough, Hollywood, in the iconic Cecil B DeMille film Ten Commandments, made him the pharaoh of the Exodus. The exhibition checks off all the boxes that the public expects to see, especially the mystery and mythology of ‘king as intercessor’ between gods and men.

Dorey says the story that surrounds the history is as exciting as the objects themselves. ‘These are the things you see in movies, and you see them in textbooks and marketing imagery, and there is that, “Oh, that’s pretty cool” response. But there is something about actually seeing the real thing, and standing in front of it. I always get this tingly feeling.’

She continues: ‘When I look at something, I think, “Oh, my God, somebody touched that 3000 years ago, and it’s got their fingers on it.” And then I think, “Someone found it 100 years ago, and what happened to it between then and now?” They’re not just objects. They are things with stories, and that history is right in front of you.’

A win in disguise: is Ramses better than Tut?

Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs has been presented in Houston, San Francisco and Paris en route to Sydney. The AM is gearing up to welcome upwards of 500,000 people through its doors.

The Tut tour was managed by the US touring company IMG and the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities and Culture. Essentially, a new breakaway company, World Heritage Exhibitions/Neon Global, is responsible for this new blockbuster.

The Tutankhamun exhibition was going to be the largest exhibition of his treasures ever to leave Egypt, but will now be confined to the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, which is due to open later this year. But Dorey doesn’t believe we’ve missed out, admitting to ArtsHub: ‘To be honest, I think [Ramses is] a better exhibition, I think there’s a lot more to do and see, and there is also a greater depth of objects.

‘One of the things that most people don’t realise, is that Tut’s tomb isn’t the only pharaoh’s tomb that was found intact. And, in fact, his had been robbed at least twice in antiquity,’ she says. Alongside Ramses, there are other pharaohs featured in this exhibition – Amenemope and Wendjebauendjed, with gold masks and a granite bust of Merneptah.

The exhibition of 181 artefacts also includes sarcophagi, animal mummies, jewellery and amulets. Dorey says her highlights are the aforementioned gold masks, and the recreation of a tomb from the Valley of the Kings. ‘We’ve got Ramses’ coffin, and it is displayed with wall paintings and roof paintings – so it’s like you’re going back into his tomb. It tells the story of the people who painted tomb, and cut the tomb and made the coffins, and I love that.’

That immersive experience is extended with a VR (virtual reality) element that will take visitors on a whirlwind tour of two of Ramses’ most impressive monuments: the Tomb of Queen Nefertari, his favourite Royal Consort, and the temples of Abu Simbel.

Dorey says she has given the separate ticketed experience a whirl. ‘You sit in these fancy chairs that look like giant eggs and your feet are off the ground, and you have a VR headset on. So, if you can imagine a cross between an archaeologist taking you on a tour of Abu Simbel and a film director coming in doing their impression, and you do also meet Ramses – it’s very cool; I loved it.’

She adds of the $2.6 billion value of the show: ‘Once you add the value of the objects – which is the highest value for a collection that we’ve ever had – plus the VR technology, the exhibition furniture, such as the showcases and the audio guides, then that is about right.’

The Egyptian blockbuster is not a new thing

While VR may feel new regarding an Egyptian narrative, the Egyptian blockbuster is hardly a new thing. So what’s the lure for Australian audiences?

Dorey puts it simply: ‘We have to look at the history of the popularisation of Egypt. We had the ‘Egyptomania’ of the 20s and 30s, but it never goes away. That 100-year history of looking at the discoveries, we’ve all heard of it.’  By 1930 about 70% of the AM’s Egyptian Collection was assembled, following the global trend.

‘You can turn the TV on at any given day and there’s an Egyptian documentary. So it’s constantly in our mindset. But I think, when you look at the Egyptian art, and the way they made things and the way they bought in nature and animals, it’s very different – it’s engaging. And then there’s lots of gold – Egyptians loved gold.

‘I think all that combined suggests that it’s exotic, that it’s amazing. And yet, we all feel like we know something because we’ve all watched a documentary, which is nice,’ Dorey adds.

Audiences feel an additional layer of familiarity, having experienced their share of Egyptian exhibitions to date. Alongside the AM’s Ramses exhibition this year, WA Museum Boola Bardip, Perth is currently showing Discovering Ancient Egypt. It partnered with the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in the Netherlands, the National Museum of Australia and the Queensland Museum to bring over 240 objects together, including extracts from the Book of the Dead.

Regarding the exhibition’s section containing human remains (i.e. the mummies), Artshub reviewer Nanci Nott wrote: ‘More fascinating than morbid, here curatorial emphasis rests on the intrinsic value of historical knowledge, as opposed to the cheap sensationalism associated with early archaeology.’

Prior to this year’s offerings, the Powerhouse Museum presented Egyptian Mummies: Exploring Ancient Lives in 2017, while in 2011 Melbourne Museum presented the Melbourne Winter Blockbuster Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs – produced by National Geographic. And in 2007 the National Gallery of Australia presented Egyptian Antiquities from the Louvre: Journey to the Afterlife.

The AM last presented an Egyptian blockbuster in 1998, Life and Death Under the Pharaohs, which led to a reported 51% increase in visitors to the Museum during its presentation. So clearly the repetition means it works.

And, on any given day of the week, visitors can see – free of charge – exhibitions at the Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney, with its purpose-built The Egyptian Galleries: The Mummy Room and Pharaonic Obsessions (including four mummies), and the Museum of South Australia’s display The Ancient Egypt gallery, which was unveiled in 1939. While it is pretty much ‘as-it-was’ since opening with its sarcophagus and mummy of Renpit-Nefert – it remains a favourite with visitors.

Adding to that permanent offering, the AM is planning to refurbish its Egyptian galleries as part of its forward vision for 2027 onwards.

Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs opens 18 November at the Australian Museum, Sydney; ticketed.

Jurassic World: The Exhibition brings the iconic blockbuster to life at the heart of Atlanta’s very own Pullman Yards through November 12.

Since its arrival in Atlanta last May, Jurassic World: The Exhibition has captured the hearts of both young and old alike. And as proof of its resounding success, the immersive experience has announced it will be extending its stay! Prepare to be transported back to the prehistoric era, where dinosaurs once roamed the earth carelessly, and uncover the science behind it all at The Creation Lab. 

Don your explorer’s hat to encounter friendly favorites like the adorable Little Bumpy from Camp Cretaceous, come face-to-face with the daunting Tyrannosaurus-Rex and so many more. Whether you’re seeking pulse-racing or heartwarming encounters, Jurassic World: The Exhibition stays open through November 12 — the opportunity to explore Isla Nublar in its striking glory. 

Don’t miss the chance to embark on this unforgettable adventure and immerse yourself in the captivating world of Jurassic World.

Get ready for a full immersion into the groundbreaking universe of the iconic “Jurassic Park” franchise! As you step through the iconic archway, you’ll find yourself sucked into the breathtaking world of Isla Nublar, right here in Atlanta. The lush foliage, wild ferns, and vibrant leaves will make you feel like you’ve stepped right into the heart of the island, the perfect opportunity to recreate that iconic “Welcome to Jurassic Park” moment. But be wary as you explore, as curious eyes may be peering at you from the branches…

Thankfully, Jurassic World: The Exhibition offers all the excitement without the actual danger (realistically, no dinosaurs will be chasing you through Pullman Yards!). The interactive nature of the experience is perfect for kids, since they can witness their favorite dinosaurs come to life and interact with them in ways they never thought possible. And if you’re a die-hard fan of the blockbuster saga, this Jurassic World experience is the perfect opportunity to unleash the ’90s kid within you!

After a successful run in London and a current stop in Mississauga, the XXL exhibition is now open in Atlanta through November 12 — and visitors can’t get enough:

“Very realistic and perfectly done. I had the best experience! Angela T. “

“Wow!! Definitely surpassed my expectations. This was very well done you can tell they put a lot of work into it. Rachel M. “

“Did not disappoint! Worth the money! Star M. “

Secure your tickets to witness Isla Nublar IRL!

The Australian Museum in Sydney will host this Ramses the Great exhibition, which will feature items that’ve never left Egypt before.

From 1279–1213 BCE, Ramses II ruled over Egypt. When Saturday, November 18 rolls around this year, a collection of items from the pharaoh’s rule 3000-plus years ago will gleam in Australia. First announced back in 2021, and now locking in its dates and details, Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs will display more 181 rare artefacts and treasures at the Australian Museum in Sydney — including sarcophagi, animal mummies, royal masks, jewellery, amulets and other golden items from the ruler’s tomb.

Focusing on Egypt’s third pharaoh from its 19th dynasty — a ruler also known as Ramses the Great, who enjoyed the second-longest reign of any pharaoh, and is considered a symbol of the country’s prosperous ancient New Kingdom period — this showcase is set to be big. The Australian Museum has dubbed it the largest cultural collection Down Under in more than a decade, in fact. While the hefty number of objects featured is impressive, so is their rare status; some of the pieces included haven’t ever left Egypt before.

Bringing a slice of history to Australia’s shores, Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs will be filled with items from museums and historical sites in Egypt, which are being loaned to the exhibition by Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities.

Also included: letting attendees enter two of the ruler’s monuments — the Tomb of Queen Nefertari, and the temples of Abu Simbel — virtually.

“Mystery surrounds Egypt’s origins, religions and monumental architecture — many of which were built during the reign of Ramses II,” said The Secretary-General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities Dr Mostafa Waziry, who is also an archaeologist, launching the countdown to Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs.

“This ability to transcend age and time has ensured the Egyptians have an eternal place in history, and I invite visitors to discover for themselves why Ramses II is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated and most powerful pharaoh of all time.”

“The AM is thrilled to present these exceedingly rare objects in an exhibition where visitors can appreciate their astonishing beauty and enduring history firsthand. Ancient Egypt holds intrigue and fascination for all age groups, and I know Ramses & The Gold of the Pharaohs in Sydney will introduce the mystery of the pharaohs to new generations of locals and visitors alike,” added Australian Museum Director and CEO Kim McKay AO.

Presented in partnership with World Heritage Exhibitions, Neon and the Houston Museum of Natural Science, with support by Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, and also funding from the NSW Government’s Create NSW Blockbusters Funding initiative, Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs heads to Australia after showing in Houston and San Francisco in the US, as well as its current season until September in Paris.

Sydney was also meant to celebrate a different Egyptian rule, Tutankhamun, a few years back; however, Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh, which was due to bring more than 150 items to the Australian Museum in 2021, was cancelled due to the pandemic.

Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs will display at the Australian Museum, 1 William Street, Sydney, from Saturday, November 18 until May 2024 — head to the exhibition’s website for further details, and tickets from Monday, July 17.

Big news, the incredible Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs exhibition is headed to Sydney this summer.

Hosted at The Australian Museum in collaboration with Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the exhibition will feature 181 priceless artefacts and ornate golden treasures, making it the largest cultural exhibition to visit Sydney in over a decade. 

While the mystery of the pyramids and the splendour of Ancient Egypt is typically pretty distant for Sydneysiders—we’ll now get the opportunity to peer 3,30o years into the past, with one-of-a-kind archaeological finds like sarcophagi, animal mummies, jewellery, spectacular royal masks, and exquisite amulets. Many of the items on show have never left Egypt before.

The exhibition focuses on the life and times of King Ramses II, whole ruled over Egypt for 67 years during the height of their civilisation—an era known as the “New Kingdom” period of 1539-1075 BC. Ramses loved to build epic monuments, and included in the Sydney exhibition will be pieces from the Tomb of Queen Nefertari (his favourite Royal Consort) and the temple of Abu Simbel.

Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs is heading to Sydney only, after showing in Paris, Houston, and San Francisco. 

Tickets will go on sale Monday 17 July at 10am. Head over here to grab yours. 

The Details

What: Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs
When: From Saturday 18 November, 2023
Where: The Australian Museum, Sydney
Tickets: Online, here from Monday 17 July

Explore the fascinating and rich culture of Ancient Egypt in this blockbuster Australian-first exhibition in Sydney.

A blockbuster touring exhibition — Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs, featuring 181 priceless artefacts and ornate golden treasures is making its way to Sydney. Set to be the largest exhibition in Sydney in a decade, the interactive display will be an Australian-first exhibition featuring objects and treasures from museums and historical sites across Egypt. It will take over The Australian Museum this summer in collaboration with Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the giant showcase promises to be fit for a pharaoh.

Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs, Sydney

If you enjoy history and find yourself fascinated by ancient Egypt and its pyramids, this is your opportunity to get catapulted 3,300 years in the past and see it all up close.

The exhibition depicts the life and accomplishments of one of the most renowned and powerful pharaohs in Egyptian history — King Ramses II, more commonly referred to as Ramses the Great. He ruled Egypt for nearly 67 years, rebuilding several monuments and temples and was celebrated as a great warrior. He also became the embodiment of power and wealth in ancient Egypt during the New Kingdom period, 1539-1075 BC.

Exhibition highlights

Among the highlights, visitors can look forward to exploring one-of-a-kind relics such as sarcophagi, animal mummies, stunning jewellery, royal masks, and beautiful amulets, many of which have never left Egypt before.

Another highlight of the exhibition is a virtual reality experience that will take visitors on a tour of two of Ramses’ most impressive monuments — the Tomb of Queen Nefertari — his favourite royal consort, which features vibrant colours and detailed artwork and the temples of Abu Simbel, a historic site comprising twin rock-cut temples.

Bringing to life the rich culture of ancient Egypt and shedding light on its enduring mythology the exhibition will feature 181 rare artefacts sourced from some of Egypt’s most renowned historical sites.

Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs dates and tickets

Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs comes to Australia after sold-out seasons in Houston, San Francisco and Paris, where it is currently on display until September.

You’ll want to mark your calendars for November 18, 2023, which is when the exhibition opens at the Australian Museum in Sydney. Tickets go on sale this week from Monday, July 17 and you can join the waitlist here to get first dibs.

Sydney, 9 July, 2023: The Australian Museum, in cooperation with Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and World Heritage Exhibitions/Neon Global, is proud to present the blockbuster Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs, which will be the largest cultural exhibition to visit Australia in over a decade when it opens in Sydney on 18 November this year.

Exclusive to Sydney, Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs is an interactive museum experience that features 181 priceless artefacts and ornate golden treasures, including one-of-a-kind relics such as sarcophagi, animal mummies, magnificent jewellery, spectacular royal masks, exquisite amulets – many of which have never left Egypt before.

All of the objects in Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs have come from museums and historical sites in Egypt and are on loan to the exhibition from Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities. The Secretary-General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities and renowned archaeologist, Dr Mostafa Waziry, today launched the countdown to Ramses at the Australian Museum.

Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs provides visitors with a window into the life and accomplishments of King Ramses II, more commonly known as Ramses the Great, who ruled Egypt for nearly 67 years – the second longest reign for any pharaoh in Ancient Egyptian history. Ramses the Great, who lived to about 92 years of age, came to epitomise the power and wealth of Ancient Egypt during the New Kingdom period, 1539-1075 BC, when Egyptian civilisation was at its height. Ramses was known as a mighty warrior who secured peace with his neighbours, led an extensive building campaign that included scores of gigantic monuments to himself, and is believed to have fathered over 100 children.

Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs also features a virtual reality experience that takes visitors on a whirlwind tour of two of Ramses’ most impressive monuments: the Tomb of Queen Nefertari, his favourite Royal Consort, and the temples of Abu Simbel.

NSW Minister for Arts, Music, Night-time Economy, Jobs and Tourism, the Hon John Graham, said Sydney is the only city in the region to host Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs, funded by the NSW Government through the Blockbuster Fund: “Egypt was one of the most powerful civilisations in the centre of the ancient world, and we are thrilled some of the greatest Egyptian treasures are coming to Sydney with Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs. This is a magnificent exhibition, set to produce a new generation of young Australian Egyptologists. I encourage all Australians to experience this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see these magnificently preserved 3,300-year-old artefacts at the Australian Museum.”

Australian Museum Director and CEO, Kim McKay AO said the objects in Ramses & The Gold of the Pharaohs are drawn from Egypt’s finest museums and historical sites, and bring to life the fascinating, rich culture of ancient Egypt.

“The AM is thrilled to present these exceedingly rare objects in an exhibition where visitors can appreciate their astonishing beauty and enduring history first-hand,” McKay said. “Ancient Egypt holds intrigue and fascination for all age groups, and I know Ramses & The Gold of the Pharaohs in Sydney will introduce the mystery of the pharaohs to new generations of locals and visitors alike.”

Dr Mostafa Waziry, visiting Sydney from Cairo, said that Egyptian antiquities and treasures have dazzled the world for centuries: “Mystery surrounds Egypt’s origins, religions and monumental architecture – many of which were built during the reign of Ramses II, 1279 to 1213 BC. This ability to transcend age and time has ensured the Egyptians have an eternal place in history, and I invite visitors to discover for themselves why Ramses II is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of all time.”

World Heritage Exhibitions CEO John Norman said Ramses & The Gold of the Pharaohs is seeing record-breaking attendance around the world: “Our team has created an amazing experience celebrating the greatest Pharaoh in Egypt’s history and the reaction from people has surpassed our highest expectations. We are so excited to bring the exhibition to Sydney and know Australians are going to be similarly amazed.”

Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs comes to Sydney after successful seasons in Houston, San Francisco and Paris, where it is currently on show until September.

Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs is presented in partnership with World Heritage Exhibitions, Neon and the Houston Museum of Natural Science, with the support of Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. Proudly supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW Blockbusters Funding initiative.

Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs opens at the Australian Museum on 18 November 2023.

He was Ancient Egypt’s unrivalled builder, warrior and begetter of children – historians believe he fathered at least 100. But in the annals of popular history, the great Ramses II has long been overshadowed by a teenager.

This irks archaeologist Mostafa Waziry from Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities. “Tutankhamun is nothing,” he said. “He died at the age of 18, or something. He did nothing to Egypt. Just a little boy playing with horses and chariots.”

Waziry hopes any lingering confusion about the pharaonic pecking order will be swept away by Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs, an exhibition of animal mummies, jewels and sarcophagi due to open at the Australian Museum in November.

While visiting Sydney to promote the exhibition before tickets go on sale on July 17, Waziry said Tutankhamun’s fame only arose from his tomb being found unplundered a century ago. “His tomb is the poorest in the Valley of the Kings,” he said.

“If you were to look at the tomb of Ramses – oh wow, what a tomb. He’s the greatest because of what he did to the history of Egypt. Wars? He was the greatest warrior. For the number of buildings or constructions or temples or kiosks or chapels, Ramses is the greatest.”

Historically, Australians have flocked to visiting exhibitions of ancient artefacts. A 1988 show, also called Gold of the Pharaohs, held attendance records at the Art Gallery of NSW for almost 25 years, followed closely by a show featuring China’s Terracotta Army in 1983.

A 2021 exhibition of treasures from Tutankhamun’s tomb – which was to have crowned the Australian Museum’s $57 million renovations – had been expected to draw 800,000 visitors before it was cancelled in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sydney will be the fourth international stop for the exhibition, which features Egyptian-owned artefacts and is run in co-operation with the Egyptian government.

Waziry said he would not raise the question of Australian ownership of Egyptian artefacts, such as the Mummy Room in the University of Sydney’s Chau Chak Wing Museum, during his tour, saying it was once legal for archaeological teams in Egypt to keep half of their discoveries.

“I don’t mind if we have Egyptian artefacts in Australia,” he said. “They have thousands of pieces in the Louvre Museum. I don’t care. We have obelisks in Italy, in England, in America. They are for me like ambassadors in those countries.”

But there are four artefacts Waziry would like returned to Egypt; the Rosetta Stone, the Dendera Zodiac at the Louvre, the bust of Nefertiti at the Berlin Museum, and the statue of pyramid architect Hemiunu in Hildesheim, Germany. “They are unique,” he said.

In August 2022, Jurassic World: The Exhibition came stomping into London ExCel, sending ripples through many cups of coffee (although please note that no open-top beverages are actually allowed past the check-in point). This walk-through-style tour might have just been the most immersive and jaw-dropping experience in the entire Jurassic Park/Jurassic World franchise since the original 1993 film, so let’s break down everything it had to offer…

The Isla Nublar Ferry

After checking in, you boarded the Isla Nublar Ferry as seen in Jurassic World (2015), which transports guests from mainland Central America to the Costa Rican island Isla Nublar, home to Jurassic World. Of course, it isn’t an actual ferry, but it’s so instantly immersive that you’ll feel like you’ve stepped onto a real boat on the Thames (which is actually just a stone’s throw away from the venue). Between the accompanying Jurassic World “staff” and the “view” of the ocean horizon, you’ll be plunged into the world made famous in the blockbuster series.

The Gates

“What have they got in there, King Kong?” Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) once said, and this might be the first thing that comes to mind as you approached those towering Jurassic World gates at the start of the exhibition. It might not be a 50-foot gorilla that you’ll find on the other side, but you were greeted with a Brachiosaurus, a life-size animatronic whose long neck moves so fluidly you’ll be asking one of the Jurassic World staff if they’ve actually used fossilized DNA to bring prehistoric animals back to life.

The entire area was kitted out with foliage and appropriate fencing, and other man-made structures from viewing platforms to large crates. Nearby you also found a Stygimoloch in the back of a truck, and watch as it sticks its armor-plated head over the top from time to time. And then there’s a Jurassic World paleo-veterinarian, who has an infant Pteranadon cradled in their arms, something tailored a bit more toward those “younger versions of adults”.

The Labs

Beyond the first section of Jurassic World, you swapped the dimly lit “outdoor” jungle setting for a bleach-white, sterile laboratory environment named the “Hammond Creation Lab”, which housed display cases populated with prehistoric mosquitos fossilized in shiny amber, as well as a hatchery, where dinosaur eggs and life-like newborn Parasaurolophus, are on display. This area was no less interactive, though, and there was another Jurassic World employee with an infant dinosaur – this time, an adorable, wide-eyed Parasaur.

Velociraptors

Do you remember the scene in Jurassic World where Owen Grady’s four Velociraptors are muzzled and contained in individual holding pens, their bodies and jaws completely restricted? Well, in this part of the tour, you felt like you had stepped onto that set, as these movie-quality raptors look very much alive – they’re not just moving, they’re breathing. There was, however, a slightly concerning detail, as Blue’s pen is empty! In the next room, you’ll see her in a large holding pen with a raptor wrangler (no, unfortunately it’s not Chris Pratt)!

Indominus Rex

Then, it was onto the first of two main events – the Indominus Rex! Just like with Blue, you would enter a room where you’ll be faced with a dinosaur enclosure, however, this one doesn’t have wall-to-ceiling fences like the last one, as you’ll be able to see the dinosaur’s head emerge over the top as it creeps out of the dense foliage to feast upon a hunk of meat that a Jurassic World employee is dangling overhead using a crane. No words can describe just how startlingly real the Indominus looked here – it really had to be seen to be believed.

Tyrannosaurus Rex

While the Indominus Rex was designed to be the main selling-point of Jurassic World in the movies, there was simply no beating the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex. After entering a similar room (though much bigger), the full-bodied Tyrannosaurus Rex (yet another frighteningly realistic animatronic creation) will breach its perimeter fence, forcing all the Jurassic World employees to burst into panic as they usher you towards the exit doors. This T-Rex meant business, and the way its flesh and muscles undulated as it moved and breathed, and the way its eyes blinked and rolled, and of course that deafening roar, left you frozen to the ground (which was probably for the best in this situation anyway).

And so once you had escaped the Tyrannosaurus Rex, that was the end of your tour, as you would find yourself in Jurassic World: The Exhibition’s giftshop, where you’re very likely to “spare no expense”.

Jurassic World: The Exhibition certainly delivered on its biggest promise – that it’s “the closest you’ll come to living dinosaurs”. The walk-through tour took roughly 45 minutes to enjoy, and there was also a couple of other smaller areas to take note of, such as a museum-style area where you’ll meet “Bumpy” – the infant Ankylosaurus from animated Netflix series Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous – and a collection of Gyrospheres in a jungle setting (the gyroscopic vehicles from Jurassic World), which made for a perfect photo opportunity.

Jurassic World: The Exhibition opened on the 25th August 2022 and was meant to end in November, but due to the high demand and it’s popularity, it was extended until January 2023 and officially closed on 15th January 2023. Did you get to visit this amazing experience, should it return? Let us know your thoughts by leaving us a comment below or on our Facebook page.

Warner Bros and Neon are working in collaboration to develop a new contemporary art experience based on the world of Harry Potter

A new contemporary art experience based on the Harry Potter franchise is making its way to a yet-to-be named European city ahead of a tour of Europe for the travelling exhibition.

A collaboration between Warner Bros Discovery Global Themed Entertainment and immersive experiential design firm Neon, Harry Potter: Visions of Magic explores both the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts movie IPs, with the interactive art experience featuring locations such as the Room of Requirement, Newt’s Menagerie, the Ministry of Magic, and more.

The travelling exhibition will feature multi-sensory installations, with interactive technology inviting guests to “illuminate the invisible, revealing visions of magic that bring the entire experience to life”.

“This experience is going to leave our millions of Wizarding World fans around the world awestruck,” said Peter van Roden, senior vice president, Warner Bros Discovery Global Themed Entertainment. “Art and technology have been masterfully harnessed and brought together with the Wizarding World to create a truly magical experience that puts the franchise on display like never before.”

Neon – formerly CityNeon – says more information about the exhibition and initial host city will be announced later this year. Former touring exhibitions from the company include Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N., Jurassic World: The Exhibition and The Hunger Games: The Exhibition.

“We’re excited to partner with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Themed Entertainment to deliver this unique experience for the first time ever,” said Ron Tan, executive chairman and Group CEO of Neon.

“Whether you have been a fan of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts for decades, or are just now discovering these rich stories, expect to be taken on a journey like none other.”

A number of Harry Potter attraction and exhibitions have toured the world, with Harry Potter: The Exhibition set for a stop in Macao, China, later this year. A major attraction based on the Wizarding World has also open in Japan, with the Harry Potter Studio Tour opening in Tokyo.

NEON, a global experience entertainment company, has announced that it has partnered with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Themed Entertainment to present Harry Potter: Visions of Magic. This new interactive art experience is inspired by the Wizarding World and will start its European tour this year, followed by global locations.

Harry Potter: Visions of Magic is a modern creative celebration of the enduring film series which aims to celebrate the worlds of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts and explore some of the Wizarding World’s mysterious elements.

Guests can discover creative and evocative settings based on enigmatic locations in the magical world, like the Ministry of Magic, Newt’s Menagerie, and more. Multi-sensory works are created by responsive video content, striking architecture, and unique soundscapes, while interactive technology enables visitors to illuminate the invisible, exposing visions of magic that bring the entire experience to life.

Art and technology combine to bring the Wizarding World to life

“This experience is going to leave our millions of Wizarding World fans around the world awestruck,” says Peter van Roden, senior vice president of Warner Bros. Discovery Global Themed Entertainment. “Art and technology have been masterfully harnessed and brought together with the Wizarding World to create a truly magical experience that puts the franchise on display like never before.”

“We’re excited to partner with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Themed Entertainment to deliver this unique experience for the first time ever,” adds Ron Tan, executive chairman and group CEO of NEON. “Whether you have been a fan of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts for decades, or are just now discovering these rich stories, expect to be taken on a journey like none other.”

Later this year, more details regarding Harry Potter: Visions of Magic will be released, and the European city set to host the world premiere will be announced.  For priority access to presale tickets to the European location where you may be among the first to experience the spellbinding Harry Potter: Visions of Magic, sign up for the waiting list here. Subscribers will also be the first to receive information about upcoming tours planned for other locations around the world.

Earlier this year, NEON’s Avatar: The Experience received the Outstanding Attraction Experience award at the Singapore Tourism Awards 2023, in the Experience Excellence category.

The man was barely 170cm tall and lived to the ripe age of 87, a wonder in itself. He was a warrior, peacemaker, and builder — the creator of an empire whose hazel eyes, set above an imperiously beaked nose, shone like the gold jewellery that hung from his slender frame. History knows him as Ramses II — or Ramses the Great, pharaoh of pharaohs. His name and feats more than 3000 years ago are etched in stone in the Valley of the Kings. To Zahi Hawass, the most celebrated Egyptologist of our time, it all could have happened yesterday.

We’re talking in Paris at the unveiling of the $2.4 billion exhibition about Ramses’ reign that Hawass has curated. Stay tuned, because after its run at the Grande Halle de la Villette, next stop for the blockbuster show is the Australian Museum in Sydney, a coup for director and CEO Kim McKay. She and Hawass are old friends — and that’s part of the rollicking background to how the deal was done to bring the collection to Australia in November. For now, let’s not be distracted from what’s on the bill: 181 exquisite pieces and possibly the carved cedar coffin that held the pharaoh’s mummified remains, never before seen outside of Egypt. There’s an 8kg necklace of rolled gold and gems inscribed for a successor, Psusennes I, and the Colossal Head of Ramses in pink granite that towers over the entrance gallery. Hawass, who is 76 but boyish in his enthusiasm, has had the hard-to-impress local media eating out of his hand.

“You see, this is how ancient Egypt captured the hearts of people everywhere. And why does it do that? It does it because this is history you can touch — it lives and breathes through these artefacts,” he tells The Weekend Australian Magazine as the French TV crews pack their gear away. “For me, I still live in the time of the pharaohs. I don’t live in the time of the people here … I found my love, and my love was ancient.”

Only someone as high-wattage as Hawass could say this with a straight face. Yet when he’s seated in front of the silver coffin of another pharaoh, Shoshenq II, debonair in a fashionably-cut navy suit, a touch of grandiloquence seems entirely in order. A smiling McKay is by his side, enjoying the performance. It’s quite the occasion for her, too, the culmination of years of painstaking work and perseverance to land the grand prize of Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs. And this is Paris. In spring. Blooming beautiful since they hauled away the reeking garbage that had choked the streets during the protests over Emmanuel Macron’s plan to increase the French retirement age. “I’m really excited,” she says. “I think Australians will be blown away. Now, if we can only get that coffin…”

You’ve got to hand it to her. McKay never gave up, not even when Covid-19 sank her carefully laid plans to launch a $57.5 million renovation of the nation’s oldest museum with a flourish in 2021. Hawass had phoned in the dead of night about a prestige exhibition that had toured America, France and the UK, Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh. “Would you like it, Kim?” You bet, she said.

No one has more clout than he as gatekeeper of Egypt’s state collections. Sporting his trademark work hat, he famously guided US president Barack Obama through the pyramids at Giza, pointing out the discoveries he had made, naturally. As a former minister of antiquities, he also knows his way around the corridors of power in Cairo, a must in his line of work. He was purged after the autocrat Hosni Mubarak was overthrown during the Arab Spring uprisings in 2011 and brought up on corruption charges, which he successfully defended. The Islamists under Mohamed Morsi were then toppled in a military coup led by the current president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, paving the way for Hawass to be rehabilitated. As ever, it pays to know where the political bodies are buried in the land of the pharaohs.

When the Tutankhamun show was pulled back by the Egyptian government at the height of the pandemic, McKay trusted him to make good on his promise to find her something better. “If anyone could do it, I knew Zahi would,” she remembers. There was a lot on the line if he didn’t come through. McKay had gone out on a limb, you see, to convince the NSW government to fund the upgrade of the Australian Museum at 1 William Street in Sydney. Tipped off that the project had not made it into the 2018 state budget, she pulled out the stops. McKay realised her only hope was to make the case directly to then premier Gladys Berejiklian — easier said than done when the budget was about to be locked in. As it happened, she had a lead on where the premier was going to be that Sunday. The museum’s chief scientist had been asked lo stand up with Berejiklian at a media conference at Taronga Zoo for a good news announcement about koalas. So McKay rolled up, too.

It wasn’t quite an ambush: she had told the premier’s office what she wanted to see her about, and cleared it with the zoo people. Berejiklian took it in her stride. She had a family lunch to get to so could they walk and talk? McKay gave her the spiel: the millions Tutankhamun would generate if it came to Sydney, the crying need for more room at the museum to attract blockbuster exhibitions. She even had an artist’s impression of the upgrade on hand. Berejiklian peppered her with questions. How much do you need, Kim? $50 million from the state, she replied evenly, and we’ll raise the rest. All upfront? No, we’ll take it any way you want. Leave it with me, the premier said.

The money duly came through, and the work was completed on time and within budget to create 3000sqm of additional floor space despite the travails of Covid. But now there was no Tutankhamun to open with; no option, either, of pulling in a replacement from overseas. McKay turned to the tried and true crowd-pleaser of dinosaurs.

The Australian Museum’s trove of prehistoric fossils is world renowned. Unfortunately, its Tyrannosaurs — Meet the Family exhibition was then on the road, about to open at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh after touring the US. This time she was the one pulling the plug. “I had to ring them and say, ‘Sorry, I have to recall it’. They were OK, they understood,” she says. “And as it turned out, it was the right thing to do. The exhibition was ours, created by our team, but it hadn’t been here for something like seven years. So there was a new generation of kids and families who hadn’t seen it. Dinosaurs are like gold to museums.”

Hawass hadn’t forgotten his promise, either. They’re something of an odd couple, the smooth-as-silk Egyptian archaeologist and his blunt-spoken Australian friend. Before taking charge of the museum a decade ago, McKay, 63, had an eclectic background in communications, the environment, event management, television production and non-fiction writing. Having grown up on Sydney’s northern beaches, she helped promote a nascent pro-surfing circuit before getting behind Australian of the Year Ian Kiernan’s Clean Up campaign, taking it worldwide.

She joined the Discovery Channel in 1997, moved to Washington DC and partnered with British producer Mark Burnett on a hot new show called Eco-Challenge: the Expedition Race. It was a template for reality TV and Burnett’s subsequent success with the likes of Survivor, The Apprentice, Shark Tank and The Voice. (“He’s gone on to make hundreds of millions,” she chortles.) Then it was on to the National Geographic Channel, where McKay ran global marketing and communications for the cable platform. She was weighing whether to make her home permanently in the US when her parents’ declining health made the decision for her: she returned to Sydney, co-wrote a series of books on the environment, True Green, and was brought on as a trustee of the venerable, 196-year-old Australian Museum.

She put her hand up for the director’s role after it became vacant in 2013. If the job was to clear out the cobwebs, she was up for it. Actually, no other woman had run the show before her. McKay, a people person, made it her business to break into the international “boy’s club” of her then peers. Clicking with Hawass certainly helped. While she was at NatGeo, he had led her through the secret depths of the Great Pyramid of Giza where he is convinced the tomb of the great pharaoh Khufu lies undiscovered. She loved it.

Hawass insists that the Ramses exhibition is worth the wait. Tutankhamun’s death at age 19, without an heir and before he could make anything of himself, would have relegated the boy king to a footnote in history had his burial chamber not been found intact with its treasures in 1922 by Howard Carter. Ramses’ reign from 1279-1213 BC, four generations on, was something else altogether.

He too ascended to the throne as a young man, scion of the 19th Dynasty founded by his grandfather, Ramses I. He was no pampered dilettante, though, having already proved his mettle in war. The new pharaoh fought the Nubians in the south, Libyans on the western border, pirates on the Mediterranean, and Hittites — with whom he signed the world’s first known peace treaty — through the Syrian littoral. Egypt entered a golden age of prosperity, one that was dutifully recorded on the countless monuments Ramses II raised to his own glory. It’s unclear if he was responsible for ordering the massacre of baby boys that led to the Exodus of the Israelites under Moses; attributing it to him was a Hollywood invention, some historians reckon.

Two of his numerous wives, beloved Nefertari and beautiful Isetnofret, became historical figures in their own right. A vibrant New Kingdom was at the zenith of its power and influence when the 13th of his 50 sons, Merneptah, succeeded him, aged 50. “T am telling you and I told everyone that this exhibition is a lot more than Tutankhamun,” Hamass says. “Ramses was a bigger name, a bigger personality in every respect. You see that in these 181 beautiful objects. This is why this exhibition will be a great gift from us to Australia and from me to my friend, Kim.”

It starts by transporting you back in time, past the Renaissance and the Middle Ages, beyond the birth of Christ and the rise and fall of imperial Rome, back more than 100 generations until you arrive at Memphis, seat of power in ancient Egypt. The exhibition’s introduction theatre, with its video projected in 180 degrees and rumbling surround-sound, is where 2lst-century tech meets early human civilisation. Drone footage soars over and then zooms in to the Great Pyramid and the Sphinx.

Headsets fixed, you move through a vestibule under the implacable gaze of a 2.3m bust in red granite, the Colossal Head of Ramses, a taste of the grandeur to come. The exhibition unfolds across nine galleries, each themed to a different aspect of his life: warrior, builder, living god, tomb maker. The artefacts are displayed alongside interactive elements including video timelines and scale models. For an additional cost, you can take a virtual reality tour of the majestic rock-cut temples of Abu Simbel and the Tomb of Nefertari, led by the spirit of Ramses” adored queen herself.

The story of the 1275 BC Batlle of Kadesh is vividly recreated through CGI, a spectacle of clanging swords and hissing arrows, paired with the display of part of a wooden bow from the time. The clash was trumpeted by Ramses as a smashing victory over the Hittite empire. In fact, the outcome was more like a punch-drunk draw. Five years into his reign, nearing his 30th birthday, the pharaoh had led his army into an ambush on the Orontes River near the present-day border of Lebanon and Syria. The Egyptians were facing disaster when the Hittites stopped to loot their camp; Ramses rallied his troops and drove the enemy into the river, forcing the survivors to swim for their lives. Yet his badly mauled forces lacked the strength to finish the Hittites, who fell back on the fortified city of Kadesh. Ramses also retreated.

No matter. By the time he secured his historic peace agreement with the Hittites — the treaty was inscribed on a silver tablet that today hangs in replica in the United Nations building in New York — Ramses showed he had absorbed history’s cardinal rule: it is written by the victor. Again and again as it turned out, chiselled into every available stone surface in his expanding realm. His cartouche or royal seal, etched in an oval pattern of hieroglyphs, litters the exhibition, just as it did in ancient Egypt. A gold-lipped obelisk even has Ramses’ name written over that of another king.

A time-lapse sequence depicts the new capital, Pi-Ramesse, that he established in the Nile Delta, complete with more than 50 towering statues of himself and sumptuous palaces for the royal family. They needed the space: he is said to have amassed some 200 wives or concubines and fathered at least 110 children, many of whom he outlived.

In a chamber dedicated to Ramses at Peace, we meet the pharaoh in his prime, his face round and youthful, a slight smile playing on his full lips. He holds the heka sceptre, a symbol of earthly power. The royal diadem with a uraeus (a stylised rearing cobra) representing the protective goddess Wadjet adorns his shaved scalp. The ancient Egyptians’ preoccupation with the afterlife was the measure of a precarious earthly existence, blighted by disease and often hunger for ordinary folk. The median lifespan was barely 19: people were old by their mid-30s, few and far between after 40. No wonder they hailed long-lived Ramses as divine.

Among the nobility, men and women alike used perfumed ointments, applied makeup and dripped in jewellery. Gold, the flesh of the gods, was worked into the funerary treasures with silver, electrum, lapis lazuli, obsidian, turquoise stone and chalcedony. You transit a dark corridor, ethereal music playing, to be dazzled by a glittering tableau of the pharaohs’ wealth. Enhanced by fibre-optic case lighting, the scene cuts across a number of dynasties; there are amulets studded with precious stones, gorgeous jewelled collars, 5em-long gold earrings adorned with heraldic dolphins, and heavy toe stalls that would have weighed on the entitled wearer, despite their ageless beauty.

The 8kg necklace named for Psusennes I, who reigned nearly 300 years after Ramses the Great in the 21st Dynasty, is a masterpiece of the goldsmith’s art forged from nearly 5000 disks arranged in five coils, flaring into a bib of gold chains finished with intricate gold bells. The funerary mask of one of his generals, Wendjebauendjet, exudes a very human warmth through eyes highlighted with glass inlay. An otherwise simple signet ring inscribed with the throne name of Ramses contrasts with the magnificent scarab ring with cartouche of Queen Tausret, one of the few women to become pharaoh and the last to rule in the 19th Dynasty. What a sight their courts must have been.

Sadly, the contents of Ramses’ tomb are long gone, plundered by thieves. But there’s a glimpse of the lost grandeur in the outer coffin and lid of the master artisan Sennedjem, a “servant in the place of truth” who would have decorated the royal crypt. Sennedjem’s own tomb was discovered untouched in 1886, filled with the accoutrements of everyday life including the bed he shared with his wife, Lyneferti, before she was interred by his side. Painted reliefs from the walls and ceiling of the chamber are reproduced in the exhibition, vividly charting their imagined progress from death into the afterlife. His wooden sarcophagus is finished in rich hues that look like they could have been painted yesterday, along with texts and vignettes from the Book of the Dead. In one scene, the couple are shown playing senet, a backgammon-like board game which had a dual function of connecting the living with the departed. Rich and poor alike were devoted to it.

Royal mummies were generally considered worthless by grave robbers and discarded. But during the 21st Dynasty the embalmed remains of New Kingdom rulers, Ramses’ among them, his haughty nose still recognisable, were hidden by temple priests inside an out-of-the-way cliff-face overlooking the Theban Necropolis at modern-day Luxor, between the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens. They lay there until archaeologists were led to them in 1881. The breathtaking Royal Cache is recreated in a stand-alone gallery with a cameo by the man credited with recovering the 50-odd mummies, German Egyptologist Emile Brugsch, in another piece of technological wizardry. “Soon we came upon cases of porcelain funerary offerings, metal and alabaster vessels, draperies and trinkets, until, reaching the turn in the passage, a cluster of mummy cases came into view in such number as to stagger me,” you hear him say. Sadly, the mummies themselves are too precious to tour.

But mummified animals that were routinely entombed with a pharaoh are displayed for the first time outside of Egypt in their form-fitting linen wraps: cats, mongoose, even a lion cub, its facial features sketched in. More CGI magic allows us to envisage how Ramses would have aged from the vigorous young warlord to hunchbacked old man, his face lined, a thatch of grey hair clumped beneath his bald crown, still clear-eyed and now all-powerful.

I ask Hawass what he would do if he could sit down with the great man. “We would play chess,” he answers. “And I would ask him many questions. But the most important question would be about his many wives. As someone who was deeply in love with Nefertari and who built this very important tomb to her, why did he marry the other queens? I wonder about that.”

Which brings us to the coffin, the showstopper in Paris. The cedar surface would have been stripped and painted yellow, with a handful of details highlighted in vibrant colours and the eyes outlined in black. Ramses is represented as the god Osiris: arms crossed on his chest, he holds the heqa (shepherds crook) and nekhakha (flail). The striped headdress depicts a rearing cobra; a false beard is braided beneath the chin.

The coffin last travelled to France 45 years ago, when the pharaohs fungi-infested remains were painstakingly restored at the Musée de l’Homme. The present loan was to be a one-off for the exhibition’s Paris sojourn, which began in April. But Hawass is adamant Australia will have it too. “I will get it for you, Kim,” he avows. “Definitely. For sure.”

If only it were that easy, McKay sighs. Bringing the coffin to Sydney will require ministerial if not presidential sign-off in Egypt. She’s optimistic, but knows it’s a big ask. Transporting the rest of the artefacts to the other side of the planet for the Sydney opening on November 18 is already an epic undertaking. Given the collection’s eye-watering value — $2.4 billion is probably conservative, McKay says — security must be airtight. Promoter World Heritage Exhibitions is understandably tight-lipped about the arrangements. “The insurers don’t like us talking too much,” says executive vice president Troy Collins. A team of specialist Egyptian conservators are to accompany the treasures, and the Australian Museum will be bringing in additional help to cope with the 500,000 people expected through the door. NSW Minister for the Arts and Tourism John Graham says: “Egyptian civilisation has captured the imagination of generations of Australians. Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs is one of the most impressive exhibitions of the Egyptian golden age ever to come to Australia.”

Hawass will be on hand, of course, and he’s talking about springing some surprises. In Paris, he hijacked the media launch on the morning of the grand opening, teasing his “big news” on the hunt for Khufu’s tomb in the Great Pyramid and new findings on the cause of Tutankhamun’’s death. The boy king might have died in an accident or even been murdered, he said, promising all would be revealed in “four months or $0”, neatly in time for his visit to Australia.

“Zahi is such a showman,” McKay says admiringly. “Look at him up there … he’s completely taken over the event.” Energetic as ever, she’s working the room. One of Hawass’s successors as Minister for Antiquities, Mostafa Waziry, has flown in from Cairo and she takes him aside for a quiet word because there is always something you can do, someone else you to talk to when you’re chasing a new prize. Now, about that coffin…

Hear a T-Rex roar, walk through the famous Jurassic World gates, and encounter life-sized dinosaurs at the newest experience to open in Atlanta: Jurassic World: The Exhibition.

The 22,000-square-foot experience is now open at Pullman Yards following an overnight break-in on May 29, where the experience’s general manager said four people caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.

The experience takes guests through both the rise of dinosaurs and showcases some of the famous scenes from the movie franchise.

More Atlanta Experiences

“All of the (dinosaur) models come from the movies, the same things that you have seen, so it’s a very rigorous process of getting all of the CG drawings, the 3D models, and then looking at how do you engineer it,” said Otelo Vizcaino from the exhibition..

If you love dinosaurs or the movies, organizers believe this is the closest you’ll ever come to living dinosaurs.

“If you want to feel like you’ve walked into a place that you’ve only dreamt about, you have to come experience Jurassic World: The Exhibition.”

More than five million people around the globe have visited the experience over the last couple of years. This is the first time it has been in Atlanta.

Tickets start at $27 for adults and $25 for kids. Jurassic World: The Exhibition is in Atlanta through at least Labor Day.

Curious to know the kinds of artifacts you’ll see at the exhibit? Here are the five most remarkable mummies you’ll get to see at the exhibit and their untold stories

The largest touring collection of mummified remains and related artifacts ever assembled has arrived at the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science in downtown Miami.

Running now through September 4, Mummies of the World: The Exhibition will reveal the true lives of ancient people from all over the world.

The exhibit features the mummified remains of 40 real humans and animals and 80 rare artifacts from across the globe.

And how was it possible to study these mummified remains while keeping them perfectly preserved? Dr. Cassie Freund, director of science communication at Frost Science told NBC6 it was through modern science and technology, that their secrets are now revealed.

The exhibit highlights scientific methods used to study mummified remains, including Computed Tomography (CT), DNA analysis and radiocarbon dating, all of which allow researchers to learn about the lives, histories and cultures of these ancient people and animals.

“The use of technology, like CT scanning and X-rays, has allowed scientists to study mummified remains without disturbing the individuals or unwrapping them like they used to do,” Freund said. “We like to say, ‘inside every mummy is a story waiting to be told. So in that way, it makes their study much more respectful.”

Curious to know the kinds of artifacts you’ll see at the exhibit? Here are the five most remarkable mummies you’ll get to see at the exhibit and their untold stories.

MUMAB is the first authentic replication of the Egyptian mummification process done on a decedent body in 2,800 years.

Baron von Holz was a German nobleman found tucked away in the family crypt of a 14th century castle wearing his best leather boots.

The Orlovits Family, a mummified family discovered in a long-forgotten crypt of a small church in Vác, Hungary in 1994.

Shrunken heads from South America are typically associated with the Jivaro culture of Ecuador, where members of the group have traditionally shrunk the heads of enemies captured in battle.

At the exhibit, you will find mummies of Egyptian animals including a cat, falcon, snow rabbit, lizard, weasel and fish. Some of these which were deliberately preserved to accompany royals for eternity.

ATLANTA – You’ve seen the blockbuster “Jurassic World” movies — now, it’s your chance to star in one of your own!

“Jurassic World: The Exhibition” opens Friday at Atlanta’s Pullman Yards, allowing visitors to “step inside” the films and encounter full-sized dinosaurs around every corner. Those dinosaurs are the creations of Animax Designs in Nashville, and we caught up with the company’s executive vice president just ahead of the grand opening.

“It took 18 months to fully design, build, and construct the dinosaurs,” says Michael Mattox. “In my facility in Nashville, we have about 140 people; artists, engineers, creatives, painters, everything you can imagine to make these guys come to life.”

Creators say the experience should take around 45 minutes to an hour for visitors to walk through, although there’s no time limit for visitors once inside. Admission varies by date and time — and tickets are available for purchase here.

Jurassic World: The Exhibition is open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and we’re told it will remain at Pullman Yards (225 Rogers Street Northeast in Atlanta) through at least the summer and fall.

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Have you ever wanted to see a dinosaur? A new exhibition opening in Atlanta is transporting you to Isla Nublar where you will come face-to-face with the fierce reptiles.

Animal behaviorist Rivka Deray and dinosaur creator Michael Mattox join Atlanta News First to talk about the 25,000-square-foot immersive experience.

Jurassic World: The Exhibition opens up to the public Friday, May 26th at Pullman Yards. Click here to get tickets.

Attraction at Gardens by the Bay received the award for Outstanding Attraction Experience

The Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt on Thursday reported thousands of visitors flocked to the exhibition “Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs,” held in Paris from April 1 to September 17.

The display of the sarcophagus came at the request of the President and CEO of the Houston Museum of Natural Science, which is organizing the exhibition.

The exhibition will be held in several major cities: Houston and San Francisco in the United States of America, Paris in France, and Sydney in Australia. It displays about 181 artifacts related to the ancient Egyptian civilization, which highlights the value of our ancient civilization.

Ramses II has the third longest reign in history, preceded by King Louis XIV who reigned for 72 years and Queen Elizabeth II who ruled for 70 years.

Ramesses II built a plethora of monuments throughout Egypt, including the Temple of a Million Years as well as the temples of Abu Simbel, which were built to glorify the pharaoh and his favorite wife, Nefertari.

King Ramesses II was a great conqueror who led many conquests to protect and expand his kingdom, with his army.

He had dozens of royal wives, including Sis-Nefert, Bintanat, and Nefertari. He also had more than 200 concubines, with whom he had a hundred children.

It’s produced by NEON, a global leader in immersive and epic experiences, and presented in conjunction with Universal Live Entertainment.

A representative from Square One told insauga.com that the exhibit will take place outside the mall near the Cineplex.

Located on a stand-alone space beside Square One, at 199 Rathburn Rd. W., Jurassic World: The Exhibition was finally available to the public on April 21 and will remain for a yet-to-be-determined period of time.

The tour provides its visitors a “cinematic universe come to life through innovative animatronic technology and immersive installations including Land of the Giants, Creation Lab, T. rex Kingdom, The Raptor Experience, Gyrosphere Valley and more.”

The experience (from start to finish) can last between 45 minutes to one hour, however, there is no time limit once guests have passed through the entry area.

This means, you’ll have plenty of time to take your Instagram worthy pictures!

Ticket prices start at $21.49 and may vary depending on the day and time of the visit. Children under three years of age may enter for free.

The tour will be open Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The dinosaurs of Isla Nublar will be coming to life in Atlanta! Sign up to the waitlist and meet some of your favorite gentle giants.

There’s an incredible exhibition coming to Atlanta in the spring — and it’s completely dinomite (pun intended)! From May 26, prehistoric life will take over Atlanta with Isla Nublar’s most gigantic creatures stepping onto the floors of Pullman Yards. Your favorite dinosaurs crawl their way out of the screen, with all their defining archaic features.

Expect to view them in all their robust teeth and scaly skin glory, channeling your inner Alan Grant as you step through the Hammond Lab to uncover the scientific mysteries behind our gentle giants. 

Sign up to the waitlist and get first dibs on tickets before they’re released to the public on April 20!

As you walk through the imposing wooden gates of Jurassic World: The Exhibition, it might feel a tad bit reminiscent of the iconic theme song. Make the most of that cinematic moment, and let that John Williams track mark the beat to your every step as you enter through the prehistoric wilderness. 

Pullman Yards will be transformed into a luscious jungle, adorned in leafy foliage and effervescent flora. All that vegetation might just fool you into thinking you’ve actually stepped into the hit franchise — with all the thrills that entails — so keep an eye out for creatures lurking through the branches. For all you know, curious little eyes may just be staring right back at you… 

Save your spot to be among the first to uncover this prehistoric world in Atlanta!

You’ll get to meet so many of the iconic dinosaurs from the saga at Jurassic World: The Exhibition. From the gigantic vegetivorous Brachiosaurus to the terrifying Tyrannosaurus Rex, each dinosaur has been recreated in extensive detail. The physical attributes of each species are distinguishable, from height, weight, all the way to jaw shape and teeth density. If you’ve ever wanted to stare straight into the eyes of a dinosaur (and why wouldn’t you), you’ll get to do so at this jaw-dropping exhibit — even if you have a penchant for baby raptors, Pterodactyl or even the adorable Bumpy of Camp Cretaceous. 

Plus, for an extra dose of sweetness, there are miniscule Parasaurolophus babies at the Hammond Lab who are gently resting in their incubator. You can pay them a visit as you discover the science behind the prehistoric era, truly stepping into your shoes as a self-proclaimed paleontologist. Spoiler: you might just discover how geneticists brought the dinosaurs of the Jurassic era back to life, with the help of a tiny mosquito embedded in amber for over a millennia.

The experience is a must for die-hard fans of the epic film saga, young and old alike. It’s the perfect experience for your little ones to experience the wowing exhibit in all its glory, marking their amazement at every single dinosaur. It’s also a great opportunity to nurture that inner child of yours who’s always wanted to be a paleontologist (no judgment!), so basically a win-win in our book. 

Get transported to Isla Nubla right here in Atlanta, and discover all the excitement of Jurassic World. 

Jurassic World: The Exhibition is produced in partnership with Universal Live Entertainment, a division of Universal Parks & Resorts and NEON, a worldwide leader in immersive experiences.

The mummified remains of 40 real humans and animals are on view in ‘Mummies of the World’.

Miami’s Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science is launching the new ‘Mummies of the World’ exhibition on 27 May.

The upcoming exhibition offers the largest touring collection of mummified remains and related artefacts ever assembled.

On display through 4 September, Mummies of the World explores past civilisations and cultures from across the world, including Europe, South America and ancient Egypt.

It includes the mummified remains of 40 real humans and animals, and 80 rare artefacts. State-of-the-art multimedia will take visitors on a 4,500-year journey.

Mummies of the World features ‘Mumab’, the first authentic replication of the Egyptian mummification process done on a dead body in 2,800 years.

It also includes Baron von Holz, a German nobleman found in the family crypt of a 14th century castle, and the Orlovits, a mummified family discovered in a church crypt in Hungary in 1994. 

Additionally, visitors will see shrunken heads from South America, and Egyptian animal mummies, including a cat, falcon, snowshoe hare, lizard and weasel.

“This exhibition has proven to be one of the most popular exhibitions traveling the world,” said Cassie Freund, the museum’s director of science communication.

“It has an engaging way of providing insight into the lives and cultures of these ancient people, which is important because these were real individuals with unique stories.”

Mummified remains and shrunken heads

The exhibition unveils the scientific methods used to study mummified remains, which allow researchers to learn about the lives and cultures of the people and animals.

“Mummies of the World tells thousands of years of captivating stories. Through modern science and technology, their secrets are now revealed,” Freund added.

Mummies of the World is presented by neon, a global experience entertainment company, and World Heritage Exhibitions.

neon recently announced the Canadian debut of ‘Jurassic World: The Exhibition’, which opens in Toronto on 14 April.

The interactive exhibition immerses guests in settings inspired by the Jurassic World film franchise.

neon, a global experience entertainment company, has announced the Canadian debut of ‘Jurassic World: The Exhibition’, which opens in Toronto on 14 April.

The 20,000-square-foot interactive exhibition immerses guests in settings inspired by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment’s Jurassic World film franchise.

Ron Tan, the executive chairman and group CEO of neon, said fans of the $6 billion film franchise in Canada “will be in awe at this immersive experience”.

“Thank you to our partners for making this possible and I look forward to welcoming huge crowds to our experience,” Tan added.

Visitors walk through the iconic ‘Jurassic World’ gates, explore themed environments, and meet life-size dinosaur animatronics including a Brachiosaurus, velociraptor and T-Rex.

Guests also get to interact with baby dinosaurs, including ‘Bumpy’ from the animated series Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous. Jurassic World on Netflix.

The exhibition is produced in partnership with Universal Live Entertainment, a division of Universal Parks & Resorts. It will be located at the Square One shopping mall in Mississauga.

Since launching in Melbourne, Australia in 2016, Jurassic World: The Exhibition has welcomed nearly five million visitors.

The attraction has been in London, San Diego, Denver, Dallas, Chicago, Philadelphia, Paris, Madrid, Seoul, Chengdu, Guangzhou and Shanghai. It will soon open in Cologne, Germany.

Immersive settings inspired by films

“The Jurassic Park and Jurassic World franchise have been thrilling audiences for decades and we are delighted to give fans the opportunity to see these magnificent dinosaurs up close,” said Universal Parks & Resorts’ president of global business development, Michael Silver.

neon also recently opened an immersive Avatar experience at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, which celebrates the highest-grossing film of all time.

Elsewhere, London’s Natural History Museum has turned one of its shops into a nostalgic replica of the store featured in 1993 film Jurassic Park.

“It’s a privilege to be celebrating 30 years of Jurassic Park,” said Paul Bufton, VP EMEA for Universal’s products and experiences division.

Join the waitlist to come face-to-face with the fascinating dinosaurs from Jurassic World at this incredible exhibition.

As Ray Arnold would say, “hold onto your butts” — Jurassic World: The Exhibition is heading less than one hour away from Toronto! Beginning April 14, dinosaurs from the cinematic blockbuster will claw their way into the real world so dinosaur aficionados and Jurassic Park lovers can get a close-up look at them in all their sharp-toothed, razor-clawed glory! Channel your inner paleontologist as you come face to face with life-sized recreations of these prehistoric creatures and examine amber-trapped specimens in the Hammond Lab.

Join the waitlist to get exclusive access to tickets before they’re released to the public on February 28 at 11am!

Hum the iconic Jurassic World tune as you head through wooden gates, placing you right in the middle of the series’ adventure. Square One Shopping Centre will be made over as a prehistoric wilderness complete with all the plants, leaves, and branches you’d see in the millennia-old forests of the Jurassic period. But be on the lookout at all times–you wouldn’t want a devious dinosaur sneaking up behind your back!

As you explore Jurassic World: The Exhibition, keep your eyes peeled for all sorts of roar-some dino delights. Each dinosaur replica has been re-created in unbelievable detail, from the herbivorous Brachiosaurus–one of the largest creatures to ever exist–to the Tyrannosaurus Rex, complete with its signature bone-crushing grin.

Though, of course, there will still be some room for “awws” to fill the room as you gaze upon some adorably wide-eyed baby raptors, pterodactyls, and parasaurolophus babies.

Jurassic World: The Exhibition is a must, not only for fans of the epic film franchise, but for prehistoric lovers in general. How often do you get to say you’ve put yourself in the mud-splattered boots of Owen Grady and seen for yourself where Jurassic World all started: Hammond Creation Lab. And, who knows, you may even learn the secret to bringing these creatures back to life!

Meet the dinosaurs of Isla Nublar. Join the waitlist to Jurassic World: The Exhibition!

Almost two thousand years ago, the Roman city of Pompeii was destroyed by a volcano. A new exhibition at the Museum of Science and Industry explores part of the archaeological record only discovered 250 years ago.

Aphrodite, the ancient Greek Goddess and Mother of Cupid, is first to greet you as you enter Pompeii: The Exhibition at the Museum of Science and Industry.

The Greek goddess is one of 150 artifacts on loan from the Naples National Archeological Museum to help tell the fateful story of Pompeii, the Roman city destroyed by a volcano almost 2,000 years ago.

The new exhibition explores part of the archaeological record only discovered 250 years ago.

“This will tell the story of the way that these people in Pompeii lived, worked, how they worshiped, how they entertained themselves and how, unfortunately, they met their untimely fate,” said exhibition curator Voula Siridakis.

Almost 2,000 full-body casts were recovered from the rubble. The exhibition features several replicas, including a dog cast.

These people fell exactly where they were standing, Spiridakis said.  

“It got difficult for them to breath,” she said. “They would cover their mouths with cloth or something. It’s just a very powerful statement of how these people perished.”

Pompeii: The Exhibition at the Museum of Science and Industry runs through Sept. 4.

CHICAGO (CBS) — Workers opened up a crate full of history at the Museum of Science and Industry on Thursday.

This contents of the crate are much older than the museum – which will celebrate its 90th anniversary this year – or its building, which was constructed for the World’s Columbian Exposition 130 years ago this year. Compared to what was in the crate, those historical dates are actually very recent.

The crate contained an ancient Roman painting from the city of Pompeii. The Cupid fresco is just one of the ancient artifacts you’ll see on display when the museum’s Pompeii exhibit opens next week.

The MSI notes that Cupids are associated with the god of love in classical mythology – and are a common motif seen in ancient art and sculpture.

A fresco – a term derived from the Italian word for “fresh” – is a type of wall painting in which the paint is applied where the plaster is still wet, the MSI noted. This method bonds the fresco painting to the wall.

Pompeii was destroyed by nature in 79 A.D., more than 1,900 years ago. But as the museum notes, it was preserved in a volcanic time capsule after being destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

“Pompeii: The Exhibition” will take you right to the commercial port city of Pompeii. The museum notes that the exhibition features “treasures, marble and bronze sculptures, jewelry, gladiator armor, weapons, ancient Roman coins, and full body casts of the volcano’s victims.”

Also on display will be multimedia experiences – including a holographic gladiator display at the Pompeii amphitheater, and a 4D eruption simulation at Mount Vesuvius.

“Pompeii: The Exhibition” opens on Thursday, Feb. 23, and runs through Sept. 4. It is not included in general museum admission and requires an additional timed-entry ticket.

Advance tickets are available now.

NOUS Y ÉTIONS – Alors que le deuxième volet du film de James Cameron sort ce mercredi sur les écrans en France, nous avons visité Avatar – The Experience, dans les Gardens By The Bay de Singapour.

Si vous l’ignoriez encore, Avatar 2 nous donne rendez-vous sous l’eau et sur grand écran depuis ce mercredi. Mais les fans absolus du chef-d’œuvre de James Cameron ont aussi rendez-vous à Singapour où se tient jusqu’au 31 mars prochain, l’exposition Avatar – The Experience. Direction plus précisément la Cloud Forest Dome, une immense serre climatisée qui présente sur plusieurs étages la végétation tropicale avec, en point d’orgue, une petite montagne intérieure de 35 mètres de haut, recouverte de plantes d’où jaillit la plus haute cascade d’eau intérieure du monde. «On ne pouvait pas rêver décor plus inspirant pour recréer l’ambiance de Pandora. Une partie de la scénographie était déjà là. Il n’y avait plus qu’à l’adapter en y ajoutant des animations et les personnages du film», souligne Michael Mattox, le directeur technique, qui compte plus de 25 ans d’expérience dans la 3D.

Dès l’entrée dans le Dome, l’effet immersif est immédiat. Au pied de la cascade, on est «accueilli» par un Banshee plus vrai que nature, l’un des volatiles que les Na’vis ont pu dompter pour se déplacer dans les airs. Un peu plus loin, deux imposants Prolemuris, sortes de singes bleus, sont accrochés à des arbres tropicaux. L’arrivée devant une famille de Na’vis est poignante. Les voici enfin, face à nous, ces fameux humanoïdes bleus de plus de 3 mètres de haut ! Attention, un impressionnant Marteaureau Titanothère semble surgir de la végétation (ouf, c’est un herbivore inoffensif). À ce stade, que l’on ait vu ou pas le film Avatar 1, on est totalement pris dans l’univers de science-fiction de Pandora.

Un volatile de 12 mètres

Effets sonores et bruitages renforcent l’expérience, tout comme plusieurs animations interactives, dont le Flyer Banshee, très apprécié : on se met face à un écran et, grâce à des capteurs qui détectent les mouvements, on a la sensation de voler dans Pandora, en bougeant les bras et en inclinant le corps. Sensations garanties ! Dans une autre salle, on traverse des lianes lumineuses avant de se retrouver dans un spectacle multimédia. Sur un écran géant défilent des scènes d’Avatar, tandis qu’au sol, les spectateurs, en bougeant, déplacent avec eux des centaines de particules lumineuses, signe de leur connexion avec Pandora…

Dévoilons le clou de l’exposition : un énorme Banshee adulte, piloté par de l’intelligence artificielle. Le volatile, de 12 m d’envergure, détecte la présence des visiteurs et interagit avec eux. Le résultat est visuellement époustouflant et d’un réalisme saisissant : mouvements de la tête, des ailes, de la gueule, des yeux… tout y est, y compris les grondements rauques ! «Cette animation est, sur le plan technologique, ce qui se fait de plus abouti aujourd’hui», se réjouit Michael Mattox.

Et comme ce deuxième épisode d’Avatar est intitulé La Voie de l’eau, on a aussi fait un tour dans la grotte marine reconstituée pour admirer un Ilu, la créature aux airs de plésiosaure qui fait son apparition dans le film. Une magnifique sculpture aux douces teintes bleues… On passe facilement une heure dans cet autre monde, déconnecté de la réalité. Et on se dit qu’on reviendrait bien le soir, lorsque d’autres jeux de lumière créent une ambiance encore différente.

Avatar – The Experience. Cloud Forest, Gardens By The Bay, Singapour. Jusqu’au 31 mars 2023. Tous les jours de 9h à 21h. À partir de 37 €.

The first touring exhibition dedicated to the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp is coming to Southern California.

The Reagan Presidential Library and Museum is the only facility on the West Coast where the public will be able to see this March 2023.

Today, the World War II train car from the touring exhibition “Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.” arrives this morning with an escort. The train car is the kind used to transport goods and people to the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. This train car will be part of the huge exhibition: Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. The delivery of this historic artifact is happening today because Nov. 10, 2022, is the anniversary of Kristallnacht, (German: “Crystal Night”), also called Night of Broken Glass or November Pogroms. It was the night of Nov. 9–10, 1938, when German Nazis attacked Jewish persons and property. The name Kristallnacht refers ironically to the litter of broken glass left in the streets after these pogroms. The violence continued during the day of Nov. 10, and in some places, acts of violence continued for several more days.

The pretext for the pogroms was the shooting in Paris on November 7th of the German diplomat Ernst vom Rath by a Polish-Jewish student, Herschel Grynszpan. News of Rath’s death on November 9th reached Adolf Hitler in Munich, Germany, where he was celebrating the anniversary of the abortive 1923 Beer Hall Putsch. There, Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels, after conferring with Hitler, harangued a gathering of old storm troopers, urging violent reprisals staged to appear as “spontaneous demonstrations.” Telephone orders from Munich triggered pogroms throughout Germany, which then included Austria.

Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.
A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
ReaganLibrary.com/Auschwitz
Read More About It: mjhnyc.org/exhibitions/auschwitz

If you have questions or complaints, please feel free to contact Gayle Anderson at 1-323-460-5732 or email at [email protected]

The lush greenery of the movie’s alien planet comes to life at Garden by the Bay

Alien flora and fauna have invaded the Cloud Forest at Gardens by the Bay.

Acid-dripping plants and assorted creatures from director James Cameron’s 2009 blockbuster film Avatar have sprouted amid the lush greenery.

They are part of an immersive installation created with the Cloud Forest in mind.

Avatar: The Experience, which is on till March 31 and organised by Cityneon Holdings, Disney Location-Based Experiences and Lightstorm Entertainment, comes in time to build the hype for the movie’s sequel. Avatar: The Way Of Water opens here on Dec 15 and visitors can get a sneak peek at a new creature called an Ilu at the exhibition.

Scattered through the Cloud Forest’s more than 72,000 plants are realistically detailed sculptures of the Na’vi, the bipedal humanoid inhabitants of Pandora; interactive stops where visitors can play with light and create their own Na’vi avatars; and what the creators say is the most sophisticated animatronic creature in the world.

The animatronic mountain banshee, with a wingspan of 10m and weighing about 2 tonnes, had to fit through a lift door measuring just 1.2m by 2.1m.

Cityneon’s chief technical officer Michael Mattox, 47, solved the puzzle by building it like a Lego structure. The four sections, he says, each fit into the lift with barely an inch to spare.

The idea for the show was seeded in 2017 when Cityneon’s group chief creative officer Welby Altidor first visited the Gardens and walked into the Cloud Forest dome.

The 49-year-old says: “The doors opened, I saw this water fall and I said, ‘This is Avatar.”

It took years of discussions with Disney and Lightstorm, as well as 18 months of planning, before the seed bore fruit.

There were unusual design and installation challenges for the Cityneon team. Mr Mattox says: “This is a living environment. There are unique parameters for what you can do and what you can’t do.”

The veteran who has worked with San Diego Seaworld and Cirque du Soleil adds: “Usually for an exhibition, it’s in a black box. There are no visitors and you don’t have to worry about lighting and sound.”

Here, the team had to work overnight for two months, shivering in the damp cold as temperatures dipped to 18 deg C, to install the show as the dome remained open to visitors throughout the day.

The glass dome means sound waves would bounce, so audio had to be carefully calibrated. Mr Mattox also had to worry about damp affecting the electronic equipment, as light and music are integral to the show.

Another challenge was that the works had to be designed to be viewed in the day as well as at night.

Mr Altidor resolved this by reaching for old-fashioned inspiration. He says: “I connected to the tradition of sculpture gardens, where you have a great garden, then you bring in sculptures or attractions.”

While indoor attractions can rely on darkness and lighting to hide imperfections, the Cloud Forest’s daytime brightness meant that the sculptures had to be designed and made to exacting standards to withstand close scrutiny.

Mr Mattox is particularly pleased with the Unidelta tree, one of the first works to be installed when works began two months ago. He says with a chuckle: “No one realised it was fake.”

The deception is complemented by the landscaping design. Mr Jeffrey Alan Courtney, 47, the Gardens’ senior director (conservatory operations), says an additional 5,700 plants were brought in for the show. These comprise more than 160 different species and varieties, including 20 that have not been displayed in the Gardens before.

He adds: “We selected plants that looked like they could have come from an alien planet, with bizarre yet beautiful forms, colours, leaf patterns, or flowers.

“To match the blue and purple tones in Avatar: The Experience, we chose plants with blue-hued inflorescences or silvery leaf patterns or colours, so they would reflect light and complement the display from day to night.”

Look out for the Aechmea ‘Blue Tango’, an eye-catching bromeliad with electric-blue flowers and contrasting hot-pink flower stalks, and the iridescent Blue Oil Fern (Microsorum thailandicum).

There are also plants that mirror Pandora’s life forms, such as the Colocasia ‘Pharaoh’s Mask’, whose leaves have exaggerated deep purple veins that bulge, giving it a ribcage-like appearance.

All the plants, Mr Courtney says, will remain in the Cloud Forest’s living collection after the show ends.

Mr Altidor says the Cloud Forest presents a great baseline because “I already have an incredible garden walk experience”.

This provided the foundation for the Avatar experience, which he designed to take into consideration logistics as well as visitor experience.

The dome is divided into five zones, offering a journey for visitors. Mr Altidor says: “It’s like when you write a piece of music. There are crescendos and diminuendos, peaks and valleys.”

The first zone eases visitors in with a photo opportunity in the form of a strategically positioned statue of a juvenile mountain banshee, before a light show at the waterfall draws them further in. This was planned so that visitors would flow through smoothly without clogging the pathways.

The interactive stations scattered throughout are designed to be as intuitive as possible. The Sacred Space stop, for example, has large “leaves” which visitors can touch to spark sound and light. But there are no text instructions. Instead, the “leaf” lights up, drawing the attention of visitors and enticing them to interact with it.

While the show is meant to entertain, Mr Altidor says Pandora’s story and the healing vibe of the Gardens combine to offer visitors a message. “We are not here to preach. But just going through this experience is a beautiful metaphor for how important it is to care for our world.”

Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction. 

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Make-A-Wish Southern Nevada recently teamed up with Cityneon Holdings’ Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N inside Treasure Island Las Vegas to surprise a local teen and his family with a dream vacation to the theme park capital of the world.

16-year-old Erick, a high school junior who goes by his middle name of Josh, wished for a trip to Orlando, Florida. At the Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. inside Treasure Island, the family was met with a surprise celebration at which Josh’s dream of being immersed in a universe of superheroes was revealed.

During the trip, Josh and his family stayed at Give Kids the World Village, a Florida nonprofit resort that provides no-cost lodging to children with serious conditions and their families. The family spent the next week exploring Orlando’s multiple theme parks, including Walt Disney World and Universal Studios.

“They say it takes a village to raise a child, but we here at Make-A-Wish Southern Nevada believe it takes a community to grant a wish,” said Scott Rosenzweig, President & CEO of Make-A-Wish Southern Nevada. “We couldn’t grant wishes like Erick’s without community partners such as Cityneon. We’re grateful for their partnership and can’t wait to see the pictures from Erick’s wish trip to Orlando, Florida.”.

“Making a positive impact in the Southern Nevada community by helping those faced with challenges to find their strength is a top priority for our team,” said Zoe Tan, Head of Business Development and General Manager of Victory Hill Exhibitions, Cityneon Holdings. “Working alongside Make-A-Wish Southern Nevada to make Josh’s wish come to life was truly incredible and we hope to continue this partnership and create unique memories for many more families.”

As a Super Hero fan, Josh was excited to experience the numerous Marvel-related attractions at Universal Studios, including Marvel Super Hero Island® in Universal’s Islands of Adventure.

Josh identifies especially with Iron Man – a hero is known for having a repaired heart – since Josh himself was diagnosed at birth with congenital heart disease. Josh was an infant when he had his very first heart surgery, and at just three years old, he underwent another surgery, after which Josh went into kidney failure and has been on dialysis and oxygen ever since.

Like Iron Man, Josh lives heroically with his condition and has remained positive despite the numerous medical challenges he faces on a daily basis.

Josh loved sharing his theme park experience with his family, who has given him the support, care and encouragement he needs throughout his medical journey. The memories of a special trip to Walt Disney World and Universal Studios will help provide the Las Vegas teen the strength to continue to battle congenital heart disease and kidney failure.

CITYNEON, a company that provides immersive experiences, on Wednesday (Oct 26) welcomed a fresh capital injection of S$150 million from Temasek’s 65 Equity Partners.

This comes after the group closed its last funding round in April with a total of S$235 million raised.

The collective funds raised will be utilised to further strengthen the group’s growth trajectory and aspirations, said Cityneon. These include expanding into new markets, acquiring new intellectual property, building up technological capabilities via its in-house research and development department, establishing new and profitable lines of businesses, and shoring up its balance sheet.

“We are excited to partner Cityneon’s management team in its next phase of growth,” said Tan Chong Lee, chief executive of 65 Equity Partners.

“This investment aligns strategically with our mandate of supporting high growth, leading businesses led by founders and entrepreneurs, to help them scale and fulfil their growth aspirations, as well as facilitating their eventual public listing,” he added.

In addition, Cityneon will rebrand its company name to “Neon” as it strives to “always be relevant, offering new, exciting and epic experiences for fans and families around the world”.

Source: The Business Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction. 

The long-term, 20,000-square-foot exhibition features large animatronic adult dinos, human-powered adolescent dinos and hand-held puppet baby dinos

Thanks to movies like “Jurassic Park,” the idea of dinosaurs existing today has been a popular, but improbable, fantasy for paleontology fans. But a massive new exhibition that opened Friday in its West Coast premiere in San Diego offers visitors the best chance they’ll ever get of seeing, hearing and even touching “live” dinosaurs up close.

“Jurassic World: The Exhibition” re-creates the look, feel, sound and scaly characters of the fictional Jurassic Park, the live-dino theme park on mysterious Isla Nublar in the 1993 Universal Pictures film “Jurassic Park,” and the 1990 Michael Crichton book that inspired it. The immersive, tented walk-through exhibit in the Westfield Mission Valley mall parking lot is in town through April 16.

Rather than just a mix of movie props and stationary dinosaur robots, “Jurassic World” puts ticket-buyers inside the theme park itself, where actors playing park docents and animal handlers encourage visitors to touch a baby Stygimoloch, feel the gooey consistency of dinosaur poop and watch a training session with Blue, the slightly less dangerous Velociraptor featured in the most recent films in Universal Pictures’ “Jurassic World” franchise.

Visitors can also explore a nursery where they’ll see dino eggs and young hatchlings; meet Bumpy, the baby Ankylosaurus featured in Netflix’s animated “Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous” series; and watch a feeding demonstration with an Indominus Rex, a genetically modified dinosaur in the Jurassic World: Evolution video game series. The 16 dinosaurs in the exhibit range from elaborate hand puppets to a fast-moving human-size raptor with an adult puppeteer inside, and gigantic animatronic beasts that not only have fully functioning eyelids, mouths and necks, but also move around rooms and produce the foghorn-like roars heard in the films.

But — as in all “Jurassic World” stories — humans’ selfish desire to re-create often-lethal extinct creatures can have consequences. The exhibition’s grand finale involves a truly gigantic robotic Tyrannosaurus Rex that gets loose from its enclosure and mayhem ensues.

Over the past five years, experiential exhibitions have become a worldwide sensation. In San Diego, last year’s immersive “Beyond Van Gogh” projection-mapped exhibit at the Del Mar Fairgrounds was so popular it was extended by an extra month. And in Anaheim, Disney spent an estimated $225 million building its most ambitious experience attraction Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland.

“Jurassic World: The Exhibition” launched in 2016 in Melbourne, Australia, and has toured internationally in the years since. There are now three touring companies including one now operating in London and another in Japan. The San Diego visit is the third stop on a four-city American tour.

Ellie Armitage, who bills herself as the exhibition’s lead dinosaur ranger, said it’s hard to gauge which experience is the most popular with guests. Although the T-Rex finale is a hit, Armitage said most visitors are “astonished” when they disembark from the “water ferry” that motors them to Isla Nublar and they encounter a towering 12,500-pound animatronic Brachiosaurus at the park’s entrance.

“The most awesome moment for many people is when they come off the boat, the music is playing and they come through the gates and enter the land of giants. It’s a big wow moment,” Armitage said.

While Armitage said the staff undergoes “scared child protocol” training for toddlers who can’t separate fact from fiction, the exhibit is designed for all ages, with particular appeal for children ages 8 to 10. Beyond the dinosaurs themselves, there are dozens of video and touch screens where visitors can learn more about the various dinosaur species, their diets, habitats and unusual physical features. Docents are also trained to answer visitors’ questions. There’s also a gift shop, where a staffer said the $40 plush toy of Blue the velociraptor is the top-selling item.

Exhibition tickets are sold online by timed entry, with a maximum of 60 visitors admitted every 15 minutes to avoid overcrowding. Visitors can stay as long as they like, but the average visit is 45 to 60 minutes. The exhibit is set up on the east side of the mall’s former Macy’s department store, near Broken Yolk Café and the seasonal pumpkin patch.

Jurassic World: The Exhibition

Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 pm. Mondays and Thursdays. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays. Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Through April 16

Tickets: Weekday admission is $29.50 for adults and $19.50 for children ages 3 to 15; weekend admission is $34.50 for adults and $24.50 for children

Online sales: jurassicworldexhibition.com

Fans of the blockbuster films will be able to see the thrilling beasts up close as they step into a world of discovery inside the ferocious dinosaur’s domain. From a life-sized velociraptor to a towering Brachiosaurus, and even the Tyrannosaurus Rex. The dinosaurs are more real than ever before.

Visitors will be able to watch them move, roar and even feed as they come to life in a 20,000 sq ft space. Park rangers will also be on the premises to guide adventurers around the huge Jurassic Park – but they should watch out for the fierce beasts lurking behind every shrub or forest path.

In addition to experiencing the world inspired by the beloved films, exhibition guests will be able to pose for one-of-a-kind “Instagram-able” photo moments throughout the event. There will also be an interactive dig site where youngsters can become palaeontologists for the day and scavenge for dinosaur bones and remains.

James Cassidy, COO of FKP Scorpio Entertainment UK says: “The entire Jurassic World: The Exhibition experience has been designed to be as immersive as possible for visitors. From the moment our guests walk through the doors, all the sights and sounds of the event will be geared towards fueling the experience of being in the dinosaurs’ domain.

“The Jurassic Dominion movie came out quite recently and the entire exhibition has been organised in collaboration with its creative film team, and it will be held in collaboration with Universal studios and NBC. All of our dinosaurs are animatronic so they move and hiss on their own – guests can go up to them and touch them as well as get plenty of selfie opportunities.”

Jurassic World: The Exhibition tour has previously taken major cities across the world such as Chicago, Philadelphia, Paris, Madrid and Seoul, Shanghai and Chengdu by storm. A record-breaking number of tickets have already been sold for the London event.

The exhibition will be open from Thursday, August 25, until the end of 2022. It will provide the ideal day out for both children and adults across the city and elsewhere in the UK, who are seeking an unforgettable experience.

Tickets for the Jurassic World: The Exhibition start at £26 per adult and £18.50 per child. Car parking will be available on-site and visitors can also travel to the ExCeL Centre directly on the London Underground via the new Elizabeth Line.

To buy tickets for Jurassic World: The Exhibition at London’s ExCeL Centre, visit the website here.

What’s there to discover?

As well as seeing lots of giant species throughout the day, there will be plenty of opportunities for families to interact with incredible baby dinosaurs. This includes “Bumpy” from the hit Netflix series Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, which premiered in 2020 and released season 4 in December 2021.

Fans will even have the chance to play Jurassic World Alive – the popular location-based AR mobile game. In the game, dinosaurs are back on Earth and they roam free in our world.

Players can explore their surroundings to find their favourite Jurassic World characters. The app is available to download for free on the App Store and Google Play.

When the exhibition opens, players who visit ExCeL London and open the game on their device can locate an exclusive Jurassic World: The Exhibition incubator, which are capsules that contain valuable resources to use as an in-game reward.

Those who want to relax after walking the perilous path housing Jurassic World’s ancient beasts will be able to buy refreshments from a range of food and drink outlets in the ExCeL Centre. There are plenty of restaurants and cafés to choose from.

Film fans will also be able to purchase souvenirs from the full merchandise retail store on site, including t-shirts, stationary and more, as a memory of their incredible experience of visiting the dinosaurs’ domain.

To buy tickets for Jurassic World: The Exhibition at London’s ExCeL Centre, visit the website here.

Well, dino lovers across the city can relive that iconic storyline from today, as ‘Jurassic World: The Exhibition’ opens. The ExCel centre in Docklands is welcoming thousands of explorers through the famous Jurassic Park gates where they will be greeted by life-size, animatronic dinosaurs and their (extremely cute) babies. Only this time, they’re not likely to chase you and then dismember you.

The 20,000-square-foot exhibition holds 16 life-sized dinosaurs, including a velociraptor, brachiosaurus and Tyrannosaurus Rex. Curious explorers can interact with the dinosaurs, which are mechanical puppets that are deceptively lifelike. It’s a timewarp, where you can envision what prehistoric life on earth was like 140 million years ago, before the dinos became extinct… just in the ExCel centre.

This summer, the blockbuster season continues with the release of ‘Jurassic World Dominion’, the sixth instalment of the ‘Jurassic Park’ franchise, 30 years after the original movie. Okay, we reckon it’s shit, but the idea remains sound.

So, as you wait for the next film to drop, why not pay a visit to the dinos and keep them company? Tell them we said ‘roar!’.

‘Jurassic World: The Exhibition’, Excel London, Royal Victoria Dock, E16 1XL. From £25 per adult and £18.50 per child.

Find tickets here.

摆脱禁锢的霸王龙朝围观者愤怒嘶吼；从大门进入，迎接游客的还有一只巨型腕龙。

这个庞大的展览空间里展示着侏罗纪电影里的所有事物，按照真实比例打造的电子动态恐龙结合音效和灯光，给人营造一种身临其境的感觉。

英国《侏罗纪世界》展览发起人乔治伍德说：“你真的会感觉，这是你最接近活恐龙的一次，也是这个体验最棒的地方。”

恐龙幼崽在器皿里休息，表皮纹路和呼吸节奏都几近逼真。现场不仅有各类恐龙，游客还能戴上手套触摸恐龙粪便，让大人小孩都乐在其中。

一名游客赛雷尔拉朱说：“他差不多两岁，非常喜欢这里。他出乎意料的非常冷静，但也很享受。”

英国儿童电台主持人康纳奈特说：“我们终于能亲身体验、感受、触摸恐龙，了解它们的皮肤、骨骼和一切。现象级的，非常棒！太好了！虽然也有点可怕。”

原定展出到11月的侏罗纪世界展，可能展延到当地假期结束。

It had previously been exhibited at the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences; nearly 8,000 tickets of the exhibit have been sold so far.

The exhibition includes 181 artifacts from the era of King “Ramses II” stemming from the collections of the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, in addition to artifacts unearthed by the Egyptian mission in the Bubasteum in Saqqara.

It is worth mentioning that The exhibition of “Ramses & The Gold of The Pharaohs” welcomed visitors from all over the American city of Houston to enjoy the splendor of the great Egyptian antiquities with the enchanting melodies of the harp instrument in the background.

During the first days of its opening, the exhibition witnessed a huge turnout of visitors from different age groups. Some 8000 tickets were booked and sold in the first hours of the exhibition’s opening day.

Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mostafa Waziri explained that an Egyptian delegation representing the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities had received the visitors, who expressed their fascination with the greatness of the Egyptian civilization.

For her part, Assistant Minister for Tourism Promotion Lamia Kamel said that the Egyptian pavilion at the exhibition also witnessed a great turnout from the museum visitors, who used the QR code shown on the main panel in the pavilion to access the promotional site for Egypt on various social media platforms, in order to get acquainted with the brilliance of the Egyptian tourist destinations and Egypt’s countless tourism products.

Kamel confirmed that the visitors of the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences expressed their enthusiasm to visit Egypt, especially in winter.

Moreover, Kamel reviewed the efforts exerted by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, in cooperation with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, to create a direct flight route between Sharm El-Sheikh and Luxor to link beach tourism with cultural tourism, within the framework of the ministries’ efforts to create an integrated tourism product.

It is worth noting that the “Ramses & The Gold of The Pharaohs” exhibition showcases 181 artifacts that highlight some of the distinctive characteristics of the ancient Egyptian civilization, especially from the Middle and Modern Kingdoms to the late era. The exhibits include a group of statues, ornaments, paintings, stone blocks decorated with inscriptions, and statues of deities in the form of birds and animals, as well as some colorful wooden coffins.

Also, the Egyptian pavilion in the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences will be broadcast Egypt’s grand celebration “The Sphinx Avenue ” that will take place on November 25 at 7:30 p.m.

When a dazzling presentation comes at the cost of curatorial substance, it’s not only disappointing, it fails to honor the subject. The term “immersive experience” has also become such a cliche that many of us cringe when we spot the words in the description of a new exhibition.

But when the concepts are used intelligently, they make museum-going more immediate, more educational and sometimes more complete.

“Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs,” the newly arrived exhibition at the de Young Museum that opened Saturday, Aug. 20, benefits from all the enhancements spectacle and immersion can offer. The touring exhibition was curated by Zahi Hawass, the famed Egyptian archaeologist and former minister of state for antiquities affairs, and comes to San Francisco in partnership with the Supreme Council of Antiquities of the Arab Republic of Egypt. It is produced by World Heritage Exhibitions, a subsidiary of Cityneon Holdings. The exhibition is overseen at the de Young by Renée Dreyfus, the George and Judy Marcus Distinguished Curator and the person in charge of ancient art at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

You like King Tut? You should get to know Ramses the Great, now in S.F.

With its set-like exhibition design, dramatically backlit photo blowups, use of video elements, evocative soundtrack and moody lighting, it is as much a theatrical experience as a museum visit. It’s easy to get swept up in the drama, as though carried pleasantly on the tides of the Nile.

Ramses II (1303-1213 B.C.) reigned for 67 years as the third pharaoh of the 19th Dynasty of Egypt. His time on the throne was marked by distinguished military campaigns, along with building projects like the Ramesseum temple complex at Qurna and the Abu Simbel temple complex near the Egypt-Sudan border. He is also thought to be the pharaoh depicted in the Old Testament story of Moses by some historians.

Immediately upon entering, visitors are plunged into his world, starting with a slick introductory video that explains his reign, and also the looting of his tomb in the Valley of the Kings — providing context to why artifacts from other royal tombs in Dahshur and Tanis are featured. After the video, the doors to the exhibition open as if by decree of the gods, bringing you face to face with a spectacular head of the ruler taken from a colossal statue.

Forms of Egyptian revival have been seen through the ages in the West, seemingly coming back into vogue with major archaeological discoveries and excavations. Gazing at objects like a gold Heset Ewer pitcher for liquid offerings in the temple, alabaster kohl jars, intricately colored Faience tiles depicting captives from military campaigns and numerous statues of the sphinx, one sees just how much movements like Neoclassicism, Art Nouveau and Art Deco have been inspired by the simple forms and intricate detailing of the New Kingdom era.

Throughout the exhibition, you enter the different worlds of Ramses’ time. It can be almost theme-park-like, in the best possible way.

With so much of Ramses’ story told in monumental buildings and works of sculpture that cannot tour, the design helps fill many of those gaps. Adjacent galleries showcase how tried-and-true exhibition tools are still effective, with a model of the great temple at Abu Simbel and its epic statues of the ruler on display. A nearby viewing room features a digital re-creation of the Battle of Kadesh that feels 3-D in its use of both conventional, wall-mounted screens and a flat viewing surface below it in the shape of a burnt papyrus map that shows the topography of the battleground and displays additional images. Later re-creations of tombs are also beautiful in their own artistry.

But when presenting objects like the stunning dynastic jewelry, the exhibition design lets the gold headpieces, bracelets, amulets and neckpieces speak for themselves. When you have items like the gold face mask of Sheshonq II, it doesn’t need anything extra. This is also true for the stone sarcophagi and the intricately painted, gilded wood interior coffins. And naturally, no exhibition on ancient Egypt would be complete without mummies, represented in “Ramses” by numerous preserved animals.

Upstairs in the museum’s Piazzoni Murals Room, the virtual reality experience “Ramses and Nefertari: Journey to Osiris” is available at an extra cost. See the exhibition first, then take the 10-minute “tour” through Abu Simbel, guided by the apparition of the pharaoh’s beloved wife, Nefertari. It’s a nice additional component after learning the basics about the ruler, but its motion and fragrance components might not be suitable for all museumgoers; some of the imagery may also be too frightening for children.

I left the show not only astounded by its presentation and objects, but also truly awed by the artistic and cultural accomplishments of the pharaoh’s reign. It’s an exhibition that proves when spectacle and immersion are given a subject with the depth of Ramses II, they can be truly in the service of greater understanding.

“Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs”: 9:30 a.m.-5:15 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. Opens Saturday, Aug. 20. On view through Feb. 12. $20-$40. “Ramses and Nefertari: Journey to Osiris” tickets are $18 general admission, $16 members. De Young Museum, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, S.F. 415-750-3600. deyoung.famsf.org

The commanding visage of Egypt’s most influential New Kingdom ruler, wearing the iconic white crown of Upper Egypt and a chin-strapped false beard, originally topped a colossal statue in a Memphis, Egypt, temple. Discovered there in 1888, the deified pharaoh’s likeness now greets visitors entering the de Young Museum’s immersive 12,000-square foot installation, opening Saturday, Aug. 20. The exhibition explores the reign of one of Egypt’s most powerful and longest-ruling monarchs; Ramses the Great ruled for 67 years and lived past age 90, a rare life span in the ancient world.

It’s the greatest collection of Ramses II objects ever to travel to the United States, including numerous items never loaned outside Egypt — sarcophagi, royal masks, sculpture, recently discovered animal mummies, amulets and magnificent jewelry — as well as a virtual reality component installed in the museum’s Piazzoni Murals Room.

Review: ‘Ramses the Great’ show in S.F. uncovers the ‘fine art’ in immersive experiences

“I really love that statue at the beginning of the exhibit,” an exuberant Hawass told The Chronicle by phone from Los Angeles before his trip to San Francisco, where he plans to give a free public lecture on Saturday. “When I look at his face, I imagine that I am talking to Ramses II. In fact, when I wrote the (exhibition) catalog, which includes more personal stories, it was as if Ramses was here in front of me, talking to me, telling me his story himself.

“He told me he was not just a ruler but a philosopher, a warrior, a peacemaker,” the famed archeologist and Egyptoloist continued, “a man who was so in love with Nefartari as a young man, he built for her the most beautiful tomb ever made for a queen.”

Now, if anyone else were to recount in such breathless fervor an imaginary conversation with the 3,000-year-old pharaoh known as Ozymandias in Greek texts, whose mummified body rests in Cairo’s National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, we might rightly question their hold on reality. But it somehow makes sense for a nostalgic showman like Hawass, whose career since working as a young inspector at the great pyramids has been guided by an unquenchable curiosity and sense of connection with Egypt’s epic past.

“When I heard a Ramses exhibition would be available to travel here, I jumped at the opportunity,” said Renee Dreyfus, de Young’s curator in charge of ancient art.

Hawass, former secretary-general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, is best known in the U.S. from his frequent television appearances on the Discovery Channel, Fox and the History Channel (“Chasing Mummies”). There seems to scarcely be media coverage involving ancient Egypt without Hawass’ involvement. He’s filmed CT scans of King Tut’s remains and his 2010 discovery of the tombs of the Khufu pyramid builders.

A man in perpetual motion at 75, Hawass hasn’t slowed a bit in spreading the gospel of Egypt’s past grandeur.

“I’m giving 23 lectures in America next May,” he gushed.

He also rattled off a dizzying number of current ventures, including a new project working in the tomb of Ramses II in the Valley of the Kings (which was plundered in ancient times, and suffered numerous subsequent floods), and overseeing the ambitious Grand Egyptian Museum set to open later this year in Giza.

But he said he keeps in mind that every exhibition he works on aims to tell a distinct story about Egypt’s glorious past.

“Ramses the Great” is about the “king of kings who signed human history’s first peace treaty (with the Hittites),” Hawass explained. “He left his name everywhere,” inscribed on monuments and temples throughout Egypt, from the Nile delta to the Nubian Desert.

While King Tut’s gold-and-jewel-encrusted artifacts may be more iconic due to the stroke of fate that kept his burial chamber from flooding, the boy king who died at 19 was far from the most consequential pharaoh, Hawass noted.

“The two most famous Egyptian kings are, first, Ramses II, and second, King Tut,” he said. “I believe this (exhibition) is one of the most important things ever to leave Egypt to travel abroad. It is educational, but it is also breathtaking. It will capture the hearts of young people.”

Dreyfus said the timing to spark renewed interest in ancient Egypt couldn’t be better, with the Ramses show to still be on view at the de Young on Nov. 4, a date marking 100 years since Howard Carter’s discovery of King Tutankhamun’s intact tomb.

“What I’ve tried to do over the years, including the last King Tut show in 2009, is to bring the finest Egyptian objects to San Francisco to satisfy this city’s great love of Egyptian art,” said Dreyfus about the popularity of the Egyptian exhibitions, noting that the 1979 King Tut show — also curated by Hawass — attracted more than 1.3 million visitors.

“There is something hauntingly interesting about people who truly believed (in an afterlife), that you could take it with you, and that the next world would be equally good, if not better.”

“Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs”: 9:30 a.m.-5:15 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. Opens Saturday, Aug. 20. On view through Feb. 12, 2023. $25-$40. De Young Museum, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, S.F. 415-750-3600. deyoung.famsf.org

Ancient Art Council Lecture on Recent Egypt Discoveries with Zahi Hawass: 2 p.m. Saturday. Koret Auditorium. This is a free program on the exhibition’s opening day. Seating is limited and unassigned. Tickets are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis in front of the Koret Auditorium an hour before the presentation begins. Lecture tickets do not include admission to the exhibition. For more information, visit deyoung.famsf.org/calendar.

A talented military leader, he ushered in a golden era of security and prosperity and built a never-before-seen number of monuments, temples, and colossal statues (mostly dedicated to himself) across his kingdom. By the time of his death 67 years after assuming the throne, there were few in Egypt who’d ever known another ruler.

Three thousand years later, Ramses the Great’s legacy still looms large, and the artifacts associated with his reign are among Egypt’s most treasured heritage. On Friday, August 19th, 181 of them make their debut in San Francisco for the first time in the de Young Museum’s new exhibition, Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs.

The exhibition, however, is more than just a set of beautiful objects. Using virtual reality and multimedia, it brings to life the most important events and places of Ramses’ rule.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” says Thomas P. Campbell, director and CEO of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. “It’s truly an immersive experience that engages all the senses with muscle.”

The artifacts on display in Ramses the Great range from stone cartouches and life-sized statues to delicate jewelry and exquisitely detailed coffins. In one room, an unusual collection of animal mummies that were recently discovered in the ancient city of Memphis—cats, lion cubs, mongoose, crocodiles, and scarab beetles—appear for the first time ever. In another, they recreate the crypt of Sennedjem, a royal artist and the builder of Ramses’ own tomb, surrounding his real, lavishly painted coffin with images of the afterlife projected on the walls and ceiling; these images are the same as those that were found painted in the actual tomb.

Elsewhere, a multi-platform presentation illuminates what ancient scholars consider the largest, most chaotic battle ever fought, the Battle of Kadesh, which Ramses the Great won in 1274 B.C. just a few years after assuming the throne. The epic assault takes place across three screens that combine cinematic views of the combat with shifting imagery of the battlefield.

But the most exciting multimedia element of Ramses the Great is the 10-minute virtual reality component, Ramses & Nefertari: Journey to Osiris, installed in the Piazzoni Mural Rooms upstairs. With noise-canceling headphones, VR goggles, and a spinning, tilting, rumbling chair, visitors follow Ramses’ first wife Nefertari on a tour of her husband’s most impressive monuments, Abu Simbel and Nefertari’s Tomb. The temple and crypt appear like they would have at the time of their construction, immensely detailed and convincingly real. The makers even threw in a bit of extra drama to keep things interesting.

“The temples [Ramses] erected, statues he commissioned, and monuments he inscribed throughout Egypt and Nubia, and funerary temple and royal tomb he built, were reminders of his earthly power and closeness to the gods,” says Renee Dreyfus, George and Judy Marcus Distinguished Curator and curator in charge of ancient art at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. With VR, visitors get the chance to experience what moving through those spaces was like thousands of years in the past.

// Both Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs and Ramses & Nefertari: Journey to Osiris will be on exhibition from August 20th through February 12th, 2023. Timed entry tickets can be purchased in advance and there is an extra charge, $18/person, for the VR experience; De Young Museum, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr. (Golden Gate Park), deyoung.famsf.org.

The VR experience “Ramses and Nefertari: Journey to Osiris.”

“Ramses the Great and The Gold of the Pharaohs,” opening Aug. 20 at the de Young Museum, showcases this royal mother lode in one of the largest exhibitions of ancient Egyptian splendor to come to the West Coast since the de Young’s “King Tut” exhibits—which captivated local museum goers in 1979 and 2009.

The exhibit features 181 artifacts lent to the de Young by the Egyptian government. It includes priceless relics found at the tomb of the powerful Pharaoh Ramses II, along with animal mummies, intricate jewerly and recently uncovered burial objects from the ancient cities of Dashur and Tanis along the Nile River. Present day Egyptologists continue to excavate and unearth new treasures.

The collection has been billed as a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity to see the “greatest collection of Ramses II objects and Egyptian jewelry ever to travel to the United States”—and the hype is not without merit.

In recent decades, evolutions in international law and curatorial codes of ethics have made exhibitions like “Ramses the Great” increasingly difficult to coordinate. All of the objects currently on display at the de Young are on a short-term special loan from Egypt—approved by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Supreme Council of Antiquities of the Arab Republic of Egypt. They are not likely to leave their country of origin again for a long time after this world tour ends in 2025.

But “Ramses the Great” is more than a rare chance to see Egyptian treasures. It is also a cutting-edge display of applied technology. The highly choreographed experience features state-of-the-art lighting, sound and multimedia equipment—and includes a virtual reality tour of two of Egypt’s most impressive monuments (tickets to this cost extra).

With all there is to see and experience, you may feel overwhelmed by it all. To help you better appreciate “Ramses the Great and The Gold of the Pharaohs” here are eight essential takeaways—from easily recognizing a Pharaoh and quickly understanding Egyptian seating arrangements to avoiding the nausea some experience while strapped into a VR headset. Read on to prepare yourself to walk through the show like an Egyptian.

The King is King

With few exceptions, artistic depictions of the pharaohs remained the same for 3,000 years. But while the people of ancient Egypt were familiar with the uniform aesthetic, modern museum goers would do well to keep a few things in mind.

For starters, ancient Egyptian artists often put the king’s head on the body of a lion to form a sphinx. Also, the patriarchy was just as real then as it is today: All pharaohs, no matter their actual sex or gender, were depicted as male.

Finally, keep an eye out for some of these key pieces of royal regalia:

• Triangular royal kilt, with an ornamental bull’s tail.
• Emblematic crown with a sacred cobra, uraeus, at the forehead. The nemes, the most common headdress, has black and gold stripes framing the face and hanging to the shoulders.
• False rectangular beard.
• Hand held scepters, crook and flails or an ankh (symbol for life).

Size Matters

Size indicates relative importance. Pharaohs are often rendered larger than life to symbolize their authority and superhuman powers. In wall reliefs and paintings, workers and entertainers, flora and fauna, and architectural details are subsidiary and usually shown in smaller scale than the figures of the gods, kings, high officials or landowners.

Walk Like an Egyptian

Why did the ancient Egyptian paintings depict people in such stilted and stiff poses? The key is to think of these paintings as a composite established hieroglyphic forms, which were never intended to be naturalistic representations. The views of the body come from different perspectives: the eye and shoulders from the front; torso and hips from three-quarter view; head, feet, legs and arms in profile.

Take a Seat

Seated figures are almost certainly of a higher social status than anyone shown standing or working. Gods, goddesses, kings and scribes are often depicted as sitting. Scribes were part of an elite group of individuals who knew over 700 hieroglyphs. The elevation of these select writers attests to the importance of writing and literacy in Egypt. A scribe is usually seated with a papyrus scroll on his lap.

Stoned Poses

Egyptian sculptors seldomly completely freed the figure from the stone block. With few exceptions they did not carve out the space around the legs or between a figure’s body and arms due to the stone’s brittleness. Artists left that negative space filled in so the sculpture stayed intact.This technique provided not only with a desired longevity but also resulted in a very centered, calm, poised and motionless pose.

Colorful Patterns

Jewelry, sculpture, wall paintings and coffins are enriched with patterns and bright colors. Egyptians adored patterns—not only because they are pleasing to the eye, but because they could go on and on without end and thus served as a potent symbol for eternal life. Colors also had both aesthetic appeal and symbolic meaning for ancient Egyptians:

• Yellow & Gold = Sun and Ra, the Sun God
• Red & Orange = Desert, power, blood and vitality
• Blue & Green = Water, the Nile River and vegetation
• White = Lotus flower and purity
• Black = Death and resurrection

As Good As Gold

Mined along the Nile River and the Eastern Desert of Egypt, gold was prized for its color and sheen. Since it does not rust, gold served as a metaphor for eternal life. The Egyptians’ love of gold has never been a secret, and royal Egyptian burial sites have been a target for grave robbers for millennia. As such, exhibits like “Ramses the Great” are particularly noteworthy; by the time modern museums started seeking out ancient Egyptian relics, much of the gold beneath the sand was long gone.

In recent years, Western museums have been forced to reckon with the role they have played in encouraging, enabling and profiting from ancient plunder. In an effort to right historical wrongs, the UNESCO 1970 Convention, a permanent intergovernmental committee, oversees the return and restitution of cultural property and takes measures to prohibit the import, export or transfer ownership of objects from the country of origin.

Don’t Skip The VR Tour

Tucked away in a side room on the ground floor of the de Young, the “Ramses & Nefertari: Journey to Osiris” virtual reality tour is available to visitors for an additional $18. Donning a VR headset and headphones, viewers are invited to sit in an articulating chair that twists, turns, rumbles and even occasionally releases the scent of frankincense. The experience is not recommended for small children and a disclaimer on the de Young’s website warns that it may induce anxiety and vertigo in some participants. However, the virtual tour does an impressive job of conveying the scale and grandeur of these ancient Egyptian sites without the price or stress of intercontinental travel. It is well worth the extra charge. Pro tip: closing your eyes while swooping through narrow hallways can help viewers avoid feeling nauseous.

Ramses the Great and The Gold of the Pharaohs

de Young Museum, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr.
Aug. 20 Through Feb. 12, 2023 | $23+ ($16-$18 additional for VR experience)

Lace your boots, pull on your khaki shorts and don your safari hat, the opening of Jurassic World: The Exhibition is only days away. Next week, you can step through the screen into the universe of the epic dinosaur blockbuster at Excel London. Follow in the footsteps of Alan Grant and co. as you explore an ancient wilderness filled with familiar favourites such as raptors, brachiosaurus and, of course, the carnivorous queen of them all, the Tyrannosaurus-Rex. Not only that, but you’ll also get to peek behind the plexiglass and see where the scientists worked their dinosaur-making magic at the Creation Lab. This is no ordinary exhibition, it’s practically a portal into Jurassic World.

When a leather jacket-clad Ian Malcolm uttered the words “life finds a way” I wonder if that included giant, hyper-realistic animatronic dinosaur life that roams around one of London’s sprawling exhibition centres? Whatever the case, it seems the prehistoric creatures have found their way to the Big Smoke, with our very own Isla Nublar opening in the heart of the city. Fans of the iconic film franchise will be in their element, humming the theme tune as they enter through the giant gates and push through prehistoric plant life to find a fascinating menagerie of dinosaurs.

You’ll be pleased to know there’ll be no risk of sudden swooping pterodactyl attacks or calculated assaults from ravenous raptors, so you can leave your flares and tranquiliser guns at home. It’s basically all the fun and wonder of Jurassic World with none of the peril. Probably just as John Hammond envisioned it in the first place. You’ll encounter everything from the neck-ache-inducing Brachiosaurus, munching away high above, and the hard-headed (in more ways than one) Stygimoloch, Stiggy, to the malicious newbie the Indominous Rex, watching you with steely eyes. It’s a true immersion into the franchise, peppered with familiar scenes and much-loved dinosaurs for you to see up-close like never before.

Whatever your age you’ll no doubt be melting once you lay eyes on the adorable baby dinos. Their innocent faces and colourful markings make them the perfect selfie companion. Snap a memento with little Bumpy, the Ankylosaurus from Camp Cretaceous, or, to really juice up your Instagram, you may even dare to capture the toothy grin of the T-Rex. Of course, all this wouldn’t be possible without the work that goes on in the white walls of Hammonds Creation Lab. Inside, you can expect to discover the secrets of dinosaur creation and gaze down at tiny parasaurolophus babies. Don’t miss out on this incredible chance to experience the cinematic magic of dinosaurs, grab your tickets now.

Renee Dreyfus is the curator of ancient art. She says the incredible collection is a reflection of Egypt’s golden age — when pharaohs cashed in on their power — and almost nobody held onto it longer than Ramses the Great.

“So what you see here is a story about a king of Egypt who really had much more time to create his own legend,” Dreyfus said.

She says some of the pieces are recently discovered, and many have never left Egypt before: golden jewelry, along with coffins and funeral masks crafted to match their owner’s status.

Teams from the U.S. and Egypt have worked to carefully transport the priceless artifacts.

“So, we try to come to your country to show you what we have in my country,” said Heba Mohammed, exhibition courier for the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities.

Dreyfus is hoping that Ramses can also recreate the magic of another famous Egyptian king, who captivated the U.S. when she was a young curator: King Tut.

“When the boy king came, I was the girl curator. Then 30 years-to-month later, I was the curator of the second King Tut exhibition,” she said.

Dreyfus says Ramses and Tut not only ruled in different eras, but they also left distinctly different legacies. Unlike the boy king, Ramses was known for building both extensive monuments and families.

“He fathered about a hundred sons and daughters, so he was pretty good at that,” she said while laughing.

An ancient and colorful legacy is about to be reborn here in the Bay Area from Aug. 20 through mid-February.

Learn more about the exhibit here.

The dinosaurs are coming to London!

A 20,000-square-foot immersive Jurassic World exhibition is coming to London in August 2022.

The exhibition, based on one of the biggest franchises in the world, will be landing at Excel London on August 25, 2022. This real-life experience will feature life-sized roaming dinosaurs, the actual Jurassic Park gates for guests to enter through, and never-before-seen baby dinosaurs.

Visitors will be able to interact and explore the environment and be greeted by infamous dinosaurs like the Velociraptor, Brachiosaurus and the Tyrannosaurus Rex as they make their way through the experience.

Talking about bringing the exhibition to London, Cityneon’s Executive Chairman & Group CEO, Ron Tan, said: “I am equally excited that we are launching Jurassic World: The Exhibition in the UK for the first time so soon after the theatrical release of Jurassic World: Dominion. Fans in London, stay tuned for a once-in-a-lifetime experience and see your favourite dinosaurs come to life right in front of your eyes!”

Speaking about bringing the exhibition to life, Universal Parks & Resorts’ President of Global Business Development, Michael Silver, said that the most exciting thing about this exhibition is to give fans a chance to experience the world of Jurassic Park for themselves.

“What excites us about Jurassic World: The Exhibition is the opportunity to give fans a real-world, immersive experience based on the amazing adventures of the franchise and delivered to a location near them,” he said, “Visitors will come face-to-face with life-sized dinosaurs and walk through richly themed environments, all inspired by the beloved global franchise.”

In addition to the amenities above, fans also get an exclusive opportunity when playing Jurassic World Alive – the popular location-based AR mobile game. Players who visit the exhibition in London and open the game on their devices can locate an exclusive Jurassic World: The Exhibition incubator, which are capsules that contain valuable resources, as an in-game reward. In addition, players with AR-enabled devices can snap a picture or take a video of a dinosaur using the game’s AR feature.

Tickets go on sale on June 23 at 12pm. You can buy them here.

Jurassic World 3 is now playing in US and UK cinemas.

It’s immersive, it has dinosaurs and there are 20,000 square feet of it coming to ExCel London

Just when you were starting to feel a bit fossilised this summer (it’s this dry heat), the sound of gigantic T-Rex-sized feet thundering in the distance, slowly heading over to ExCel London, has definitely livened things up. That’s right, August 25 sees the launch of ‘Jurassic World: The Exhibition’, a new immersive experience.

As you might imagine, any space that’s going to house hordes of life-size velociraptors, brachiosauruses and their scaly mates roaming around as though they own the place – and let’s be honest who’s going to argue with them – needs to be BIG, and it is: there’s 20,000 square feet of dinosaur-dodging site to navigate and plenty to do if dino parks are your vibe.

The exhibition coincides with the cinema release of the sixth (and last in the Jeff Goldblum-serving storyline) film in the blockbuster franchise: Jurassic World: Dominion but there’s plenty from earlier films to get up close and personal with, too. For starters, visitors will walk through the famous ‘Jurassic World’ gates… look how well that worked out eh? Alongside that, you’ll be able to have an up-close look at a velociraptor, crick your neck standing under a towering brachiosaurus and encounter the famous tyrannosaurus rex just to ramp up the fear factor. Whether the toilets are dino-proof was unconfirmed at time of going to press.

As light relief from the fearsome fire lizards, there’s also the chance to interact with new baby dinosaurs, including the rather cute ‘Bumpy’ from the animated series ‘Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous’. Fans also get an exclusive opportunity when playing Jurassic World Alive – the AR mobile game. Any players who visit the exhibition and open the game on their devices can locate an exclusive ‘Jurassic World: The Exhibition’ incubator as an in-game reward. Players with AR-enabled devices can then snap a picture or take a video of a dinosaur using the game’s AR feature and post it to their social media channels using the #JurassicWorldAlive hashtag.

So hop on the Elizabeth line down to Custom House. Just don’t blame us when the baby dinos eat some of your party. Don’t you people watch films?

‘Jurassic World: The Exhibition’, ExCeL London, One Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock, E16 1XL. From Aug 25, tickets from £13. For details and booking head here.

The 20,00sq ft site is being billed as “the closest you’ll ever come to living dinosaurs”

A brand new exhibition themed for the Jurassic Park film franchise is set to open at the ExCel centre in east London later this summer. It is being billed as “the closest you’ll ever come to living dinosaurs.”

Jurassic World: The Exhibition — named for the latest movie, which has just been released — will welcome visitors from August 25. The 20,00sq ft space is designed to mimic the fictional park, complete with its famous gates. Inside will be enormous, life-size models of dinosaurs, including a velociraptor, brachiosaurus, and tyrannosaurus rex, while much of the rest of the space will bring to life prehistoric environments. Elsewhere will be baby dinosaurs, and organisers say the entire thing is family-friendly.

Those using the Jurassic World Alive gaming app will also be able to unlock new features when playing it on site.

Michael Silver of Universal parks and resorts, who with Cityneon are behind the project, said: “What excites us about Jurassic World: The Exhibition is the opportunity to give fans a real-world, immersive experience based on the amazing adventures of the franchise and delivered to a location near them. Visitors will come face-to-face with life-sized dinosaurs and walk through richly themed environments, all inspired by the beloved global franchise .”

Chairman and CEO of Cityneon, Ron Tan added: “I am equally excited that we are launching Jurassic World: The Exhibition in the UK for the first time so soon after the theatrical release of Jurassic World: Dominion. Fans in London, stay tuned for a once in a lifetime experience and see your favourite dinosaurs come to life right in front of your eyes!”

The exhibition arrives in London after something of a world tour. It first launched in Melbourne and has since travelled across America — including stops in Dallas, Denver, Chicago, and Philadelphia — and through Seoul, Chengdu, Guangzhou and Shanghai.

The Jurassic Park franchise, based on a science fiction novel of the same name by Michael Crichton, first attracted widespread public attention when Steven Spielberg directed a 1993 film which shared its title with Crichton’s book. It starred Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sir Richard Attenborough. There have since been five sequels, including this year’s release.

Tickets start at £13, though under-twos go free with an accompanying adult. For more information, visit jurassicworldexhibition.com

Sign up for the waitlist now to be one of the first to get tickets before they open to the public on Thursday, June 23, at 12pm!

Of course, it wouldn’t be a real Jurassic World experience without some whopping wooden gates to wander through. You’ll no doubt be humming the iconic tune in your head as they open dramatically to reveal the expansive space of ExCel London transformed into a prehistoric wilderness; floors appear dappled with sunlight that has shone through a tangle of branches, while ferns and leafy branches will sprout from every corner, giving the illusion that you have truly stepped into the millennia-old forests of the Jurassic period. Look out for glinting teeth or beady yellow eyes gleaming among the shrubbery – you might be doing the viewing but chances are there’s a scaly-something watching you right back.

Sign up to the waitlist now to be first in line to explore this wondrous world of dinosaurs.

On your exploratory stroll through Jurassic World: The Exhibition you’ll discover all manner of roarsome dinosaur delights. Gaze up at the treetop-munching Brachiosaurus – one of the largest creatures to ever roam the earth – get close (as you dare) to the clever girls of the raptor paddock and pay a visit to the Tyrannosaurus Rex where you’ll hear that rumbling roar and witness that bone-crushing grin with your own two eyes. Each incredible roaring and moving dinosaur has been re-created with fascinating detail, so you can take in every scale, pointed talon and jagged horn up close with none of the realism lost.

It’s not all chomping jaws and deadly glares, there’s some adorable wide-eyed residents that are sure to delight visitors of all ages. You can snap a selfie with a baby raptor, pterodactyl or even the beloved Bumpy (an Ankylosaurus) from Camp Cretaceous. Plus, you may even get to peek at the tiny Parasaurolophus babies in their incubator.

Jurassic World: The Exhibition is a must for fans of the epic film franchise. Not only can you put yourself in the mud-splattered boots of Owen Grady (or if you fancy a challenge, the slightly more precarious white heels of Claire Deering) as you immerse yourself in interactive scenes inspired by the hit films, but you can also see where it all started: Hammond Creation Lab. Inside, you’ll find out how geneticists discovered the secret to bringing these prehistoric creatures back to life – hint: it all comes down to a certain mosquito that was entombed in amber all those years ago. Be sure to sign up to the waitlist now to be first in line to discover this world of dinosaurs right on your doorstep.

Meet the dinosaurs of Isla Nublar. Tickets to Jurassic World: The Exhibition go on sale on Thursday, June 23, at 12pm, but you can get exclusive access to presale tickets by signing up to the waitlist here.

San Francisco’s de Young Museum announced this week that it will host the touring “Ramses the Great and the Gold of Pharaohs” exhibition from Aug. 20 to Feb. 12, transporting museum goers back 3,200 years. This is the first new exhibition dedicated to Egyptian king Ramses II in 30 years, and the first to be presented in San Francisco.

More than 180 newly discovered gold and silver treasures including royal statues, sarcophagi, masks, jewelry and ornate golden tomb objects will be on display — most of which have never left Egypt before.

Ramses the Great was the third king of the 19th dynasty of ancient Egypt and reigned from 1279 to 1190 BCE, the second longest reign in Egyptian history. He erected more monuments and statues than any other pharaoh and is considered the “height” of Egypt’s power and glory.

The troves of work and art come from royal tombs of the 12th dynasty, about 600 to 700 years before Ramses II and of the 21st and 22nd dynasties, about 200 to 300 years after him.

Thomas P. Campbell, director and CEO of the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco said these “rarely seen” treasures are on an international tour and will soon return to Egyptian museums and they will likely not travel again for decades. The exhibition is currently on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science until June 19.

“Ramses II is considered to be the greatest king ever to rule Egypt,” says Egypt’s secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Dr Mostafa Waziri. “This exhibition will illuminate the pivotal moments that earned the great pharaoh his place in history, while bringing visitors face-to-face with absolutely stunning Egyptian artifacts.”

Although treasures from Ramses the Great’s tomb in the Valley of Kings will not be present, as it was plundered in ancient times, the exhibition makes use of artifacts from other royal tombs like archaeological sites Dahshur and Tanis.

On view for the first time, the grand installation also includes newly discovered animal mummies like small cats, lion cubs and a mongoose from the Saqqara necropolis.

Drone photography, immersive video, multimedia production and photomurals re-create the life and accomplishments of Ramses the Great, including his monumental building projects and triumph at the Battle of Kadesh against the Hittite Empire.

The exhibition offers a virtual reality component called “Ramses and Nefertari: Journey to Osiris,” which will be installed in the museum’s Piazzoni Murals Room and available for an extra charge.

“Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs” is one of the most remarkable exhibitions to ever tour the globe, and it is a true honor for it to visit the great city of San Francisco and the de Young museum. We encourage patrons from across the region, and the country, to make it a point to come and see this splendid display,” Waziri said.

The new de Young exhibition follows the popular “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs” display back in 2009, which featured over 130 objects from the tomb of King Tut. Tut reigned in the 18th Egyptian dynasty and Ramses the Great followed directly after.

Tickets go on sale July 6, but museum members can purchase as early as June 22. For more information, visit https://deyoung.famsf.org/.

The show, which opens Aug. 20 and runs through Feb. 12, is the first new exhibition dedicated to Egyptian ruler Ramses II in 30 years and is the first to be presented in San Francisco. Tickets go on sale for museum members June 22, with tickets made available to the general public starting July 6.

“ ‘Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs’ reveals the power and splendor of ancient Egypt, and expands on the history conveyed within our own ancient art collections,” FAMSF Director and CEO Thomas P. Campbell said in a statement. “Once the exhibition completes its international tour, these objects will return to Egyptian museums and will likely not travel again for decades.”

Although Ramses’ tomb in the Valley of the Kings was plundered during ancient times, the exhibition is able to make use of artifacts from other royal tombs including ones in Dahshur and Tanis to suggest the kind of pieces that would have been included in Ramses’ burial. The exhibition is slated to showcase more than 180 objects including jewelry, royal statuary, artworks, precious gold and silver items, sarcophagi and masks, many of which are newly discovered and have never left Egypt.

Recently discovered animal mummies from the Saqqara necropolis will also be on view for the first time, among them small cats, lion cubs and a mongoose.

Renée Dreyfus, the newly endowed George and Judy Marcus Distinguished Curator, and curator in charge of ancient art at FAMSF, called the pieces part of an unrivaled trove and “jumped at the chance to have the museum acquire the exhibition.”

“Ramses the Great is regarded as as the most celebrated and most powerful pharaoh of the new kingdom,” said Dreyfus, who has worked for the museums for 45 years. “That was Egypt’s golden age, and that meant that he was overseeing a very wealthy and powerful empire. The exquisite sculpture and the great architecture, the monumental temples that he built to himself and to the gods, were meant for the ages.”

“Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs” comes to San Francisco in partnership with the Supreme Council of Antiquities of the Arab Republic of Egypt and is produced by World Heritage Exhibitions, a subsidiary of Cityneon Holdings.

Ramses II, the third pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt, was considered a distinguished military leader with his many campaigns across the African continent. He’s renowned for his large-scale building projects, which included the Ramesseum temple complex at Qurna, the Abu Simbel temple complex near the Egypt-Sudan border, and a series of monuments to himself built across Sudan’s Nubian region. He also has the distinction of being one of the longest-ruling kings of Egypt, with a 67-year reign.

In popular culture, he is thought to be the ruler depicted in the Old Testament story of Moses and the Israelites’ exodus from slavery in Egypt.

In addition to the artifacts, Dreyfus notes the exhibition’s use of technology. Drone photography, immersive video and photo murals will be utilized to show Ramses’ epic building projects and illustrate the story of his triumph at the chariot Battle of Kadesh. A virtual reality component, “Ramses and Nefertari: Journey to Osiris,” will also be installed in the museum’s Piazzoni Murals Room (viewable for an additional charge) and includes cinematic motion chairs that take visitors through the Abu Simbel and Nefertari’s Tomb monuments.

“How are you going to show the scale of the monuments and the bigger-than-life image that Ramses presented?” Dreyfus asked. “You do that with photo blowups, videos and multimedia presentations.”

“Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs” 9:30 a.m.-5:15 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. Opens Aug. 20. On view through Feb. 12. $20-$40. Additional charge for “Ramses and Nefertari: Journey to Osiris” to be announced. De Young Museum, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, S.F. 415-750-3600. deyoung.famsf.org

Among the opportunities it could opt for is the acquisition of additional intellectual properties (IPs) in both the global blockbuster and original artefact categories, Tan said. Bolt-on targets could also include companies that can help strengthen its ability to create an immersive experience.

The acquisitions of additional IPs, as well as more events backed by a growing number of exhibition sets, will require an estimated capital expenditure of USD 100m in 2023. This means the company will need to explore debt and equity funding options, in both the private and public markets, to shore up its balance sheet to support its growth plans, Tan said.

According to two sources familiar with the matter, Cityneon is exploring a re-listing on Singapore Exchange (SGX).It has discussed with investment banks, including Morgan Stanley, about the potential re-listing, which may take place in 2H23, the first source said.

Morgan Stanley did not respond to requests for comment.

An IPO is part of the company’s growth journey, but not a destination, Tan said. What Cityneon needs to do is to stay IPO-ready so that it can seize the window of opportunity, the executive said. Advisors have approached Cityneon with proposals, and Hong Kong, Singapore and the US are on Cityneon’s radar, but the company has no fixed timeline yet for a re-listing exercise, he added.

There are also alternative sources of funding in the private market despite the volatility in public markets, the CEO noted.

Cityneon launched a private placement round in 4Q20 that may pave the way for a re-listing in Hong Kong as Johnson Ko – its major shareholder – is an experienced financier there, Mergermarket
reported in December2020.

It subsequently announced the closing of the SGD 235m (USD 169m) funding round in April 2021 from existing and new investors, including EDBI, Pavilion Capital, Doha Venture Capital and Seatown Holdings. EDBI is the investment arm of Singapore’s Economic Development Board, while Pavilion Capital and Seatown Holdings are backed by Singapore’s state investor Temasek.

That funding round valued Cityneon at over SGD 1bn, Tan said. It has since acquired additional studio IPs, diversified into original artefact IP vertical and expanded into new locations such as Qatar and China’s Wuxi.

Cityneon was taken private in 1Q19 through an SGD 318m offer by a consortium led by Ko and Tan. Later in the same year, it received investments from China-based private equity firm CITIC Capital, EDBI and Pavilion Capital.

IP Management

Cityneon used to focus on interior architecture and conventional exhibition operations, but it has transformed itself as an IP management business via a number of acquisitions.

Through its subsidiary, Victory Hill Exhibitions, which the company acquired in 2015, Cityneon has secured multi-year licensing rights for immersive walk-through events based on films such as Marvel’s Avengers, Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games, Hasbro’s Transformers, and Warner Bros’ DC Comics and Wizarding World.

During the pandemic, it made its foray into historical artefacts IP exhibitions via its subsidiary, World Heritage Exhibitions, which it acquired in 2021. One example of its diversification into this category is the debut of the Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru in Florida in October 2021 to include around 200 rare artefacts, with support from the Peruvian government, Tan said.

The company also announced the acquisition of Tennessee-based animatronic and interactive character creator Animax Designs in January 2020. Animax makes the dinosaurs in Cityneon’s Jurassic World: The Exhibition touring sets, Tan said.

The company currently has a total of 12 movie studio and historical artefact IP partnerships and it will likely announce two additional artefact IPs later this year, he added.

While the company can only take the original set of historical artefacts on a global tour, it can create multiple exhibition sets of each studio IP for exhibitions across different locations concurrently, the executive said. This year, the company is expected to have a total of 17 such exhibition sets, and by 2023, the number is expected to increase to 25 or more, with each set being able to support two to three events in a year, he said.

Diverse Geographic Presence

Since its privatization, Cityneon has been operating mostly in a pandemic environment, but its global reach has helped it withstand the COVID-19 disruptions, Tan said.

In 2020, the Chinese market bounced back quickly from the health crisis and Cityneon managed to remotely reopen its Jurassic World: The Exhibition in Chengdu in July 2020, and thereafter in other parts of China. This helped cushion the impact from disruptions elsewhere, Tan said.

This year as China battles a new wave of COVID-19 infections, the company has sent most of the exhibition sets in China to Tokyo, London and other locations, while the Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. exhibition, which opened in southern China’s Sanya late last year, is still ongoing.

Cityneon is able to weather the storm also because of its lower cost base, Tan said. While the company needs to invest in exhibition sets, the unit cost has declined thanks to the economies of scale. Besides, it does not take the execution risks in most of the events and instead work with local partners such as media and real estate companies. These partners take care of the venue, logistics, marketing and other matters while paying an upfront fee to and sharing the ticket sales with Cityneon, Tan explained.

In April this year, the company recorded its best-performing month, driven by the pent-up demand and the easing of COVID restrictions in various markets. In Paris, where the Machu Picchu exhibition was launched a month ago, it has already recorded close to 100,000 visitors, he added.

Today, the company generates 70% of its revenue from ticket sales and the rest from ancillary areas including virtual reality (VR) experience, merchandises, photographs and sponsorships, Tan said.

As an example of VR experience, visitors to the Machu Picchu exhibition can pay extra fees for a virtual walk-through of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is enabled by the VR motion chairs that are equipped with multi-sensory stimulation features, and the visual data of the site was gathered by the company using drones, the executive said.

*This article was first published by Mergermarket.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe continues with
MARVEL AVENGERS STATION: EVOLUTION

Cityneon Holdings, a global experience entertainment company, has announced an update to one of its most popular travelling IP experiences.

The firm has revealed that MARVEL AVENGERS STATION: EVOLUTION will premiere at Grandscape in The Colony, at Dallas this summer.

The original experience, MARVEL AVENGERS S.T.A.T.I.O.N., debuted in New York in July 2014 and has since been transported to 25 cities including Las Vegas, London and Paris, featuring in 13 countries around the world. It will soon be showcased to the Japanese audience in Tokyo.

A wider universe

Millions of fans have already experienced the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) with Cityneon’s immersive exhibition, which, for the first time, will be updated to reflect highlights from all four phases of the MCU. New series and films including Marvel Studios’ WandaVision, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Black Widow and more will be explored in the new MARVEL AVENGERS STATION: EVOLUTION experience.

Group CEO and chairman Ron Tan says: “This immersive Super Hero experience is going to be bigger and better. After impressing global audiences with our award-winning experience, MARVEL AVENGERS S.T.A.T.I.O.N., we are confident that we will delight even more visitors with this brand-new, upgraded Super Hero experience, MARVEL AVENGERS STATION: EVOLUTION, coming to our friends in Dallas this summer.”

Paquin Entertainment Group producer Justin Paquin adds: “We are thrilled to launch the World Premiere in Dallas where families will be amazed and entertained as they are immersed in an experience that is unlike anything they have done before.”

An original experience

The refreshed exhibition will consist of seven sections for guests to experience through an MCU-inspired high-energy facility.

Visitors will be able to examine and interact with popular characters, weapons, vehicles and technologies from the Avengers series. Other experiences developed by Cityneon include real-world science exhibits, and experience interactive challenges and simulations. In addition, guests will be able to get up-close with original costumes and props, located in the fictional environments where the epic stories take place.

More information on MARVEL AVENGERS STATION: EVOLUTION, which debuts in Texas, can be found on the official website.

Earlier this month Cityneon announced Avatar: The Experience, set to open at Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay to coincide with the upcoming film sequel.

MARVEL AVENGERS S.T.A.T.I.O.N., which made its debut in New York in July 2014, and has showcased the Avengers worldwide in 25 cities (13 countries) including Paris, London, Las Vegas and soon Tokyo, has attracted millions of fans by allowing them to experience the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) through an immersive exhibition. Now, this experience has been updated to reflect key moments from all four phases of the MCU, including Marvel Studios’ WandaVision, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Black Widow and more.

“This immersive superhero experience is going to be bigger and better,” says Ron Tan, Executive Chairman and Group CEO of Cityneon Holdings. “After impressing global audiences with our award-winning experience, MARVEL AVENGERS S.T.A.T.I.O.N., we are confident that we will delight even more visitors with this brand-new, upgraded superhero experience, MARVEL AVENGERS STATION: EVOLUTION, coming to our friends in Dallas this summer.”

Justin Paquin, Producer, Paquin Entertainment Group, also shared, “We are thrilled to launch the World Premiere in Dallas where families will be amazed and entertained as they are immersed in an experience that is unlike anything they have done before.”

The exhibition consists of seven segments where guests will experience the MCU in a journey through this high-energy facility. Here, they can explore characters, discover the weapons, vehicles and technologies of the Avengers, learn real-world science, and experience interactive challenges and simulations. In addition, guests will get an up-close look at original costumes, props and film footage straight from the big screen while surrounded by the landscapes and worlds where these stories take place.

Marvel Studios’ Iron Man was released in 2008 and lead the way for the next 22 films that culminated in Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame in 2019.

“This immersive superhero experience is going to be bigger and better,” says Ron Tan, Executive Chairman and Group CEO of Cityneon Holdings in a news release. “After impressing global audiences with our award-winning experience, Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N., we are confident that we will delight even more visitors with this brand-new, upgraded super hero experience, Marvel Avengers Station: Evolution, coming to our friends in Dallas this summer.”

Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. made its debut in New York in July 2014 and has showcased the Avengers worldwide in 13 countries and 25 cities including Paris, London, and Las Vegas. The exhibit has attracted millions of fans by allowing them to experience the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) through the exhibit, according to a news release. For the first time, the experience will reflect key moments from all four phases of the MCU, including WandaVision, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Black Widow and more.

The exhibit will have seven segments that guests can journey though the “high-energy facility.” Guests can explore their favorite characters, discover weapons, vehicles and technologies of the Avengers, learn inspiring real-world science and interactive challenges and simulations. Fans will get the chance to see original costumes, props, and film footage while being surrounded by the landscapes and worlds where the stories took place.

“We are thrilled to launch the world premiere in Dallas where families will be amazed and entertained as they are immersed in an experience that is unlike anything they have done before,” Justin Paquin, Paquin Entertainment Group producer, said in the release.

Tickets aren’t on sale yet, but fans can register for pre-sale access at their website.

Cityneon Holdings, a global experience entertainment company, has announced a new film IP-based experience that will open to guests later this year in Singapore.

Debuting at Gardens by the Bay’s Cloud Forest, Avatar: The Experience is a new immersive walkthrough event based on the hit film. The unique AVATAR attraction will be the result of a collaboration between Cityneon Holdings, Disney Location-Based Experiences, and James Cameron and Jon Landau’s Lightstorm Entertainment.

Top-grossing film

Executive chairman and group CEO for Cityneon, Ron Tan, says: “It is an honour to present Avatar: The Experience with the support of the Singapore Tourism Board and Gardens by the Bay. We are excited to contribute to the inspiring creative culture of Singapore.

“The iconic Cloud Forest at Gardens by the Bay, one of Asia’s most popular horticultural attractions, becomes the perfect scenic location. We look forward to welcoming guests to this carefully-curated event.”

Kathy Franklin, Lightstorm Entertainment’s president of franchise development adds: “The opening of Avatar: The Experience in Singapore is a unique opportunity to continue expanding the global reach and impact of AVATAR, the highest-grossing film of all time. As the first of our four AVATAR sequels comes to theatres this December, this is the perfect time – and the perfect place – to explore and celebrate the wonders of Pandora in an all-new way.”

“A unique opportunity”

The new experience will be found at Cloud Forest, known for its iconic waterfalls, spiralling pathways and a soaring contemporary greenhouse.

Gardens by the Bay CEO Felix Loh says: “Over the years, Gardens by the Bay has emerged as a foremost icon for Singapore. Many visitors associate the aesthetic of Gardens by the Bay with the stunning environments from the film AVATAR. Even more remarkable is the shared appreciation for the natural world that surrounds us. This collaborative opportunity serves as a one-of-a-kind event and adds to the significance of our 10th-anniversary celebrations.”

Avatar: The Experience will invite visitors to connect with the alien world of Pandora. Guests will discover its bioluminescent environments with a selection of mystical creatures and flora, whilst discovering the culture of its indigenous people, the Na’vi.

Ashlynn Loo of the Singapore Tourist Board says the organisation is thrilled that Singapore will be the debut venue for Avatar: The Experience: “As we prepare to welcome more visitors, such innovative and immersive experiences are a timely addition to our calendar of vibrant leisure events and reinforce our destination attractiveness.

“The experience also demonstrates the industry’s confidence in Singapore’s strong fundamentals as a leisure destination and is testament to our exemplary track record in delivering high-quality experiences.”

Further details about the experience will be released soon. More information will be found in the coming months on the official Avatar: The Experience website.

Cityneon was recently awarded by the Advanced Imaging Society for its work on Machu Picchu and the Spirit of the Condor, which was given the “Best Use of VR” accolade.

Ron Tan, Cityneon’s Executive Chairman and Group CEO, says: “It’s an honour to present Avatar: The Experience with the support of the Singapore Tourism Board and Gardens by the Bay. We are excited to contribute to the inspiring creative culture of Singapore. The iconic Cloud Forest at Gardens by the Bay, one of Asia’s most popular horticultural attractions, becomes the perfect scenic location. We look forward to welcoming guests to this carefully curated event.”

“The opening of Avatar: The Experience in Singapore is a unique opportunity to continue expanding the global reach and impact of AVATAR, the highest-grossing film of all time,” says Lightstorm Entertainment’s President of Franchise Development, Kathy Franklin. “As the first of our four AVATAR sequels comes to theatres this December, this is the perfect time – and the perfect place – to explore and celebrate the wonders of Pandora in an all-new way.”

Set at Cloud Forest with its iconic waterfalls, spiralling walkways and a unique architectural glass greenhouse, Avatar: The Experience invites guests to connect with the alien world of Pandora, its bioluminescent environments, mystical creatures, flora, and the captivating culture of its indigenous people, the Na’vi.

Additional details will be announced soon. Sign up to be the first to know by visiting www.AvatarTheExperience.com

Cityneon has won a Lumiere Award for its Machu Picchu and the Spirit of the Condor virtual reality (VR) experience.

Winning in the category for ‘Best Use of VR’, the company was honoured at an awards ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, California, US, alongside Expo Dubai Xplorer, which won ‘Best Use of AR’ and Netflix’s Squid Game, which scooped the award for ‘Best Episodic – Live Action’.

Disney and Disney Plus were also honoured in the ceremony, winning awards for WandaVision, Encanto and The Beatles: Get Back.

Founded by the Advanced Imaging Society in 2010, the Lumiere Awards recognise outstanding achievement in immersive storytelling using advanced visual technologies such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), artificial intelligence (AI) and real-time rendering.

“This award not only recognises the wonderful potential of VR in capturing the world around us, but it’s also a testament to Cityneon’s expertise in innovative technologies that empowers the Group to bring immersive entertainment to a whole new level,” said Ron Tan, Cityneon’s executive chairman and Group CEO.

Described as the first-ever virtual showcase of Machu Picchu, the one-of-a-kind walk-through experience takes guests through more than 5,000 years of Peruvian history and features patented VR motion chairs equipped with multi-sensory effects including six-degrees of freedom (6-DOF) VR headsets, haptic feedback, scent dispensers and unlimited 360-degree rotation.

The experience forms part of Cityneon’s travelling Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru exhibition, which first opened at the Boca Raton Museum of Art in Florida, US, in October 2021 and will soon reopen at the Palais de Chaillot in Paris, France.

The project was supported by the Peruvian Government and Ministry for Culture, who permitted Cityneon, who also created Jurassic World: The Exhibition, to fly drones through the Unesco World Heritage site to capture cinematic and visual assets for the experience. The Museo Larco, Inkaterra Asociación and World Heritage Exhibitions also lent their support to the project.

Cityneon Holdings, a global experience entertainment company, is celebrating winning a prestigious award for its VR work exploring the heritage of the iconic South American monument.

The Advanced Imaging Society, the creator of the Lumiere Awards, was founded by professionals from major Hollywood studios and tech companies in 2009. Its aim is to advance the creative art and technology sectors.

With this year’s theme of “Larger Than Life”, the Society honoured twenty-one projects which each displayed an “outstanding international achievement in the creation of immersive storytelling using advanced visual technologies”.

Bringing history to life

Cityneon’s VR experience Machu Picchu and the Spirit of the Condor was awarded the accolade of “Best Use of VR”. The adventure features what Cityneon describes as the first-ever virtual showcase of Machu Picchu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The fully-immersive media is enhanced with patented VR motion chairs, equipped with premium multi-sensory features including high-res six degrees of freedom (6-DOF) VR headsets and backseat haptic feedback. Further enhanced by scent dispensers and unlimited 360-degree rotation, this VR experience forms just one component of Cityneon’s original artefact IP experience, Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru.

Just last October, Cityneon held the world premiere of its first artefact IP experience, debuting Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru at the Boca Raton Museum of Art in Florida. The exhibition will soon be travelling to Palais de Chaillot in Paris on 16 April 2022.

Group CEO and executive chairman, Ron Tan, says: “We are ecstatic to receive this prestigious award.

“This award not only recognises the wonderful potential of virtual reality in capturing the world around us, but it is also a testament to Cityneon’s expertise in innovative technologies that empowers the Group to bring immersive entertainment to a whole new level.”

Other accolade winners included the Korean Netflix series Squid Game, Disney’s animated musical hit Encanto, Disney+ series WandaVision, and Sony/Marvel’s box office success Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Upcoming premieres

Cityneon has established successful partnerships with global brands and license owners such as Hasbro, Universal and The Walt Disney Company, with further experiences set to debut in the coming years.

Making its debut in Tokyo, Japan, the new Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. experience will also be debuting this year at the Mori Arts Center Gallery in April, followed by the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art in June.

Cityneon has also recently announced two all-new global touring themed art experiences inspired by DC Comics and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, scheduled to launch in 2023 through a new partnership with Warner Bros. Themed Entertainment.

Cityneon Holdings recently entered into an agreement for a new research and development facility for its fully-owned subsidiary company Animax, with the Wuxi Jingkai Government.

• Discover the science of Jurassic World
• Meet the most adorable baby dinos
• Getup-close and personal with velociraptors
• Come face to face with life-size dinosaurs

JURASSIC WORLD: THE EXHIBITION is an immersive 20,000-square-foot experience based on one of the biggest blockbusters in cinema history. Visitors will walk through the world-famous “Jurassic World” gates, encounter life-sized dinosaurs, and explore richly themed environments. Guests will have an up-close look at a Velociraptor, stand in awe under a towering Brachiosaurus, and encounter the most fearsome of them all, the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex. Guests will be able to imagine what it would have been like to roam among these breathtaking creatures and even interact with new baby dinosaurs, including “Bumpy” from the popular animated series Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous. (Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous is produced by Universal, DreamWorks Animation and Amblin Entertainment, and is currently streaming on Netflix.)

We had a chance to check out JURASSIC WORLD: THE EXHIBITION, and to say that I was impressed was a bit of an understatement. If your family enjoys the Jurassic Park movies, you will love JURASSIC WORLD: THE EXHIBITION. If you are like my kids when they were little… OBSESSED with dinosaurs… JURASSIC WORLD: THE EXHIBITION is a definite must-see. Honestly, even if dinosaurs don’t float your boat, you will enjoy JURASSIC WORLD: THE EXHIBITION. It’s magical.

FIVE REASONS WE LOVED JURASSIC WORLD: THE EXHIBITION

Everything is so realistic.
From the “sets” to the story line to the characters to the dinosaurs themselves, it was easy to feel as if you were actually inside of JURASSIC WORLD.

JURASSIC WORLD: THE EXHIBITION is like a ride, a guided tour through different parts of the “park”.
Employees are in character, playing park rangers, scientists, dino wranglers, and even security… and quite honestly, it was easy to forget that it was all an act.

Selfie stations are located throughout JURASSIC WORLD: THE EXHIBITION.
Use your QR code card to launch the camera, and JURASSIC WORLD: THE EXHIBITION will grab a photo that will be uploaded onto your own mini photo site. You can download as many as you would like for free.

Whether you go to look or learn, you will have an amazing time.
There were quite a few “knowledge boards”, as I called them, that offered a ton of information about specific dinosaurs, features of the park, and even what a carnivore vs herbivore’s poop looks like. You have the option to go in depth, or just enjoy the feast for your eyes. Either way, you are going to have a blast.

JURASSIC WORLD: THE EXHIBITION is just like the movies!
We prepared our 11 year old for the event by watching Jurassic Park as a family before we went. He loved seeing things from the movie brought to life, and I have to admit, I thought it was pretty cool myself.

There are multiple rooms where you can become Ironman, learn what turned Steve Rogers into the first Avenger- Captain America, see where Bruce Banner transformed into the Hulk and see if you can lift Thor’s hammer.

Do you have what it takes to become an Avenger? You can find out by completing your training at Yorkdale Mall until March 27th.

Additional opportunities include exclusive interviews with exhibition executives and show producers, as well as get your hands on B-Roll footage capturing some of the captivating experiences you’ll find inside.

Jurassic World: The Exhibition is an immersive 20,000-square foot experience based on one of the biggest blockbusters in cinema history. Guests will walk through the world famous Jurassic World gates, encounter life-sized dinosaurs, and explore richly themed environments.

Guests will have an up-close look at a Velociraptor, stand in awe under a towering Brachiosaurus, and encounter the most fearsome of them all, the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex. Guests will be able to imagine what it would have been like to roam among these breathtaking creatures and even interact with new baby dinosaurs, including “Bumpy” from the popular animated series Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous. Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous is produced by Universal, DreamWorks Animation and Amblin Entertainment, and is currently streaming on Netflix.

Based on one of the biggest blockbusters in history, the exhibition has arrived in the Mile High City.

DENVER — Life finds a way.

Colorado fans of the “Jurassic World” franchise will be able to experience the majesty of its dinosaurs for the first time in a new family-friendly show.

“Jurassic World: The Exhibition” opens in Denver on Friday, March 4, 2022, at the new Stockyards Event Center of the National Western Center.

An immersive 20,000-square-foot experience based on one of the biggest blockbusters in cinema history, “Jurassic World: The Exhibition” has become a global success with more than three million visitors since 2016.

Exhibition visitors walk through the world-famous Jurassic World gates, encounter life-sized dinosaurs and explore richly themed environments.

“Guests will have an up-close look at a velociraptor, stand in awe under a towering brachiosaurus, and encounter the most fearsome of them all, the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex,” said organizers.

Attendees can also interact with baby dinosaurs, including “Bumpy” from the Netflix animated series “Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous.”

Tickets for the Denver run of “Jurassic World: The Exhibition” are on sale now at JurassicWorldExhibition.com. The show will be in Denver through at least Labor Day.

“What excites us about Jurassic World: The Exhibition is the opportunity to give fans a real-world, immersive experience based on the amazing adventures of the films and delivered to a location near them,” said Michael Silver, Universal Parks & Resorts’ president of global business development. “Visitors will come face-to-face with life-sized dinosaurs and walk through richly themed environments, all inspired by the beloved global franchise.”

Jurassic World: The Exhibition

“Jurassic World: The Exhibition features cutting-edge, state-of-the-art technology that is powered by Animax Designs, our animatronics powerhouse located in the U.S.,” said Ron Tan, Cityneon’s executive chairman and group CEO. “This immersive exhibition is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience that our friends in Denver can look forward to. With sold-out shows in Dallas since its opening there in June 2021, we are confident that our fans in Denver will be wowed by this exhilarating experience.”

“After record breaking sales in Dallas, we are incredibly excited to bring this show to Denver to share with our millions of fans,” said Stephen Shaw, founder and co-president of Round Room Live. “The ability to walk amongst these huge creatures will amaze and entertain fans with this breathtaking and truly immersive experience.”

Rarely seen, world-class museum artifacts and technological breakthroughs in virtual reality give visitors unparalleled access to one of the new 7 wonders of the world: Machu Picchu.

Artifacts on loan from Peruvian museums Museo Larco and Museo de Sitio Manuel Chávez Ballón won’t be in South Florida much longer. Many of these stunning 192 priceless artifacts are from royal tombs, including spectacular objects that belonged to noble Andean lords, and have never-been-seen before out of Peru.

In this enthralling immersive experience, guests are able to unravel the mysteries of Andean cosmology and admire the sophistication of Andean artists while sounds of roaring jaguars, screaming macaws, and torrential rainfall surround them.

Visitors have marveled at the feats of engineering that sheltered a truly spiritual civilization and the ornate riches they once cherished. Nestled in a cloud forest, the Incas created an empire of architectural prowess and astounding riches, protected by the towering peaks of the Andes, unseen from below.

Rivaled only by Ancient Egypt in longevity and by the Roman Empire in engineering, Andean societies dominated a substantial segment of South America for over 3,000 years.

A special VR expedition of Machu Picchu takes this exhibition to the next level. Breathtaking virtual reality vistas of the mythical landmark, without any humans present, are a passageway for museum guests. Cinematic chairs enhance this VR experience with additional surprise effects that will even have you tasting the fresh mountain air of the Andes!

On the expedition, guests meet the city’s ancient inhabitants and experience some of its most iconic locations from the Temple of the Sun to the heights of Huayna Picchu. Cinematic chairs enhance this VR experience with additional surprise effects that will even have you tasting the fresh mountain air of the Andes!

Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru is only at the Boca Raton Museum until Sunday, March 6! Get your tickets while you still can! Tickets start at $19.95 and can be purchased through the museum’s website.

Don’t miss your chance to head on this incredible adventure to Machu Picchu – Book your tickets now!

Spears clash and arrows whiz through the air, their ricochets pulsing through the speakers in a dark room. Lions leaping mid-attack flash before transfixed museumgoers. Then the images change—a carved relief, a set of captives, a bombardment of troops. Suddenly, all three screens, including the large map stretched across a tilting triangular platform, fill with figures and enemy chariots swarming in time with the booming narration.

This dynamic recreation of the 1275 B.C.E. Battle of Kadesh, Ramses II’s greatest military achievement, is a feat of technology, its layered display creating an immersive experience without the use of 3-D glasses. The CGI spectacle marks one of several areas where ancient meets ultramodern in “Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs,” an internationally touring exhibition that made its world premiere at the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) in November. The show’s embrace of new tools—a trend that is becoming more and more prevalent in traveling exhibitions—is all in the name of giving visitors a richer Egyptology experience.

“Technology can make the exhibit and the objects a thrill, an adventure, a mystery … that takes you 3,000 years back to the time of the pharaohs,” says the exhibition’s curator, famed Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass.

Regarded by many as one of Egypt’s most powerful pharaohs, Ramses II, the third king of Egypt’s 19th Dynasty (roughly 1292 to 1190 B.C.E.), was also the country’s most recognizable ruler for centuries. He inspired English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley and was portrayed iconically by actor Yul Brynner in the 1956 film The Ten Commandments. His incredibly long reign spanned 67 years, from 1279 to 1213 B.C.E., according to Hawass, who previously scanned the pharaoh’s mummy. (Other sources place Ramses’ reign at 66 years.)

“We know things that Ramses left as official records of his reign, but then we have this much, much larger body of material of people who worked for the administration,” says Emily Teeter, an Egyptologist and associate of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. “We know about the men who were building the royal tombs. We know about the priests, about the craftsmen. It was this enormous bureaucracy.”

The son of Seti I, Ramses earned the rank of army captain at age 10 and ascended to the throne as prince regent at age 14. Almost immediately, he found himself facing the Hittite army (of what is now modern Turkey) in the Battle of Kadesh. How much of Ramses’ battle heroics and ensuing victory was embellished by the pharaoh is still debated today, but scholars agree that his peace treaty with the Hittites in 1259 B.C.E. was the earliest known.

In addition to military conquests, Ramses’ accomplishments include one of the most expansive building campaigns in ancient Egyptian history, made possible partly by the economic wealth accumulated during his reign, says Teeter. “He has a lot of buildings all over Egypt: temples, tombs, statues, obelisks,” adds Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, which consulted in the creation of the Ramses touring exhibition.

Pillars of Ramses’ reign include the rock-cut Abu Simbel temples in Nubia, which honored the sun gods and memorialized his beloved queen Nefertari after her untimely death; Nefertari’s highly decorated tomb in the Valley of the Queens; and the pharaoh’s own funerary temple, Ramesseum. As Egyptologists have recently acknowledged, Ramses also usurped many existing monuments—another point of note in the exhibition. Some scholars, including Teeter, say these seizures were meant to add weight to the creations rather than delegitimize the previous builders’ work.

“He remains this byword word for pharaonic bigness even to this day,” says Tom Hardwick, consulting curator for HMNS’ Hall of Ancient Egypt.

While plenty of the 181 artifacts on loan from the Egyptian government have connections to the great pharaoh, others—including intricate jewelry dated to the Middle Kingdom (1980 to 1630 B.C.E.) and a recently discovered trove of mummified animals found at the Saqqara necropolis, near modern-day Cairo—highlight the breadth of Egyptian culture beyond Ramses’ shadow. Some of the pieces appeared in a global 1980s Ramses tour prompted by the royal mummy’s examination in Paris the previous decade, says Waziri, but other artifacts hadn’t left the country prior to this newest exhibition. (“Ramses” is set to travel to nine other cities before it wraps its world tour in 2025. Dates and locations are still to be announced.)

The show’s organizers, HMNS and World Heritage Exhibitions (WHE), weave a multifaceted narrative. An introductory video relays basic information about Ramses. Then a doorway opens, offering visitors a glimpse of the first artifact on display: a 7.5-foot-tall, red granite statue of the pharaoh’s head that stands at the back of a corridor adorned with panoramic night shots of the Nile River. The exhibition unfolds similarly across its 12 rooms, which detail different aspects of Ramses’ life, including his roles as a builder, religious leader and warrior. Objects are placed alongside interactive elements, including video timelines and scale models.

Treasures like Ramses’ gold ring and painted reliefs of his conquests speak directly to his rule. Artifacts dated to before or after the pharaoh’s reign—including the inner coffin lid of 21st-dynasty high priest Pinedjem I, which was later stripped of its gilding, possibly by grave robbers, possibly by official decree—provide further context on ancient Egyptian life. (Ramses’ tomb was similarly ransacked, with his bones found in a wooden coffin plundered of its gold adornments.)

The show mostly uses video sequences that provide additional context: for instance, highlighting and translating the hieroglyphics on an obelisk, offering 360-degree views of a digitized artifact next to the actual static object, and arranging statue fragments to present viewers with a sense of how the artwork might have once looked.

Of course, video isn’t always as simple as it appears. The Ramses exhibition’s Battle of Kadesh sequence, which took more than six months to create, utilizes everything from projection mapping and see-through LCD monitors to 3-D assets, according to WHE president Anthony Tann. Drone footage of Ramesseum and Abu Simbel use a kind of CGI rendering to reconstruct how the feats of architecture might have appeared in their original splendor. Bright coats of ruby, ocher, emerald and turquoise paint highlight the chiseled images bedecking the temples’ walls, providing a striking juxtaposition to the faded hieroglyphics of today.

“Watching an archaeological site transform into what it was in the past is very engaging, and it really sparks people’s imagination,” says Tann. “So, as they walk through the exhibit and they look at other artifacts, it engages their imagination to think, ‘Well, what did that look like?’

The museum also leveraged new technology in its recent renovation of its Hall of Ancient Egypt: A projected CT scan reveals surprises hidden beneath a mummy’s wrappings, while a video screen shows millennia of deterioration at Abu Simnel compressed into just three minutes. Before viewers’ eyes, one of the grand statues in the temple’s facade crumbles and collapses; paint fades until only sandstone remains.

“Educators and researchers know different people learn in different ways,” says HMNS president and CEO Joel Bartsch, who was involved in both the touring exhibition and the local remodel. “So, I’m unapologetically happy to show the animations, the videos … as long as the foundation of [the visitor] experience is grounded in the actual objects.”

Set just outside the main exhibition for an additional cost of $22, visitors can take a virtual reality tour of Abu Simbel and the Tomb of Nefertari, led by the spirit of the pharaoh’s beloved queen herself. Part educational tool and part thrill ride, with a dash of narrative flair and the aroma of incense, the immersive experience acts like “a theme park ride inside an exhibition,” says Tann.

His team created the tour by stitching together thousands of photos in a 3-D video game engine—a process known as photogrammetry. Of course, bringing a Hollywood-style experience into the museum setting brings its own set of blockbuster-style flaws, from a convoluted plot that tries to please everyone to a seemingly whitewashed Nefertari (a longstanding issue in popular depictions of ancient Egypt).

The exhibition’s best moments, like a room devoted to the grave of royal tomb builder Sennedjem, incorporate the subtlest technology. “In good hands, [the technology isn’t] distracting from the objects, which are part of the museum’s mission,” says Hardwick. “They’re adding to them. It’s [context that] I, as someone who’s spent far too long studying Egypt, take for granted.”

Hawass, who previously served as Egypt’s minister of state for antiquities, is currently leading what he describes as “the largest excavation to ever happen” inside Ramses’ tomb. The work is slow, as the great pharaoh’s tomb was built in an area with poor quality stone that has, in recent years, suffered from extreme flooding. But the team has already begun restoring decorative panels depicting scenes from the funerary Book of Gates, among other religious texts. And Hawass theorizes that a recently uncovered tunnel in the tomb may lead to the burials of several of Ramses’ sons.

These discoveries could be just the beginning. “What you can see above the ground represents maybe 40 percent of what the land of Egypt hides,” says Waziri. “We have a lot of discoveries in Egypt. It happens almost every month.”

“Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs” is on view at the Houston Museum of Natural Science through May 23, 2022. The show will then travel to as-yet-undisclosed venues around the world.

The museum recently welcomed the world premiere of the “Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs” exhibition set to run through May.

The exhibition is the largest collection of Ramses II original artifacts from Ancient Egypt to have the approval to be shown outside the country in 32 years and includes 181 rare items as it explores the reign of Ramses II, according to the museum. Also known as Ramses the Great, the pharaoh ruled for 66 years and amassed one of the largest and richest burial chambers in ancient Egyptian history.

Houston Museum of Natural Science anthropology curator Dirk Van Tuerenhout said the exhibit offers a detailed account of life before, during and after the reign of Ramses II.

“The focus of the exhibit is Ramses II. The exhibit provides ample context to the importance of this pharaoh,” he said. “Visitors will also see artifacts from preceding and subsequent dynasties, clarifying what happened leading up to Ramses II and what came after his death.”

Van Tuerenhout went on to say the exhibition was of great importance and remains historically relevant.

“Living some 3,300 years ago, he (Ramses II) presided over one of the largest territorial expansions of the kingdom,” Van Tuerenhout said. “He reigned for a very long time, and that translated into the building of numerous structures throughout Egypt, and the commissioning of vast collections of art. Part of that heritage is on display in Houston.”

Van Tuerenout said Ramses II fought against the neighboring empire of the Hittites and that the conflict concluded in a peace treaty — the earliest known peace treaty in human history.

Momtaz Louka, who moved from Egypt to the U.S. in 1983, said he was impressed with the accuracy and details of the exhibit.

“We learned about Ramses II in our history class in elementary school and still consider him one of the greatest rulers of our country,” Louka said. “I think it’s great to show the public a part of ancient Egyptian history that most people are not familiar with.”

The exhibition also features an immersive virtual reality experience depicted in a whirlwind tour of arguably Ramses’ most impressive monuments — the temples of Abu Simbel and Nefertari’s Tomb, which Louka said was one of his favorite parts of the exhibit.

“The virtual reality tour was a new experience for me, and I couldn’t believe how real everything looked. The Abu Simbel temple is the only one in Egypt I haven’t been to, so it was a really great experience,” said Louka.

“Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs” is open through May 23. Admission is $20 for members, $35 for adults and $27 for children and seniors 60 and older.

For more information, visit www.hmns.org.

Located in Nashville, Tennessee, with over 30 years of industry experience, Animax is the creative robotic entertainment company that has been supporting the Group’s Intellectual Properties (“IP”) experiences in cities around the world. Animax also serves some of the largest operators in the world in themed entertainment, live attractions and location-based entertainment. As storytelling engineers, Animax brings its expertise and experience to design and build characters and multiple forms of entertainment robotics.

“We are pleased to support the development of the Animax R&D facility in the Jingkai District and we look forward to witnessing the endless possibilities that this venture will bring to Cityneon and to the city of Wuxi,” said Yang Jianping, Secretary of CPC Working Committee and Director of Administrative Committee of Wuxi Jingkai District.

Ron Tan, Executive Chairman & Group CEO of Cityneon said, “We are honored to work with Wuxi Jingkai Government to bring Animax to China. This new facility in China allows Animax to further expand its capabilities to be a world-class animatronics company that specializes in entertainment robotics, and it will also play a pivotal role in Cityneon’s strategic expansion of entertainment experiences globally.”

“Today marks an exciting milestone in the continued growth and development of Animax, with our first step toward a rapid expansion in Asia. The development and construction of the new China facility will be swift, and we look forward to this exciting next step in the globalization of Animax’s markets and capabilities,” said Steve Andersen, P.E., Vice President of Operations of Animax.

With the expansion of the middle-class population, rise in disposable income levels, and strong demands for themed entertainment, China remains one of the fastest-growing attractions market in the world. The available talent in China for the development and advancement of technology to meet the Group’s vision of the future of experience entertainment with state-of-the-art animatronics and entertainment robotics is also a key driver for Animax’s expansion in Asia.

Phase 1 of Animax’s R&D facility development in Wuxi is set to be completed by the end of 2022. Spanning more than 10,000 square meters (nearly 108,000 square feet), this new facility will continue to support the Group in delivering large-scale interactive experiences around the world by producing entertainment robotics and delivering immersive experiences globally.

Animax Designs is a specialist in the creation of animatronics and interactive characters with over three decades of industry experience.

The firm is a specialist in creative robotic entertainment and supports the Group’s IP experiences in venues around the globe, including some of the largest live attraction operators in the world, as well as themed and location‐based entertainment.

By engineering the art of storytelling, Animax uses its expertise to design and construct characters alongside multiple forms of entertainment robotics to delight millions of people each year.

“An exciting milestone”

Secretary of CPC Working Committee and director of the Administrative Committee of Wuxi Jingkai District said “We are pleased to support the development of the Animax R&D facility in the Jingkai District and we look forward to witnessing the endless possibilities that this venture will bring to Cityneon and to the city of Wuxi.”

Cityneon Holdings executive chairman and group CEO Ron Tan added “We are honoured to work with Wuxi Jingkai Government to bring Animax to China.

“This new facility in China allows Animax to further expand its capabilities to be a world-class animatronics company that specialises in entertainment robotics, and it will also play a pivotal role in Cityneon’s strategic expansion of entertainment experiences globally.”

Animax vice president of operations Steve Andersen, P.E., comments “Today marks an exciting milestone in the continued growth and development of Animax, with our first step toward a rapid expansion in Asia.

“The development and construction of the new China facility will be swift and we look forward to this exciting next step in the globalization of Animax’s markets and capabilities.”

Last month, Cityneon signed a development deal with Qatar Free Zones, which will see another new facility established in the Middle Eastern country.

Two brand new experiences will be created in a new collaboration with Warner Bros. Themed Entertainment. Described as “unique global touring themed art experiences”, the IP-based attractions are scheduled to open in two years, in as yet undisclosed locations.

Visitors will be able to discover their favourite DC Comics Superheroes or magical characters from The Wizarding World franchise in a whole new light. The travelling exhibitions will deliver immersive themed art environments for fans of the hit series.

Cityneon says the new experiences will combine cutting-edge technology with the latest advancements in media, and sound to construct a “truly sensorial” guest experience.

Creating unique experiences

Both Cityneon and Warner Bros. see great potential in the upcoming projects, which will deliver the brands to audiences from 2023.

Warner Bros. Themed Entertainment SVP Peter van Roden comments on the partnership:

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Cityneon on these two new cutting-edge immersive themed art experiences.

“Each of the new experiences will help us further continue to reach our DC and Wizarding World fans with fresh, innovative and immersive experiences where guests can interact with the franchises like never before.”

Cityneon Executive Chairman & Group CEO Ron Tan adds:

“We are excited to announce our partnership with Warner Bros. Themed Entertainment to deliver two unique experiences based on two of their most successful and globally acclaimed franchises, the DC Universe and the Wizarding World. This strategic relationship is a testament to our determination to scale greater heights in the arena of IP experiences.

“With Cityneon’s strong track record of delivering large-scale and innovative experiences globally, I am confident that the DC and Wizarding World experiences will be truly unique and immersive experiences that fans of all ages will enjoy.”

Earlier this month Cityneon Holdings announced it has signed an agreement with Qatar Free Zones to create a new facility featuring an R&D innovation lab and production workshop.

The strategic agreement was signed in Doha to create a facility that will cater to the company’s entertainment technology and experience clients, seeing market growth in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) zone.

The company, recently recognised as one of Singapore’s best-managed companies, will produce large‐scale experiences in Qatar as it has done globally, including its Jurassic World: The Movie Exhibition in Chengdu, China, and the Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. exhibition in Las Vegas.

New facility

Cityneon’s new 15,000 square metre facility will be constructed in the Ras Bufontas Free Zone, featuring an international experience and entertainment technology centre, an R&D innovation lab developing animatronics and robotics, and a production workshop.

The agreement documentation signatures were overseen by Qatar’s minister of state and GFZA chairman of QFZA H.E. Ahmad Al‐Sayed, Secretary‐General of Qatar’s National Tourism Council and Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive H.E. Akbar Al Baker, and Singapore’s Ambassador to Qatar H.E. Jai S Sohan.

Signees QFZA CEO Lim Meng Hui and Cityneon Middle East general manager Feroz Siddiqui are looking forward to the new partnership.

Meng Hui says “We are delighted to welcome Cityneon, a leading entertainment technology company that designs and manufactures equipment and robotics for the sector.

“Cityneon’s decision to open its first such facility in the Middle East at Qatar Free Zones is a testament to the strength of our offering and the exciting trajectory of the entertainment technology industry and the tourism sector in Qatar and across the region, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030. Qatar Free Zones provide an ideal environment for international and local companies with the skills and innovation to help build a better future.”

Siddiqui adds “With this new office we embark on our Middle Eastern journey in bringing cheer, joy, laughter and smiles to awe our audiences with our large, immersive and technologically advanced entertainment assets to the region.”

QFZA senior management was also in attendance, with Cityneon’s senior management team, including Ron Tan, Executive Chairman and Group CEO, joining virtually from Singapore.

Tan says, “We are pleased to be working closely with QFZA to fast‐track our expansion plans in the EMEA region, which is a strategic and important market for the company.

“We see immense potential for our IP business in this region and the strategic location of our new facility in Qatar will be pivotal in addressing the markets that we plan to serve, as well as for us to reach out to potential partners and collaborators for the Group.”

Earlier this autumn, Cityneon announced its latest interactive experience based on the popular Transformers IP in a collaboration with Victory Hill Exhibitions set to debut next year.

The exhibit features nearly 200 artifacts, which includes one of the most impressive collections of gold to ever tour the world.

The ancient people of Peru left a visual record for their world. A record that includes priceless artifacts, many used mostly in ceremonial rituals, that were preserved for thousands of years.

“Most of which found their final stage, in the burial of leaders, of priests, priestesses, kings, and queens,” said Museo Larco Director and exhibit co-curator Ulla Holmquist.

Visitors will be led through the immersive experience with the sights and sounds of ancient Peru.

“We have tried to make a script, that will allow the people to have an experience. To experience what we in the Andean region… the way people related to their territory, our ancestors, the way they lived and the way they created their world,” Holmquist told CBS12 News. “With this immersive experience, we are going into the Andean world, first presenting how the cosmovision developed.”

Visitors will walk through the displayed artifacts, which tell the story of how the ancient people modeled their world, how they related to the force of nature, animals, and the afterlife.

In a first of its kind, the exhibit features virtual reality that will place visitors in the heart of Machu Picchu – one of the 7 wonders of the world.

The exhibit runs through March 6.

An exhibition combining digital technology and precious relics

So who was the pharaoh that the exhibition is dedicated to? “Ramses II is considered to be the greatest king to ever rule Egypt,” Dr. Zahi Hawass, the former Egyptian minister of antiquities says.

Multimedia and digital technology features prominently in the exhibition, including drone footage showing some of Egypt’s most iconic locations. An HD projection screen shows panoramic views of the ancient sites, as well as an introduction into the life of Ramses and the discovery of his mummified remains in the 19th century.

The exhibition has 181 Egyptian artefacts and covers important points in Ramses’ reign. These include his military victories, such as a re-creation of Ramses’ triumph at the Battle of Kadesh, perhaps the largest chariot battle ever fought.

“Visitors will not only walk among priceless relics of the great pharaoh but also experience the sights and sounds of the time through a cutting-edge virtual reality experience,” said Ron Tan, CEO of Cityneon Holdings, one of the co-partners of the exhibition.

The story continues with the 1881 re-discovery of a mummy cache in a hidden tomb, where the body of Ramses was found amongst a number of long-lost royal mummies.

“It is vital that Egypt share our historic treasures in exhibitions such as this,” said Dr Mostafa Waziri, Egypt’s secretary-general of the supreme council of antiquities.

After a six-month run at Houston, the exhibition will transfer to San Francisco’s De Young Museum and then on to the Castle Hall in Massachusetts. From there, it will arrive in Paris and on then for London, before a final showing in Sydney for January 2025.

Life in times of Ramses the Great

Ramses II (c1303-1213 BCE) ruled during the 19^th dynasty of Egypt in the New Kingdom period. He was renowned for his building campaign of impressive cities, temples and monuments.

His military campaigns included in Syria, the Levant, Nubia and most notably for the Battle of Kadesh. The conflict is reportedly one of the earliest pitched battle in recorded history. It was the largest chariot battle ever fought, involving up to 6,000 chariots.

Ramses II lived a surprisingly long life for an ancient Egyptian, probably dying in his 90^th year. His mummy is well preserved, and we have an account from Gaston Maspero, who was the first to reveal the features of the great pharaoh.

He wrote: “on the temples there are a few sparse hairs, but at the poll the hair is quite thick, forming smooth, straight locks about five centimetres in length. White at the time of death, and possibly auburn during life, they have been dyed a light red by the spices (henna) used in embalming…the moustache and beard are thin.”

“The hairs are white, like those of the head and eyebrows…the skin is of earthy brown, splotched with black… the face of the mummy gives a fair idea of the face of the living king.”