In this blog post, I will be evaluating the methods and media used for interpretation within the heritage and cultural industry for tourists. When it comes to how certain topics are interpreted to tourists, they are mostly factual, although there have been some instances where information has been somewhat tampered with to better suit the attraction’s agenda and perception for tourists.

An example of a case study where information may have been distorted is Bletchley Park, a former WWII codebreaker site. A volunteer was sacked in 2014 after he told his own stories to visitors, as opposed to following the guidelines set by the museum (Owen, 2014). These guidelines were of course scripted for use by volunteers, although this information may not talk about first hand experiences of volunteers who previously may have worked at the sight during the war, thus visitors can only listen to what the museum scripts for the volunteers, and not get an insight into stories told by people who worked at the site.

On 30/03/17 I paid a visit to the V&A museum in London, and examined the items on display. The first question which comes to mind is ‘Are these genuinely from that particular time period?’. For example, there were several pieces of Indian jewelry on display. The boards tell visitors that they date back to the early 1900s, although where is the evidence that they date from that period, and were not purchased from a local jewelry shop. This is not to say that they are certainly fake, but the possibility of these items being such cannot be ruled out, an example of how museums may present items to visitors as being genuine.

 

References

Owen J, 2014, Sacked for breaking code of conduct: Rivalry between Bletchley Park charities tumbles out of control, The Independent, Available on: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/sacked-for-breaking-code-of-conduct-rivalry-between-bletchley-park-charities-tumbles-out-of-control-9091672.html, Accessed on: 14/04/17

Hello viewers. My apologies for the awfully long absence on posting to this blog, but due to many other commitments, I have been unable to post on here. However, I am back and ready to post. My next post will be part of a new unit I am doing in college, and subsequent posts will be trips which I will do in the near future.