In the short time available, two samples of our attempts at such new presentations will suffice.

Here we were concerned to develop the 227 square mile museum concept by forming specific interpretive links between our two castle sites and the major themes of medieval history as they are evidenced in various locations around the Island


CASTLE RUSHEN


- here there was a reversal of the norm.

- rather than putting the real objects in a case and trying to dress the case to give them some context, the real object was the case.

- the question was, how could we put the people back into the picture and how could we link its significance to the rest of the Island’s history

- we felt we couldn’t do this without exploring the human context of what it was like to live in such a place.


- our visitor research showed that there was no public perception of the human reality of this building

- we quickly came to the conclusion that the old reluctance to fully present the results of detailed research, on the grounds that it might “interfere” with the public’s “freedom of imagination” was, in this instance, nonsense. The public had nothing (other than Hollywood) on which to base their imagination.

- most visitors, before our re-presentation, thought that all the rooms were dungeons!

- in fact, they were some of the finest rooms in the kingdom


HOUSE OF MANANNAN, PEEL

- here we wanted to advance the interpretive strategy in a number of ways

- firstly by reference to the major monument site of Peel Castle which sits at the mouth of the harbour, and where we had undertaken several years of archaeological excavation

- secondly by fully developing themes of Manx cultural identity which could not be fully developed in the formal museum context

- these were the themes of how a native Celtic culture was fused with a later Viking culture and a pervading maritime culture, to create what we consider to be Manxness

- there were also other issues linked to the potential for such heritage portrayals to act as regenerative catalysts for a struggling local economy in a way which would protect and enhance the local heritage assets for the future

- it was clear that to fully and excitingly develop this portrayal within the castle itself would be to impair the original asset for the sake of its interpretation - this is not the game we are in

- a new building was created, making its own contribution to the concept of the architectural heritage in the area

- a new thought process also had to be developed in terms of space allocation within the “museum” space, recognising that this was an exercise in interpretation and presentation of theories, many of which introduce that anathema to museum displays, emotion

- we had to identify a format for presentation which could convey the debate, rather than the facts, while still making the fullest use of high-level academic research and technology to introduce context and people

- above all, the new presentation had, as a primary objective, the brief to stimulate visits to the real heritage sites in the countryside.



PRESENTATION TECHNIQUES

This part of our over-all strategy confirmed another guiding principle of our approach to heritage interpretation - THE NEED FOR LINKAGES WITH OTHER PROFESSIONALS.

Gone are the days when a museum curator could claim to be a master of all aspects of the museum requirement. Such arrogance would have no credibility in the modern world of inter-related interpretive techniques and message delivery to the modern visitor.

For our part we recognised that while the curatorial experts needed to be in charge of the facts presented and the overall thematic treatments, there were many creative people beyond the walls of the museum buildings who could improve our ideas and presentation; artists, scriptwriters, film-makers, computer engineers etc

- but also we learnt how, in this world, it was very easy to get screwed!

- full-scale recreations of archaeological excavations are provided wherever possible and these are linked, through the narrative and through the back-up publications, directly to the original sites in the country-side

- a mix of documentary/drama style filming techniques, carefully and professionally scripted, are the main means of information transmission - there is no “curator-speak” and no graphic panels - dramatic film narratives draw out, in this case “The Stories in the Stones”

- a narrator provides the landscape context for each display and engages visitors in an interactive dialogue for information discovery

- even the underwater landscape is accessible- as befits an island
We have tried to show continuity of environment and cultural influence - for example form the Vikings to more modern maritime situations.

- for the later periods, within the maritime portrayal, all the sound portrayals are spoken by local people using the collected record of real experience

- a major part of the brief was that all aspects of the presentation should be “seamless” - ie. neither the work of the architect, the curator, the set designer, the film-maker or the computer programmer should be separately visible within the concept - it’s the Story that counts

- that story is told by real people - and people respond best to people

- although the average visit is around three hours, the prime indicator of success is the increased visitor numbers to Peel Castle, the increased levels of understanding on this complex site, and the increased movement of visitors around the historic landscape to monument sites which were previously relatively undiscovered

- I would like to think that we have begun to democratise the landscape in a way which will have great significance for the future

- obviously, visitors who are newly inspired to explore the heritage back-cloth need additional help

- we have provided a liked and dedicated road signage system

- we are experimenting with various forms of remote information technology to fully democratise the access to information - it’s no good being stimulated to access the real sites if, when you get there, the information is back in the museum - the greatest library in the world is no good to you when you’re wanting to appreciate the significance of a megalithic monument on the hillside


The development of remote, portable, family-friendly information technology with layered access to information, will be one of the crucial presentational developments for the future to fully realise the accessibility of the whole community to the national heritage assets.