Well-planned interpretation makes the experience
of ‘being there’ richer and more relevant. It welcomes
modern visitors into the rich heritage of your site and helps them
appreciate its treasures. It engages visitors in activities and
gives information that provokes their emotions, imagination and
understanding. It sheds light on culture, past and present,
and provokes questions and dialogue.
Interpretation is a
means of communicating ideas and feelings which help people enrich
their understanding and appreciation of their world, and their role
in it. Heritage interpretation is about sharing memories and
experiences. It respects the connections between people and place
whether a place is natural landscape or one modified by use, for
example: the development of farms and gardens or the construction
of buildings. It involves partnerships between interpreters and a
range of different stakeholders, including Indigenous and other
communities, scientists, historians and artists.
Interpretation:
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is based on sound information,
thematically organized, but it is much more than simple
information
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is communication, a three way
connection between interpreter, audience and the heritage
resource
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builds on the experiences, knowledge
and interests of expected audiences to engage their active
participation
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is an interactive learning experience
that invites audiences to share the excitement of thinking about
the past, the present and the future
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celebrates the significance of
heritage by promoting the exploration of knowledge and ideas and by
encouraging reflection and debate
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is not absolute - there is no single
right way to interpret anything. It depends on the different
perspectives, different people, both interpreters and audiences,
and approaches will change over time
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may, at times, be controversial. This
should not be seen as a bad thing. Indeed controversy may be a way
to engage audiences by provoking thought and debate.
In his 1957 book,
"Interpreting Our Heritage", Freeman Tilden defined six principles of
interpretation.
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Any interpretation that does not
somehow relate what is being displayed or described to something
within the personality or experience of the visitor will be
sterile.
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Information, as such, is not
Interpretation. Interpretation is revelation based upon
information. But they are entirely different things. However all
interpretation includes information.
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Interpretation is an art, which
combines many arts, whether the materials presented are scientific,
historical or architectural. Any art is in some degree
teachable.
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The chief aim of Interpretation is not
instruction, but provocation.
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Interpretation should aim to present a
whole rather than a part, and must address itself to the whole man
rather than any phase.
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Interpretation addressed to children
(say up to the age of twelve) should not be a dilution of the
presentation to adults, but should follow a fundamentally different
approach. To be at its best it will require a separate
program.
For the past 50
years, Tilden's principles have remained highly relevant to
interpreters across the world. In 2002 Larry Beck and Ted Cable
published "Interpretation for the 21st Century - Fifteen Guiding
Principles for Interpreting Nature and Culture", which elaborated
upon Tilden's original principles.
