Entre Mindo y El Reventador: el medio y su historia

Many of the museums studied adopted a chronological approach to the past, because it was perceived as the easiest one for the general public to relate to. Another technique is to adopt populist approaches to

history in order to create familiarity. In England there exists a readily identifiable sequence of monarchs, which Robert Cobb has

characterised as "a national timescale immediately understandable to any English child." (Cobb quoted in Lowenthal 1990 p:221) This is often used to provide a sense of chronology, particularly in popular historical narratives. Periods of history are characterised by the ruling monarch into Edwardian, Georgian and Elizabethan eras. Each of these eras possess their own papular mythology and imagery. The 19th century

becomes embraced in an all encompassing term 'Victorian' and in doing so

can invest sixty years of dynamic change into a homogenous whole, of pseudo-Dickensian nostalgia. Martin Watts termed this the pre-1900 syndrome;

"If anything is old Its Victorian. If you're g o i n g to come dressed up for what ever reason, perhaps educational or what ever else always come in a flat cap or mob cap because somehow that is seen to be old and somehow considered to be appropriate" (Watts 1992).

The 19th century is a period of history which excites considerable

papular interest, although much of it is shrouded in a popular mythology of Hansom cabs, crinolines, cluttered drawing rooms and a universal acceptance of hard work and thrift. Richard Polley explained that in a

recent re-interpretation of the English Heritage property Mount Grace Priory, it was felt that the mediaeval period has little relevance to the modern visitor. It was therefore decided to begin the interpretation

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with the 19th century history of the Priory, a period which h a s m u c h clearer image in the public mind, than the amorphous middle ages, and then work back in time to the 15th century. This case demonstrates the demands of the audience or market shaping the decision-making processes of the curator. This is not unique, many museums will choose to put on displays and exhibitions on periods of history that have already

captured the public imagination. In 1992 many English Heritage properties and museums including Gakwell Hall are using the 350th Anniversary of the beginning of the English Civil War as an excuse to put on special events and exhibitions. The Second World War is another popular theme, Benningborough Hall is planning a temporary exhibition on the role of the Hall during the War, whilst at H.F.H.C the 1992

blockbuster exhibition is 'Trawlers at War' which Richard Doughty

acknowleged: "We are guaranteed an audience straight away because of the subject matter"(Doughty 1992).

Famous events and dates in the past like the Forman Conquest, the

Spanish Armada and the First World War, are often adopted by museums as artificial focii to provide the visitor with recognisable landmarks. Richard Hall explained that this was the rationale behind the Jorvik Time Tunnel. During the Coppergate Dig, many visitors were unsure whether the Vikings invaded before or after the Romans;

"If you want to try and answer that painlessly and subliminally y ou have a time tunnel where people get into their little cars and they go back past modern, Victorian, Edwardian, Mediaeval figures, but

past the Norman Conquest and up to that point you are going in silence, but at the Norman Conquest you are told you are at the Norman Conquest so that is simply putting a thing into an easy time frame for people"(N.Hall 1992).

What is also interesting about Jorvik's time tunnel is the use of easily

recognisable, even stereotypical figures, from the past; The First World War soldier, the lady in her Victorian crinoline, the Georgian and Elizabethan Courtiers, the Cavalier, the Mediaeval n i n s t ^ I , the monk and the Norman knight. The vast army of ordinary workers and peasants are barely represented.

Yet stereotypical images, as well as being used to reinforce popular perceptions, can also be used to revise the received image of the past. This technique is used in Jorvik. Visitors are greeted by two simple statements; 'The Vikings- They came form the. S e a ' ; The Vikings-they raided and slaughtered'. From then on, the visitor is provided with a series of interpretative panels on Viking settlements, trade and life style before entering the time tunnel and the reconstructed

village. Richard Hall explained;

"We k n o w from talking to people or rather we k n e w ten years ago when

we started this Viking caper that people really had very little

image of the Vikings other than they were looters, pillagers and general n'er do wells. We hope that they see from what we have found

that there is another side to what those people did". (R.Hall 1992)

Fictional characters are also used to introduce the visitor to an unfamiliar subject. Until relatively recently Beamish used the Geordie character Jonti to introduce visitors to the history and culture of the North East. ARC begins its orientation video discussing Indiana Jones and the pyramids. As Richard Hall explained;

"I suppose itte true, that when archaeology hits the headlines, its

because spectacular things have been found. There is a great s u b ­ strata of archaeology that is going on month after month, day after

day which never makes anything but the most parochial headlines. So for very many people it is the spectacular in one way or a n o t h e r .

they associate archaeology with Indiana Jones and all that" (R.Hall 1992).

Museums not only use familiar images of the past, but also use the legends and folklore that fuse popular perceptions of the past, characters like King Arthur, Robin'Hood, ghosts, spirits and witches. The new archaeology gallery at Tolson will have a whole interpretative panel devoted to the legends of Castle Hill, Almondbury and Virksworth Heritage Centre explores it4 local customs in its exhibition. However, as at Ryedale Folk Museum the existence of these popular historical narratives can cause problems for interpretation. The museum has a display of various ephemera connected with witchcraft, and for Martin there remains a delicate "balance between recording it and not pandering to a salacious interest" (Vatts 1992).