Back to Basics: Interpretation 101

Yesterday was my first time visiting the Castle at Ellwangen and its small museum. As far as I can gather, the castle itself is in the care of the State of Baden-Württemberg, at least it’s listed on their website and some of the signs make mention of the agency. The museum, which occupies but a … Continue reading Back to Basics: Interpretation 101 →

On Wachtzeit – an experiment

I have on a few occasions on this blog mentioned a project that we’ve done with our local Roman history museum. We’ve recently completed our internal debrief as well as a reflective session with a consultancy hired by the funder, so now I feel it’s time to share some insights from what I thought was … Continue reading On Wachtzeit – an experiment →

New Heritage(s) Through Migration

At my current job, we’ve now done several projects that have drawn on Third Space as a methodology [1]. What has come up over and over again is the need for something new to emerge through the Third Space – a new shared concept of community, a new shared understanding of an issue, a new … Continue reading New Heritage(s) Through Migration →

Heritage is a personal story

Confession: I have never really understood people’s obsession with researching their family history. This may sound odd coming from someone whose background is in heritage studies. After all, the benefits family researchers describe – a strengthened sense of identity, connection, empathy, even resilience – to this day form the backbone of many national and international … Continue reading Heritage is a personal story →

Handing over Power, or: Diversity in the Heritage Sector

At the start of November, the UK Art Fund published a report on diversity in the arts and heritage sectors. Specifically, the report reviews the impact of diversity initiatives on curatorial roles since 1998. However, it also makes important observations on how the current structure of museums may stand in the way of diversity – … Continue reading Handing over Power, or: Diversity in the Heritage Sector →

Third Space in Culture, Heritage and Learning

Our current Erasmus + project on Negotiating Identities in the Third Space is about to conclude. As I am beginning to draw together the various outputs we’ve said we would produce, I’d like to share a few observations on my own learning about Third Space during the project to date. The physical in Third Space … Continue reading Third Space in Culture, Heritage and Learning →

Jongmyo Jeryeak in Munich, Or: What makes intangible heritage?

Last week, I had the wonderful opportunity to see Jongmyo Jeryeak, the Royal ancestral ritual and music of the Korean Joseon period (1392-1910), performed in Munich by the National Gugak Center of Korea [1]. Jongmyo Jeryeak was inscribed as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2008. The material context of intangible heritage One of my thoughts … Continue reading Jongmyo Jeryeak in Munich, Or: What makes intangible heritage? →

On Visiting the Zeppelin Museum, Or: Storytelling History

Last week, I finally took the time to visit the Zeppelin Museum in Friedrichshafen, Germany. Unfortunately, it wasn’t what I had hoped it would be – and not just because here, too, they force you to lock up your bag, leaving you to carry what you need in your hands [1]. The exhibition The exhibition … Continue reading On Visiting the Zeppelin Museum, Or: Storytelling History →

Winnetou Revisited

Five years ago, I blogged about Winnetou as a different kind of heritage [1]. Being fully aware of the terrible cultural appropriation and stereotypes of the books and the just plain awful representations of American Indians by white actors in black wigs of the 1960s films, I ended my blog post wondering whether I would … Continue reading Winnetou Revisited →

Architecture as interpretive infrastructure

Interpret Europe has just published a little introduction to heritage interpretation for architects and landscape architects. In one of my previous roles, I was regularly in consultancy teams that included architects, so the booklet got me thinking about some of those experiences as well as architecture that I liked, both in heritage sites and in … Continue reading Architecture as interpretive infrastructure →