Montréal, October 12, 2004 - Starting October
16, 2004, the temporary exhibition hall of the Montréal
Science Centre will be the scene of a criminal investigation.
A certain Sarah Melville has been murdered, and three
suspects have been identified. Visitors, should they accept
their mission, become investigators searching for clues
at the crime scene. Their goal is to find the murderer
along with three pieces of incriminating evidence. True
to its mission and interactive approach, the Montréal
Science Centre is focusing on getting visitors involved
and encouraging them to find a scientific basis for their
hunches.
At the crime scene
The action starts as soon as visitors enter the exhibition,
with a four-minute video that takes them to the scene
of the crime. An assistant investigator, Inspector Nelson,
presents the suspects and urges visitors to start their
own investigation, using notebooks and pencils to record
clues that will lead to the arrest of the murderer. The
Montréal Science Centre asked Chrystine Brouillet,
a Quebec author of several murder mysteries for young
people, to write the novel-like scenario for this exposition.
When visitor becomes investigator
How do visitors remember the clues that may constitute
incriminating evidence? How do they know if the suspect
really is the person who committed the murder? This exposition
is much more than a board game. The visitor is the investigator
in charge of solving the murder. As such, he or she has
access to the crime scene, the autopsy room, the archive
room, and various laboratories such as ballistics, genetics,
voice analysis, fibre analysis, and chemistry-toxicology.
During the investigation, visitors will also be able to
see and hear the statements of suspects and witnesses.
Visitors are invited to observe, analyze, compare, and
deduce. Will the hair caught in the victim's watchband
and analyzed in the lab turn out to be from the victim
or one of the suspects? Was the tiny sample of skin found
under Sarah Melville's fingernails during the autopsy
the result of a struggle with her murderer? Visitors can
also compare bullets from guns and analyze imperceptible
fingerprints left on a glass at the crime scene. They
can verify their hypotheses in recreations of specialized
laboratories. At the end of the exhibition, visitors choose
a suspect, based on their deductions, along with three
pieces of incriminating evidence and then check the validity
of their presumptions. If they successfully find the murderer,
the guilty party will confess on videotape.
The exhibition presents equipment actually used in criminalistics,
giving visitors the most realistic and complete experience
possible. In addition, the principles and procedures referred
to are the same as those used in real legal sciences and
forensic medicine laboratories. Visitors may also view
over fifty objects-both contemporary and historical-and
excerpts from archival documents. Audio, video, multimedia
games, and computer programs (such as FACES, a composite-sketch
program by IQ Biometrix) are all integral parts of this
interactive exhibition.
Autopsy of a Murder sends a message: the
science of criminalistics is now essential to proving
the guilt of suspects. The exhibition is for the whole
family and especially for late elementary and early high
school students (10 to 14 years old).
Prolong the experience on the Web
Complementing the exhibition itself, visitors are invited
to log on to the Autopsy of a Murder interactive Website,
where they can learn about different aspects of criminalistics,
from the crime scene to the various laboratories. It also
paints a portrait of the experts involved at each stage
of an investigation. The site uses Flash™ technology
to create a fun interface that encourages user interaction
and trial-and-error learning (matching clues with the
correct analytical technique, for example). Whether preparing
for a visit to the exhibition or continuing the experience
at home, this entertaining and educational site is sure
to delight. It will be on-line starting October 18 at
www.science.qc.ca/autopsie.
Scientific collaboration
Autopsy of a Murder was developed in collaboration with
science experts from governmental and private laboratories.
The Montréal Science Centre worked with specialists
from the Laboratoire des sciences judiciaires et de
médecine légale du Québec, the
Sûreté du Québec, and the Royal
Canadian Mounted Police.
In addition, Forensic Technology, a Montréal
company specializing in solutions for public security
departments, has developed, in partnership with the Science
Centre, an interactive ballistics game designed around
the technology of BULLETTRAX-3D. This cutting edge technology
gives visitors a glimpse of firearm identification, an
important breakthrough in ballistic identification.
Autopsy of a Murder is a production of the Montréal
Science Centre, in collaboration with the Musée
de la civilisation in Quebec City and the Canada
Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa.
The Montréal Science Centre opened on May 1, 2000
and is today considered one of Canada's finest cultural
institutions. It has already won the Prix Attraction
touristique for Québec, part of the Grands
Prix du tourisme québécois. Since its opening,
over 1.6 million visitors have taken part in the Centre's
activities and high-quality education programs, contributing
to heightened interest among young people in science and
technology careers.
The Montréal Science Centre would like to thank
its presenting partners Pfizer and Hydro-Québec.
Information: (514) 496-4724 - 1 877 496-4724
www.CentredesSciencesdeMontreal.com
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Information :
Catherine Giroux
Press Relations Coordinator
Old Port of Montréal Corporation
Tel. : (514) 283-8085
cgiroux@oldportofmontreal.com
Source:
Old Port of Montréal Corporation
Serge Poulin
Press relations
Musée de la Civilisation
Tel.: (418) 528-2072
Leeanne Akehurst
Manager, Communications and Marketing
Canada Science and Technology Museum
Tel.: (613) 990-6302
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