National Geographic Adventure of Archaeology Exhibition

EddyW

Active member
Hey guys, I have a question. I was planning to visit the exhibition in Valencia before it left back to the USA. I checked the site a few times and I'm pretty sure the exhibition was meant to be there until somewhere in September, but now I found out it closed on July 29th. Did I read the closing date wrong or did it leave earlier than scheduled? I am so bummed!
 

Archaeos

Member
Hi Eddy,

just had drafted a long reply with background info on that, but then some unstability or forum time-out ate the entire text :mad: and am too tired to retype it all.

So just in short: yepp, you are 100% RIGHT, thing shut down 7 weeks ahead to move to CA, both you and me are screwed, no opp to see it in Europe. all very odd and bad practice from exhibitor and CAC, even though they had their reasons.

:mad: (n)
 

EddyW

Active member
Sorry to hear that I'm not the only one who missed it Archaeos. Do you know why they shut it down early? Not enough visitors? It's a real shame, I can't imagine it coming back to another european city...
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Archaeos said:
...So just in short: yepp, you are 100% RIGHT, thing shut down 7 weeks ahead to move to CA, both you and me are screwed, no opp to see it in Europe. all very odd and bad practice from exhibitor and CAC, even though they had their reasons.

:mad: (n)
What do you know about the reasons?:confused: Please share, if you can...My hope is that the exhibit will continue its original plan to travel around the globe.

The tour schedule thus far:

05 months: 2011/04/28 - 2011/09/18 Montreal, Canada
07 months: 2011/12/22 - 2012/07/29 Valencia, Spain (cut from 9 months - planned to run until: 2012/09/16)
06 months: 2012/10/12 - 2013/04/21 Santa Ana, U.S.A.
16 months: *FREE SPACE*
0? months: 2014/11/01 - 2015/.../.... Edmonton, Canada

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Love your choice of avatar, Archaeos.:) I think I saw that rock thing at the exhibition:

Exhibit_Sankara_5.jpg
 

Archaeos

Member
Stoo said:
What do you know about the reasons?:confused: Please share, if you can...My hope is that the exhibit will continue its original plan to travel around the globe.

The tour schedule thus far:

05 months: 2011/04/28 - 2011/09/18 Montreal, Canada
07 months: 2011/12/22 - 2012/07/29 Valencia, Spain (cut from 9 months - planned to run until: 2012/09/16)
06 months: 2012/10/12 - 2013/04/21 Santa Ana, U.S.A.
16 months: *FREE SPACE*
0? months: 2014/11/01 - 2015/.../.... Edmonton, Canada

I hear through the museal grapevine that ticket sales were well below expectations in the past quarter, and that in June/July, despite summer vacation season and projected tourism influx, the exhibition was virtually empty. It's open to debate to what extent that relates to the rather severe economic crisis in which the Valencia region of Spain finds itself right now, or if that has to do with the exhibition not being well marketed across Europe to attract more visitors (To be honest, I only heard of it stopping at CAC through The Raven, well, through you, Stoo, from before I reg'd here) or the Indy theme falling out of fashion (which I don't think so, because the V&A will have Indy's costume plastered all over London's ad-boards for their "Hollywood Costume" exhibition later this year.

I have not been on site and can't make a first-hand report, primarily because I wanted to have my visit combined with a work trip in September when returned from Turkey with Travelling Indy, but now that the exhibition has packed up, that won't happen :mad: :( .

It should be noted that the media statement for the new California leg was made on the 9 July (as posted by Attila earlier), and the CAC shut-down statement was made by them on the 12 July, a mere 16 days before it actually closed, and 3 days after CA was announced. (In my yesterday's post that cyberspace had swallowed, I had a link to the Spanish note in CAC's website. I have tried for the past 20 minutes now to find it on their website again, but I can't. This is as cursed as a Jackal)

I would say the exhibitors saw the opportunity for a more lucrative CA leg tied to the Blu-ray release, saw the underperformance in Valencia that I have heard about, and in order to ship the objects out and get the scenography up in Santa Ana in time, all stakeholders on both sides agreed that an earlier termination at CAC is favoured.

And Valencia Fashion Week events at CAC now starts on the 12 September already, and not on the 17 as previously (one day after NG Indy would have closed).


Stoo said:
Love your choice of avatar, Archaeos.:) I think I saw that rock thing at the exhibition:

Exhibit_Sankara_5.jpg

Some people are like just sooo ignorant. That ain't some rocks. These a magical eggs from Ankara that travelled to Sri Lanka via London Heathrow, but originate in California. Rocks... tse... :hat:

Awesome photo, Stoo. Makes me even more angry that I will have to wait for quite some time before the NG Indy might return to Europe... (I have no info on their schedule whatsoeva)
 

russds

New member
That is a bummer that it's moving on prematurely. I can't see any positive reason it would do that, most likely if it was popular and making money it would stay....oh well. I can't hide the fact i'm so excited for it to come to my neck of the woods. Getting tickets for me and my son asap! :) I'm starting now to build up the courage to snap picks like stoo did. :)
-Russ
 

Archaeos

Member
russds said:
I'm starting now to build up the courage to snap picks like stoo did. :)
-Russ

On that note a quick internal RavenLink to Grisu's visit to the exhibition, with full Facebook-hosted photosets HERE...
 

Grisu

New member
HI All

i was with a friend at the end of Mai in Valencia at the Exhibition. I was from one point of view happy to have the chance to go there and see it but to another disappointed how "simple" was the Exhibition and don't see the really used artifacts of the movie. Example "Golden Idol of Fertility"
Here the pictures that me and my friend makes

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3945700522465.174720.1278594125&type=3&l=abf60249a5

Enjoy and let me know what you think about

Rgeards
Grisu
www.indianadragone.ch
 

russds

New member
Great pics, I thought you had some really good pictures, and I'm not sure I understand what you mean about being disappointed by the artifacts that you saw, for example the golden idol, it looks like it was there, and shown and looked really good from the pics. Was it crowded?
 

russds

New member
Grisu said:
What i mean is that any artifacts was not the original used in the movie :(
I have hope to see any original

oh, that is disappointing. I was also under the impression they were original. I haven't read all the fine print, did you read somewhere that they were not actual props, but replicas?
 

Grisu

New member
russds

from my point of view, all the Exhibition was make cheap and very very simple without a good around feeling when you understand what i mean. An example that no all the showed prop was original was the Golden Idol of fertility. My colleague that comes with me has also this impression.

Anyway we had a good and interessant day but i have hope to see something make more professional.

Best Regards
Grisu
www.indianadragone.ch
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Grisu said:
I was from one point of view happy to have the chance to go there and see it but to another disappointed how "simple" was the Exhibition and don't see the really used artifacts of the movie. Example "Golden Idol of Fertility"

---
What i mean is that any artifacts was not the original used in the movie :(

---
from my point of view, all the Exhibition was make cheap and very very simple without a good around feeling when you understand what i mean. An example that no all the showed prop was original was the Golden Idol of fertility. My colleague that comes with me has also this impression.
Grisu, my Swiss friend, what are you talking about?:confused: Why do you say that the Golden Idol wasn't used in the movie?:confused: (It might be the prop that Harrison Ford carried during the escape scene, which could explain why its hair grooves in the back weren't fully painted in GOLD.)

Replicas:
Marion's cigar box was debunked as a replica by Rocket Surgeon...but most everything else at the exhibit LOOKED GENUINE (costumes & artwork). What non-original-props did you see, Grisu?:confused:

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@Archaeos: Great report...THANKS!:hat:
 

Grisu

New member
Stoo

many thanks for your reply. Pls don't understand me wrong. Me and my friend went there with some expectations after everything was done of show advertising and the media. We hoped to be honest to find "somewhat" different. I don't know if you was there or to another exhibition. I'm just saying what I felt hillside from what I've seen life. Not only I had that impression but also more visitors to the exhibition. The staff at that time there was, could not make also a clear statement of what maybe is real and what's replica. In any case the show was interesting and gave it also to look different things about archeology.

Regards
Grisu
www.indianadragone.ch
 

russds

New member
Grisu said:
The staff at that time there was, could not make also a clear statement of what maybe is real and what's replica.

Thanks Grisu for the information. This is interesting, does anyone know if it's been clarified if they are actual props or replicas?
 

Archaeos

Member
Grisu,

thanks for all the info - I think I can see what you mean. Unfortunately, I won't be able to see the exhibition for myself anytime soon.

Adding another question: how busy was the exhibition at the end of May when you were there with your friend? Packed, mi-mi, or did you and the security guards have the thing all for yourself ;) ?

AWESOME outfits of your and your friend's, by the way (y) !
Where you the only one's appropriately dressed?

Thanks for finding some spare time to reply to this.
 

Grisu

New member
Archeos

the exhibition was very less visit and the security people don't "search" really in the bag. That is the reason why my colleague and me was able to make so many pictures. Normally was not really allowed to makes any pictures ;) Thx for your compliment. Very appreciated. My colleagaue and me was the only that was dressed Indy style ;)

I think that's maybe a reason why the exhibition was interrupted in July instead December. To less visitors caused maybe from the "to simple" and "cheap" organized Exhibition?

I hope i answered your question. When not pls don't hesitate to ping me again
Always at your service

Regards
Grisu
www.indianadragone.ch
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Grisu said:
The staff at that time there was, could not make also a clear statement of what maybe is real and what's replica./url]
Of course not. The staff is hired by the science centre so they wouldn't know about the props.

You keep mentioning that you think the Fertility Idol was not real. Why? Could you please explain in more detail? (Don't forget that there were at least 3 of them in the film.)
 
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