National Geographic Society celebrates its 100th anniversary of archaeological discoveries with Beyond King Tut Exhibit.
By Karen Ostlund (WestHollywoodToday. blogspot, November 6 2022)
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| "It was such an honor to tour King Tut's treasures around the world, but those objects have returned to Egypt forever. Beyond King Tut brings together some of that same team along with the all-stars of immersive art to present one of the world's most fascinating stories in a whole new way, with no boundaries! Guests will get to experience the splendor of Egypt all around them and voyage with us to the Ancient Egyptian afterlife," said Beyond King Tut creative producer Mark Lach, who is know traveling in-between Vancouver and Los Angeles. |
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| THE TIMES newspaper December 12 1922 |
Beyond King Tut: The Immersive Experience is a new exhibition developed in partnership with the National Geographic Society, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of of the greatest archaeological discoveries of Beyond King Tut, now on view until December 31 2022 at The Magic Box LA, 1933 S.Broadway downtown Los Angeles. The same exhibit had joint openings in Los Angeles and Vancouver Nov. 4, and there are plans for Atlanta, Houston, San Diego and San Francisco in near future.
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| King TUT discovery, how he was found Nov.4 1922. |
Beyond King Tut will take visitors on a time-traveling journey flooded with sight, sound and intrigue through the world of King Tut—the boy who reigned as pharaoh of Egypt more than 3,000 years ago—and the discovery of his tomb and treasures in November 4 1922.
The discovery of the intact tomb of King Tut captured the imagination of the world, and the mysteries surrounding the tomb still resonate today. Drawing from the storied archives of the National Geographic Society, the exhibition combines the power of cinematic storytelling and soaring imagery made possible with state-of-the-art projection mapping to invite visitors into the golden king’s world like never before.
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| King TUT dog inside tomb. |
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| King TUT ship inside tomb. |
The objects in the tomb of the pharaoh Tutankhamen — or, as a new exhibition at the National Geographic Museum spells it, Tutankhamun — were meant to commemorate the Egyptian ruler’s life and guide him to the next one.
Since they were first discovered 100 years ago, such artifacts as the golden funerary mask of Tut, as he is more commonly known for, have attracted widespread interest and admiration. The exhibit “Beyond King Tut: The Immersive Experience” emphasizes nonmaterial aspects of the boy king’s significance. Its centerpiece is an animation of the dead king’s journey to the afterlife, as imagined from the text known as the Egyptian Book of the Dead.
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| King TUT cat found in his tomb |
Beyond King Tut” was produced by the partnership of Paquin Entertainment Group, which devised the “Beyond Van Gogh” and “Beyond Monet” exhibitions, and Immersive Experiences, a firm whose creative producer, Mark Lach, supervised the design of “King Tut: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs,” an artifact show that toured between 2004 and 2012.
In the first room, we are introduced to Tut, who died at 18 or 19 years old, circa 1323 B.C., and the November 4 1922 discovery of his buried tomb by Howard Carter, a British archaeologist.
Video of Howard Carter's discovery: https://youtu.be/MeJIVBKe10M
Walls in this 3D gallery features gaps that reveal video images of Tut-related relics as a statue of Anubis, the dog-headed god of death. These glimpses evoke Carter’s first peek into the tomb.
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| 3D gallery, King TUT |
The museum’s 3D theater holds the simulated sarcophagus and an illustrated video lecture that sweeps across three walls. One of its themes is the way animals represented many aspects of Pharaonic Egypt and its ruler. The vulture stood for Upper Egypt, for instance, and the cobra for Lower Egypt; both were included in the regalia of Tut, who presided over the united regions. Also symbolic were 12 baboons, one for each hour of the late king’s supposed transit through the netherworld.
Beyond is a gallery that recounts Tut’s life, as told by the artifacts in his burial place, such as a knife and scabbard, a ceremonial staff with a curved head, and pottery embellished with hieroglyphics. Also displayed there is a family tree, based partly on DNA research that is ongoing.
The boy king, whose life story unfolds in this virtual-reality narrative, left an outsize legacy.
Tut, who left no heirs, was the last of his family to rule during Egypt’s 18th Dynasty. He was the son of Akhenaten, who converted Egypt from polytheism to the worship of one divine being: Aten, a sun god. During Tut’s rule, the traditional gods were restored, including Amun, in whose honor Tut changed the ending of his name, which may mean “living image of Amun.”
The cause of Tut’s death is unknown, but most scholars attribute it to natural causes. Medical experts have suggested the young pharaoh suffered from malaria or sickle cell anemia. Other research-teams believe King Tut died circa 1323 B.C.E. from a gangrene infection at age 19. The infection was possibly the result of a broken leg.
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| Me, at King TUT exhibit |
The ancient Egyptians believed that every living person was made up of three essential elements: BODY, BA, and KA for the afterlife.
They knew that the body would fail one day and die, but they believed the other parts of a person could live on. The BA was essentially a person’s personality. The KA was the person’s life force—it made life possible for the BODY and the BA.
Death occurred when the KA separated from the body. To achieve a successful afterlife, the BA had to be reunited with its KA.
Once that happened, the person could live forever in the spiritual form known as the AKH, or “effective being.”
Some of the objects from Tut’s tomb were exhibited at the National Gallery of Art and other American museums beginning in 1961.
The larger exhibition “Treasures of Tutankhamun” began its tour at the National Gallery in 1976 and traveled to six other U.S. cities. Such pieces are unlikely to leave the Cairo region, where they will stay in the Grand Egyptian Museum, set to open later this year.
Tut-mania has inspired lots of pop culture, including “The Mummy,” a movie franchise that began with the 1932 Boris Karloff vehicle, and “King Tut,” Steve Martin’s 1978 novelty hit.
In National Geographic's Beyond King Tut, meet Ancient Egyptian gods like Ra and Anubis before descending into King Tut's burial chamber and joining his quest for immortality. Relive one of the greatest discoveries of all time – the king's tomb with all his treasures waiting inside, reclaimed from the desert sand after 3,000 years. With nine galleries to explore, wind through the story of a young boy whose name still looms large, and how he changed the ancient – and modern – world. www.beyondkingtut.com
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