Narnia Comes To Phoenix
 |
 |
 |
| Photos provided by Floyd Allen |
As you prepare to swelter in yet another 100 degree day, anticipating droplets of perspiration trickling down the canyons and crevices of every body part, while your parched throat joins with The Sons of the Pioneers in crying out for “cool water,” it is hard to imagine that there is a vast frozen land of adventure and excitement deep in the heart of Arizona. As of June 7, 2008 such a land does exist, albeit a fictitious one.
Narnia, the land created by C.S. Lewis for Prince Caspian and a host of other memorable characters, is being presented by the Arizona Science Center for the enjoyment and education of all who want to venture forth and experience it.
“Actually,” Chevy Humphrey, President and CEO of the Center shared, “we are expecting in access of 300,000 visitors in the four months the Exhibition is to be with us.”
Humphrey is especially pleased that her site was chosen to be the first institution to host the Exhibition.
“We have been working on presenting the Exhibition for quite some time,” Humphrey said, “and are thrilled at how wonderful of a presentation it has turned out to be.”
While the “entertainment” aspect of the Exhibition is obvious, the “educational” aspect is both present and prevalent. “Narnia is a world where they had winter for over one hundred years,” Humphrey explained, “and the people and animals who lived there affected their world. While the story may be fictitious, that aspect of it is very real. Our emphasis,” she continued, “is to stress that we must take care of our world so it can take care of us. The Exhibition, and our staff, speaks to the fact that we do, in fact, have an affect on our climate.”
There are a myriad of other interesting “facts” to be learned as well. Douglas Gresham, co-producer of “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” and stepson of C. S. Lewis, pointed out that the warriors of Narnia, and of the Middle Ages, had to be exceedingly strong just to prepare to go to battle.
“The mail vest that they wore,” Gresham explained, “weighed in access of a hundred pounds. And, it took a pretty strong forearm to wield the swords they armed themselves with for a day of battle.”
Two other scientific “lessons” that are interesting to the point of being intriguing are how archways are built and how catapults work. To demonstrate the archway, a half-circle of wood is constructed and then blocks of stone are placed around it. “Foam” blocks replace stone at the Exhibition, and, if properly placed, the wooden half-circle can be pulled away and the arc stands on its own. It is, without a doubt, one of the better “hands-on” demonstrations available.
/Celebrate_Recovery.jpg) |
The catapult is also demonstrated, but only by trained staff members.
“You have to remember,” Walter Denison, lead guide for the Narnia Exhibition, explained, “that this apparatus changed the way battles were fought when it was introduced. It is, by no means, a toy.”
The goal of the catapult is to change potential energy into kinetic energy and launch a projectile at one’s enemy. And, it does so very effectively.
“We get a number of questions about the catapult,” Denison said, “but the two most prominent ones are how far can a projectile be tossed, and what projectiles were most frequently used.”
Eddie Newquist, the Executive Producer of the Exhibition, is looking forward to sharing his efforts with the country, and the world.
“Our major goal,” he explained, “was to inspire young people in the way they view their world, and the way they view Narnia as presented both by the movies and the books. I think,” he said with a smile, “that we have been successful in attaining that which we hoped to achieve.”
Newquist is currently in discussions with the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia as the next possible site for the Exhibition to call home.
Whether you have children, or are just a child at heart, you will not want to miss experiencing the land of Narnia. The sights and sounds that comprise the Exhibition are something that are timeless and ageless, and the frozen tundra there will warm every heart that beats within the body of anyone with even a little bit of imagination!
For more information regarding the Exhibition, you can visit www.narniaexhibition.com or www.azscience.org.
© 2008 Good News Tucson™
