... On Interpretation. I absolutely detest this sort of thing and agree with every word Nige says. I also detest those damned audio tours museums try to saddle you with. For God's sake, just look at the pictures. (I corrected my error regardingt who said this, thanks to Dave Lull.)
Frank, I find myself agreeing with what Nigel has to say on interpretation ..... well ..... at least, part of it. As a volunteer at Historic Fort Stockton, I often take to the parade field in the uniform and equipment of a private in the U.S. Army, circa 1870. I do what I can to give visitors a good feel for life on a frontier Army post during the Indian Wras, but I do NOT go into what we call 'first person' interpretation ..... I remain very much a man of the present time and place ..... I have always found that strict first-person interpretation places a barrier between you and your 21st-century visitors, reducing my communication and, sadly, their interest.
ReplyDeleteI should have thought longer before posting, Jeff. I have certainly encountered people in period costume who did not in the least get in the way of appreciating a scene or exhibition - and sometimes proved very helpful in filling up the information gaps. What Nige - not Bryan, as I originally indicated - said has to do with something far more intrusive, something that betrays, I think, a lack of faith in the material.
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