31/03/2013 00:00
TW
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THE Shackleton Exhibition has been up and running for three days now in La Lonja in Palma.
It documents the legendary Antarctic expedition led by Sir Ernest Shackleton that began in August 1914 when he and his crew set out from Portsmouth to cross the southern continent on foot. It ended over two years later with a daring rescue mission after the collapse of their boat Endurance. The exhibition documents “one of the most incredible episodes of human survival ever”. It brings together the photography and film material of Frank Hurley, an Australian photographer.

Hurley´s photographs capture the dramatic and magnificent views of the ice sheets that constantly surrounded the boat Endurance, on which they sailed. They then proceed to show the boat´s destruction and the crew´s heroic struggle to survive. The photos in the exhibition are all accompanied by captions, many being actual quotations from the diaries of the boat's crew. These along with the photos paint a vivid image of what the sailors, explorers and scientists went through in this miraculous story of survival. As well as the images of Shackleton´s expedition, the exhibition also shows certain characteristics of the Antarctic continent, the extreme weather conditions it houses and the importance of research being carried out there. This is done through the use of easy to use interactive displays placed throughout the room.

Visitors also get the chance to learn how to navigate a ship as well with a telescope and a simulated ocean. The chance to learn about the creation of the different continents on Earth is also offered, as well as about the Ozone layer and the process of Global Warming which the two polar ice caps play an important role in. However, the main attraction is being able to follow the unbelievable story of survival against the odds that Shackleton and his men went through.

After setting out from South Georgia, the nearest inhabited island to Antartica, the Endurance soon began breaking through huge sheets of ice. The ship eventually became trapped in ice and the crew then had to abandon ship after the increasing pressure from the ice threatened to destroy the ship. Shackleton and his men, unable to travel on foot due to the conditions of the ice, set up camp. Eventually they were able to make it to Elephant Island. From here Shackleton, accompanied by five of his most experinced sailors, made their way towards the whaling stations on South Georgia for help. After covering 1'300 kilometres they landed on the island and proceeded to brave it's huge mountains and glaciers to reach the whaling station. Four months later, and after several failed attempts, Shackleton successfully saved the 22 left on Elephant Island. Shackleton would conclude that “Not one life has been lost, and we´ve been through hell”.

The Exhibition is open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10am to 2pm and 5pm until 8pm. On Sundays and holidays it is open from 10am to 2pm. Entrance is free and it will be running until April 29.