Historic buildings can be a real asset in telling local history - something worth remembering when they are adapted for museum use, as I argue in this review of the Hällisch-Fränkisches Museum in Schwäbisch Hall, Germany.
Category: Review
Interpretation 101, Or: Show ‘Em Why We’re Here
Sometimes I walk through a museum or visitor centre and wonder, why are we here? This is the more frustrating at a site like Keltenwelt am Glauberg where, according to its own interpretation, they discovered a ‘scientific sensation’. So I’m feeling inspired to write another ‘Interpretation 101’ post, using Keltenwelt am Glauberg, and specifically its … Continue reading Interpretation 101, Or: Show ‘Em Why We’re Here
Storytelling History II: The Erwin Hymer Museum
It is a rare occasion that I walk through a museum and smile with joy about how the story is told. My recent visit to the Erwin Hymer Museum (of camper vans) was one such occasion. The very first contact with the exhibition is as informative as it is fun. A few words of welcome, … Continue reading Storytelling History II: The Erwin Hymer Museum
On visiting the Anne Frank House
For a long time now, I have been wanting to visit the Anne Frank House. This Monday past, I finally got the opportunity. My experience, however, was different to what I had expected. Let me explain. Like most, if not all of us, I had read Anne Frank’s diary as a child. I remember being … Continue reading On visiting the Anne Frank House
The Theatricality of Heritage: Thoughts on Visiting Titanic Belfast
A few days ago I had the chance to visit Titanic Belfast. It was a good opportunity to think about the theatricality in our presentations of heritage, or the production of an experience, especially after my last post and my post of a year ago about re-visiting Stonehenge. Titanic Belfast was definitely a site … Continue reading The Theatricality of Heritage: Thoughts on Visiting Titanic Belfast
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
True immersion, over-engineering, or lack of empathy? The exhibition at Schindler’s Factory
I really took note of the design of many of the exhibitions I saw when I was recently in Poland [1]. There was change of pace, drama, art, and, from my German point of view, a startling lack of inhibition about using Nazi symbols to create experiences [2]. This was probably most evident at Schindler’s … Continue reading True immersion, over-engineering, or lack of empathy? The exhibition at Schindler’s Factory
The German MA’s Recommendations for Representing Migration
A couple of weeks ago, the German Museums Association (Deutscher Museumsbund) published recommendations for museums on how to include and represent migration and cultural diversity in their work. I was really impressed by two key concepts that frame the entire document: Migration is the Norm This is a fact that is evident when we burst … Continue reading The German MA’s Recommendations for Representing Migration
Online Interpretation: A Great Example
A few months ago, I came across the Secret Annex Online on the Anne Frank House website. It has all the ingredients of great interpretation: it tells a story using different media, there is a hierarchy of information that you can access depending on your interests, and you can quite literally choose where to go … Continue reading Online Interpretation: A Great Example
Richard III Revisited, or: Is this the heritage industry?
Last week, three high court judges dismissed an application for judicial review and thus paved the way for Richard III’s remains to be buried at Leicester Cathedral. There are three key things that strike me about this whole process. The Authorized Heritage Discourse at work The basis for the applicant’s claim (that they are relatives … Continue reading Richard III Revisited, or: Is this the heritage industry?
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