Analysis of Heritage Interpretation Techniques in London Museums

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TOURISM AND HERITAGE
MANAGEMENT

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction......................................................................................................................................1
Discussion........................................................................................................................................2
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................8
References........................................................................................................................................9

Introduction
Heritage tourism can be defined as the travel to experience different artifacts, places and
activities that depict people and stories of past and heritage tourism also includes natural, historic
and cultural resources. The tourism and heritage management is essential for understanding,
preserving and promoting the tourism and heritage industry and attracting large numbers of
tourist across worldwide (Hartmann, 2014). The current report is discussing with the objective of
highlighting and understanding the different interactive approaches through which heritage was
interpreted at each of the sites visited. Different types of heritage attractions such as Science
Museum, Museum of London and Tate Modern will be discussed to develop understanding of
the report topic. The report will discuss that how different interpretation means and techniques
contribute in the visitor experience. Also the importance of different interpretation media will be
discussed in ensuring best visitor experience. The report will also emphasise on various
challenges in using interpretation media and techniques at the different heritage attractions.
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Discussion
Science Museum
Science Museum is one of the greatest museums of science and technology that is located at the
Exhibition Road in South Kensington, London. This museum was first opened in 1857 and
covered both art and science and its origin was in the Great Exhibition of 1851. In 1909, both art
and science section were officially separated and the art section went to and formed as a core
part of the Victoria and Albert Museum. The museum was architected and designed by the Sir
Richard Allison in quarters and was made available for public in different stages from the period
of 1919–28. Also, numbers of extensions were made till 1961 and it was merged with
the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester in 2012. Wellcome Wing that was opened in
2000 by the Science museum includes an IMAX theatre and is dedicated to contemporary and
future science (britannica, 2018).
The science presentation is displayed in the museum that applied to the daily life and industry in
both contemporary and historically viewpoint. Museum’s Wellcome collections include or
exhibit some of subjects such as time measurement, space exploration, petroleum refining,
computing development, iron and steel manufacture, natural gas extraction and distribution and
the development of aircraft. The fourth floor in the museum is called Glimpses of Medical
History and fifth floor called Science and the Art of Medicine, and other main medical
collections include clinical medicine, public health and biosciences.
There are numbers of interpretation means or techniques used in the Science museum for
explaining different objects and their significance to the visitor visit or different purposes. There
are numbers of secondary media and new technologies are used to interpret various science and
medical collections exhibits in the museum. Different collections in the museum are interpreted
to visitors through textual information, images, audio and video on large displays. There are
numbers of computer based display, information sheets, photographs, models and objects to
interpret information and knowledge of science and medical collections to the visitors. Visitors
in the museum are engaged by enabling them to watch and touch objects, models, photographs
and listening audio of the collections exhibit in the museum (Staiff, 2016). The museum is
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mainly focusing to use new technologies and tools for interpreting visitors and providing them
information and knowledge of the various collections. Museum is using computer based display,
audio, video and projectors to meet the purpose of visitors.
There are numbers of visitors visit the Science museum to meet their purpose and fulfil their
motive of visiting the museum. The museum collections include numbers of science and medical
objects that are for both historically and a contemporary viewpoints and interpreting applications
of science to daily routine life and industry. The target audience of the museum are school,
college and universities students that visit the museum for educational purpose to acquire
knowledge and information about various medical and science objects and subjects. Knowledge
and information about the collections is provided to students or other leisure visitors through
brochures, audio and information in different languages (Ham, 2016).
There are numbers of interpretation mediums, techniques and tools used for providing
knowledge and information to educational as well as leisure visitors. But it has identified that
video and audio interpretation mediums and techniques are most appropriate to provide
information and knowledge and meet the purpose of different types of visitors such as
educational and leisure visitors.
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Museum of London
The Museum of London is located in the city of London on the London Wall and it depicts the
history of the capital city of the UK from the prehistoric times to modern times. There are more
than six millions objects in the museum and is known for its largest urban history collections in
the world. The plan was announced by the museum in March 2015 to move to nearby Smithfield
Market from its Barbican site with the objective to have collection of £70 million by 2021. The
museum was architected and designed by the Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya in innovative
ways in which galleries were laid out for making the one route throughout the museum.
The Museum of London is structured and designed by using and applying an innovative
approach of design in which there is series of chronological galleries that involves models,
original artefacts, diagrams and pictures and have more highlight on the cultural and social life of
London, urban development, archaeological discoveries and activities for all ages (londonpass,
2019). The museum was redesigned and redeveloped in 2010 and four new galleries were
developed that was the biggest investment since opening of the museum. There were large street
level windows along with London Wall in the New City gallery that depicts the clarified display
for the Lord Mayor's State Coach. The exhibition space in the museum was increased by 25
percent after the designed and built of four new galleries where seven thousand objects can be
displayed easily.
The Museum of London use numbers of interpretation techniques or means for telling the story
of London and providing information and knowledge to visitors that come for different purposes.
There are numbers of visual images of different objects and text information is displayed for
conveying relevant information about the history of London to visitors. Visitors in this museum
are allowed to watch the objects and read the relevant information for meeting their purpose of
visit. Also, the museum has more emphasised on using new technologies for providing
knowledge and information to visitors about the object or collections displayed in the museum in
efficient and effective manners (Fladmark, 2014). The museum is using the computer based
projectors, videos and images to interpret the story and history of London and information of
objects to visitors. these new interpretation technologies and means provide best visiting
experiences to visitors and meet their educational, learning, entertainment, and leisure purposes.
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The target audience of the Museum of London is people from domestic, residential and
international places or location who visit for gathering knowledge and learning of historical
events and objects of London. There are numbers of archaeological objects in the Museum of
London and people from different cities of UK and other nations come to visit the museum to
gather information and knowledge of the historical objects and events of the London. also the
Museum of London organize exhibitions and events time-to-time for attracting more people from
domestic as well as the international locations to promote the history of the London (Staiff,
2016). In these events and exhibitions, different types of interpretation techniques or means are
used to deliver information and knowledge but tour guide and textual techniques or means is
more effective in providing clear information and understanding of the different objects and
history of London to visitors that come for education, learning and entertainment purposes.
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Tate Modern
Tate Modern is the Britain’s modern art gallery that is located in the London and also it is one of
the largest museums in the world of contemporary and modern art. It holds British art national
collection from the period of 1900 to the present time and international contemporary and
modern art. This gallery and museum is the highly visited museum as there is a no admission
charge and visitors come from different domestic as well as international location. This is the
most amazing and attractive attraction in the London and has successfully brought challenging
work through fee-paying big-name temporary exhibitions and free permanent collections. Tate
Modern museum or art gallery is designed by the Sir Giles Gilbert Scott and this art gallery is
built in two stages between the 947 and 1963. The opening of the Tate Modern was made by the
Queen in May 2000 and approx 5.25 million visitors visited the art gallery in the first year
(secretldn, 2019).
There are 8 different areas included in the main collection of the Tate Modern that named subject
or theme and there are rooms in each area that change time-to-time depicting different types of
work. The art gallery uses modern technologies for interpreting the information and knowledge
of different collections to visitors in efficient and effective manners. The museum or gallery
includes the collections of modern art and contemporary art and visitors come from different
places to visit the gallery and meet their purpose of visiting. It is essential for Tate Modern to use
appropriate interpretation techniques or means to deliver knowledge and information to visitor
and meet their purpose. The heritage interpretation includes the start display where three room
display of works for introducing basis ideas of modern art (Nechita et.al, 2014). Also, theme
areas in the gallery or museum includes such as artist and society, in the studio, media networks,
materials and objects, performer and participants, between objects and architecture and living
cities.
This art gallery or museum is mainly focusing to use visual interpretation techniques and means
to engage visitors to experience the modern and contemporary art. Also the art gallery is using
new technologies of interpretations for providing best visiting experience to visitors such as
projections, audio and video techniques. These new technologies majorly impact the visiting
experience of visitors as this are enabling to provide knowledge and information in most
effective manner and hence meeting the visiting purpose of the visitors such as entertainment,
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leaning and interactivity. Therefore, these interactive approaches are majorly contributing in
providing best visiting experience to visitors and also attracting large numbers of visitors from
different locations worldwide.
It has also analyzed that the Tate Modern may also face various potential challenges and issues
regarding the interpretation that may impact the visiting experience of the visitors. Any technical
errors and other fault in new interpretation technologies such as computer based displays,
projectors, and audio and video means can provide poor visitor experience and may reduce the
flow of visitors to visit the art gallery or museum (Timothy, 2017). The target audience of the
Tate Modern is people of different age group that have knowledge and interest in contemporary
and modern art. Therefore, by using the appropriate interpretation techniques or means, Tate
Modern can attract more residential, domestic and international visitors and can provide best
visiting experience to them.
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Conclusion
The current report has successfully developed understanding of the heritage interpretation in the
tourism experience. It has concluded that different types of interpretation media and techniques
such as visual, textual, guided tours and use of new technology plays important role in ensuring
the best visitor experience. Also, different types of new technologies such as video, audio,
computer based display, projector, touch screens are used by the attractions sites such as Science
Museum, Museum of London and Tate Modern for delivering information and knowledge of
heritage objects and collections to the visitors in effective and efficient manner.
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References
Books and Journals
 Fladmark, J.D., 2014. Heritage: Conservation, interpretation and enterprise. Routledge.
 Ham, S., 2016. Interpretation: Making a difference on purpose. Fulcrum publishing.
 Hartmann, R., 2014. Dark tourism, thanatourism, and dissonance in heritage tourism
management: New directions in contemporary tourism research. Journal of Heritage
Tourism, 9(2), pp.166-182.
 Nechita, F., Sandru, C., Candrea, A.N. and Taranu, D., 2014. Advertising and Heritage
Interpretation.
 Staiff, R., 2016. Re-imagining heritage interpretation: Enchanting the past-future.
Routledge.
 Timothy, D.J., 2017. Managing heritage and cultural tourism resources: Critical essays,
Volume one. Routledge.
Online
 Museum of London, 2019 [Online] [Assessed through]
https://www.londonpass.com/london-attractions/Museum-of-London.html? />[Assessed
on 26th June, 2019]
 Science Museum London, 2018 [Online] [Assessed through]
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Science-Museum-London/>[Assessed on 26th June,
2019]
 Tate Modern, 2019 [Online] [Assessed through] https://secretldn.com/tate-modern-
visitor-guide/>[Assessed on 26th June, 2019]
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