Interpretation is Information

Professionally speaking, I, like many interpreters, was raised on Freeman Tilden’s second principle of interpretation. It reads: ‘Information, as such, is not Interpretation. Interpretation is revelation based upon information. But they are entirely different things. However, all interpretation includes information.’ [1] So when I started my field research, having conversations with visitors at sites in … Continue reading Interpretation is Information →

Interpretation and the Public Benefits of Heritage in Policy

When I started working in a local authority heritage context [1], I was struck by how much heritage was specifically expected to deliver rather concrete outcomes: pride, identity, creativity, social cohesion, mutual understanding, to name but a few (yes, a few of the many). This was set out in project plans, and we were also … Continue reading Interpretation and the Public Benefits of Heritage in Policy →

How can we properly honour individual and communal values?

Yesterday, John Jameson [1] and I hosted a roundtable discussion at the conference of the European Association of Archaeologists. We wanted to explore with participants what the challenges are of moving away from expert values and expert management, toward a recognition of individual and community values. Community engagement and community archaeology have been around for … Continue reading How can we properly honour individual and communal values? →

Interpreting Art: Musings on visiting Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum

A couple of weeks back I visited the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Historic Art) in Vienna. Interpretation of art is not my specialism, and I’m always intrigued by what art museums do. You get anything from, well, nothing, to rather tediously specific texts that try to explain every dot of paint on the canvas. Sometimes … Continue reading Interpreting Art: Musings on visiting Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum →

A Story of Exclusion, Or: Why I still think targeting audiences keeps museums on the wrong path

The ‘Extremism’ speech delivered this week by Britain’s Prime Minister made me ponder again that concept of ‘hard-to-reach’ audiences, especially what we call ‘BAME’ groups, and how the museums sector is using it to shape its practice. To me, what has been happening to Muslims in the UK over the last decade illustrates very eloquently … Continue reading A Story of Exclusion, Or: Why I still think targeting audiences keeps museums on the wrong path →

On visiting Auschwitz

Last week, I finally had the opportunity to visit Auschwitz while at the Interpret Europe conference [1]. I want to share some things I am thinking about in response to that experience, and draw on some of the conversations I had [2]. The importance of place Every year of Secondary School, we discussed the Second … Continue reading On visiting Auschwitz →

‘I’m so glad to see you here’: Why inclusion must be more than a policy.

Last week’s #museumsrespondtoferguson discussion was on inclusion policies and their implementation in recruitment practice (you can read the Storify story here). At one point, one of the hosts of the chat, Adrianne Russell, shared, ‘I can’t count how many times black visitors told me “I’m so glad to see you here”’, which just floored me. … Continue reading ‘I’m so glad to see you here’: Why inclusion must be more than a policy. →

The Road to Hell

Ferguson [1] has reminded me of a saying I learnt in the US: ‘The road to hell is paved with good intentions’. I think this applies to interpretation, and heritage management more generally, also. Our literature and our conferences are full of suggestions of interpreters’ inherent good will, and the positive outcome this is supposed … Continue reading The Road to Hell →

Migration and Museums: Or, The Past is Safe, but Irrelevant

In this month’s editorial of the UK Museums Journal, Simon Stephens writes about museums ‘Exploring the rich stories of migration’. It is the first official nod to a major issue of current public debate in the UK that I have read from a leading museums organisation. For this, I appreciate the editorial and I give … Continue reading Migration and Museums: Or, The Past is Safe, but Irrelevant →

Visiting Rome, Or: The temptation of thinking in evolutionary stages of interpretation

Last week I came back from my first trip to Rome. What an amazing place! However, as someone working in heritage, I thought what probably thousands of heritage professionals before me have thought: this interpretation (if you can even call it that) is just terrible [1]. Signs were cluttered, randomly placed and half of the … Continue reading Visiting Rome, Or: The temptation of thinking in evolutionary stages of interpretation →