MONTRÉAL, March 31, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - Sort of like casting a bottle into the sea, this morning the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium team is sealing up a selection of letters written by today's children for their counterparts of tomorrow. Along with the 25 selected messages, the time capsule will contain a number of pieces of memorabilia representing the institution's current activities. All these treasures will be placed with great care and considerable excitement inside the time capsule, where they will be stored for the next 35 years. Between now and 2050, the time capsule will remain safely tucked inside the former star projector. The whole process is described in an exhibition running until May 3, 2015, in fact, and anyone can enjoy reading the students' inspiring messages on the Montréal Space for Life website.
"Finding a time capsule is a bit like stumbling over buried treasure. Our team was so excited when we opened the time capsule that we found in the old Planetarium when we closed it in 2011. Today, we are sealing up this capsule with artifacts from the present day, for future generations. We hope they will get as much enjoyment out of discovering its contents as we have had putting it together," says Pierre Lacombe, Director of the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium.
2050: From Dream to Reality
It all started when the Ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport du Québec (MELS) asked the Montréal Space for Life team to collaborate with the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium on the writing assignment for the grade 6 provincial French exams in 2014. Students had to write a composition on the theme "What will life be like in 2050?" Taking inspiration from three scientists' vision of the future and the latest scientific and technological research, they had to write a letter addressed to children of the future. Out of the 77,000 compositions, teachers made an initial selection and then a jury chose the 25 letters that will go down in history. The Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium took the opportunity to add a number of Planetarium-related items including a guide's uniform, an aluminum star, a photo of the first visitor in 2013, a manual counter and a program from the old Planetarium.
The 2050: From Dream to Reality exhibition, now on at the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium, presents the project carried out in co-operation with the MELS. Another fun aspect is that the exhibition design is inspired by the plaques attached to the outside of the Pioneer 10 and 11 probes, which carry a message for whoever may find them one day, very far from Earth. Who will open this time capsule? What technologies will the Planetarium be using by then? How will the children who read the compositions react? Stay tuned – we'll find out in 2050!
Montréal Space for Life is made up of four attractions on the same site: the Botanical Garden, Biodôme, Insectarium and Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium. These four prestigious municipal institutions form Canada's largest natural science museum complex. Together, they are launching a daring, creative urban movement, urging everyone to rethink the connection between humankind and nature and cultivate a new way of living.
Visual and electronic media kit: http://bit.ly/Timecapsule
SOURCE Espace pour la vie
Marie-Joëlle Filion, Tel.: 514 868-4840 / Cell 514 443-6801, Email: [email protected]; Karine Vendette, Téléphone : 514 872-2227 / cell. 438 992-4830, Courriel : [email protected]
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