El contexto de construcción del nuevo oleoducto de crudos pesados:

All the museum professionals interviewed adopted a dide^tic view of interpretation, in which visitors are presented with information on the importance and value of the site or collections on display. Catherine Hall of Oakwell Hall believed strongly, that interpretation was the one of the key roles and duties of a museum. It is the interpretation, the contextualising of the objects, which distinguishes museums from

archives, and places them in the role of educators and communcative media;

uthe arguments that you don't need any interpretation is a load of rubbish to be honest. The public do need to have things explained

to them, they can see that there is a chair over there, and they can see that there is a table over there, but if you are not explaining h o w these objects come to be'here, or why they are there, I don't really see the point in the whole exercise. You might a s well send

them, to an antiques stall". (C. Hall 1992)

Many museums, especially those founded in the 19th or early 20th

century, have collections of artefacts presented to the public for their

own sake, with little accompanying information. Such exhibitions allow the past to speak for itself. Tolson has one gallery of this type which is devoted to a collection of objects presented in simple glass cases, and labelled merely for identification. The objects are themed with spectacles on one shelf, irons on another, cooking implemtents,

glassware, fancy waistcoats and old cameras on others. The visitor is free to browse amongst these objects, and to focus on those which

particularly arouse their curiosity. Each visitor brings their own ideas and perceptions with them and,unconstrained by formal information, is free to interpret the gallery and its contents in their own individual way John Rumsby of Tolson admitted;

"I would have put more interpretation in, but maybe I a m wrong ....because as I said people do like them and you don't actually need to say very much about a collection of irons, most people k n o w what they are" (Rumsby 1992).

Historic sites like the ruins of Roche Abbey which possess their own intrinsic beauty and special atmosphere, which for many visitors can be more powerful than any explanation. The setting of Roche Abbey in a secluded steep sided valley hidden from the ingtrusive world of the late 20th century, enables the visitor to wander through the crumbling

m a s o n r y and develop their own perceptions of its value and meaning. Richard Polley of English Heritage, who is committed to the Importance of interpretation acknowledged;

uthere is an argument for retaining some sites as being relatively unspoilt and where people can wander about and just experience the atmosphere of the site themselves" (Polley 1992).

The elegant 13th century Eenningborough Hall with its fine portraits and porcelain retains a special atmosphere of historic grandeur and of the power and wealth of the landed classes. Without a guide book the visitor could if they wished visit the house and receive no formal

interpretation. Roger Whitworth of the National Trust argued that to a certain extent the sheer quality and beauty of the wood carvings in some of the state rooms at Benninborough, do speak for themselves, but argued that the visitor experience is enhanced if visitors are told who was responsible for the wood carvings and how long it would take to carve a piece. This was a view shared by his colleague Ray Barker;

"If you k n o w nearly nothing about the eighteenth century or

portraits, you can enjoy the house by going round it and enjoying it on your own level. If what you want on your visit though, and some of our visitors do, is to learn more about the past, there is no way

a? the information necessary without either written text

or video or tape slice sequence . The more information people

have, the better can be their quality of thought" (Barker 1992).

This need for further information to provide visitors with a quality experience, and to explain the importance and value of the objects was a theme that emerged in a number of interviews. Automobilia's main purpose is to display carefully restored vintage Morris and Austin cars, but as the owner Brian Collins explained, the cars’ ability to speak for

themselves;

"depends on who is looking at them. People in the over fortv eve

with the vehicles because they have no experience to draw an (Collins 1992).

Interpretation provides the public with an understanding of the past and

adds to the enjoyment of the visit. Interpretation has another function, it has the power to change and alter opinion and attitudes, however

subtl^y. It is this function that underlies the importance of the curator in contributing to the cultural construction of history.