Working in heritage is an outward-facing professional venture. For this reason, I think it’s important to enable those who are studying it to experiment with connecting to the larger world beyond the classroom. As we did in 2016 (see articles here), then, this year my Masters students and I have tested medium.com as a forum for sharing our ideas more broadly.
I have discussed the nature of and rationale for this task in my own piece on Medium about Everyday Diplomacy. And below I provide links to each of the students’ articles in turn. I hope you might take the time to read, think about, share and perhaps also comment upon these excellent pieces of work.
360 exhibit — A vision for the future or a failure for museums? by Eva Heimpel, Amy Wright, Andrew Jarvis, Eleri Newman, Georgina Bois, and Angeliki Tzouganatou: a fantastic critical review of the concept of the virtual museum and its application by Google Arts and Culture in its ‘virtual Natural History museum’.
Stories Shaped by Space: Star Carr in the Yorkshire Museum by Mariko Abe, Sophia Mirashrafi, Thomas Hodgson, Anne-Marie Heuck and Sarah Mctiernan: a fascinating review of the Star Carr exhibition at the local Yorkshire Museum with especial attention paid to the effect space has on engagement with, and appreciation of, the displays.
The Scarborough Castle Diaries by Rachel Bateson, Yishan Chen, Aleen Stanton, Tom Reed, and Ryanna Coleman: five different takes on a visit to Scarborough Castle, prompting critical reflections on the social and emotional nature of one’s engagement with heritage.
Five Senses in the Georgian Era: A Sugar Trip by Kirsty Wilson, Pardis Zahedi, Dion Rice, Jennifer Cooke, and Greg Judges: an evocative proposal for a new multi-sensory exhibition at York’s Fairfax House looking at the entanglement of sugar production, York’s sweets industry, and the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
Bodies on Display by Ashley Fisher, Fiona Gibson, Nathan Bishop, Vivienne Cooling, Luke Towers, and Rachael Nicholson: a critical consideration of the varied forms of displaying human remains at cultural sites & their numerous ethical implications.
Exploring alternative narratives in York. The villains are about, come and seek them out! by Jessica Western, Lydia Loopesko, Lexi Baker, William Egan, Joseph Perry and Sophie Farmer: at once an exploration of some of York’s untold histories, as well as a proposal for a new visitor experience around the city, this article introduces us to alternative narratives that might help us rethink our understandings of York.
York Castle Museum — Kirkgate: Costumed Vs. Written interpretation by Naomi Swain, Chien-Jyun Chiou, Ruth Yoxon, Henry Weeds, Kirsty Ryder, and Lauren Shelton: an overview of the successes and failures of costumed interpretation & other ‘immersive’ displays in the York Castle Museum.
