MUSEUMS
A multi-layered approach to interpretation is key to telling the whole story
ELIN SIMONSSON
INTERPRETATION DEVELOPER NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, LONDON, UK
WHAT IS EXHIBITION INTERPRETATION? It’s telling stories and communicating a message alongside artefacts or col- lections in a way that’s interesting and compelling, and in a way that works for that target audience. Multi-layered inter- pretation is important – we often use a combination of fi lm, text, models, sound- scapes, projections and interactivities. There isn’t just one way of interpreting
an exhibition – it depends on who you’re doing it for, the message you want to convey and the budget you have.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF EXHIBITION? At the Natural History Museum (NHM), the essence is inspiring people about the natural world. To achieve this, we do many specimen-rich exhibitions that use
multi-layered approaches to interpreta- tions. Our Age of the Dinosaur exhibition is animatronic-based, while Scott’s Last Expedition has many artefacts, but uses the design, imagery, photography, pro- jection and fi lm to tell a complete story and communicate that in an exciting way.
WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS THAT MAKE UP AN EXHIBITION? Physical considerations are the scale of the exhibition, whether it’s permanent or temporary, and the budget. Then we think about who the exhibition is for and what we want to get across. How do we want people to react and feel when they’re in it – what do we want people to walk away with? We use all these elements in suit- able, creative and exciting ways, to make the content and artefacts come alive. We know that if we make the exhibi- tion immersive and play on people’s senses, it becomes more real.
WHAT’S MOST IMPORTANT? It’s all about the audience that it’s for. Who is this for and how can we commu-
The Scott exhibition aims to give people a sense of how it really felt to be in Antarctica
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nicate this content in a way that works for them? For example, an exhibition about insects for families with young children is going to look very different to an exhibition about insects for adults.
WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR INSPIRATION? We look at other museums and talk to overseas contacts about what they do. Television is very good at telling stories in a similar way to how we communi- cate. We look at zoos, parks, and historic houses – anywhere that uses interpreta- tion methods. It’s very interesting and important to look outside your own fi eld. Theatre can also offer an inspiring way
of how to do things. It’s mainly about being aware of and open to new ideas.
WHAT WAS ONE OF YOUR RECENT EXHIBITIONS? With Scott’s Last Expedition, which is now at the Canterbury Museum, Christchurch, New Zealand until June 2013, we thought beyond the obvious story and looked at it from a scientifi c expedition angle rather than purely a race to the pole. We looked at what’s out there – archive footage, pictures by the expedition photographer, artefacts – and came up with the idea of interpreting everyday life in an area that represents the base camp in Antarctica today. It tells the story of the expedition
beyond the South Pole and we hoped people would feel surprised there were so many people involved and that it was actually a scientifi c expedition. Visitors get the sense of what it would have been like inside the hut in Antarctica. I’m really pleased with that design feature. ●
AM 1 2013 ©cybertrek 2013
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