Freeman tilden interpretation
Tilden’s Principles of Interpretation
From Interpreting Our Heritage
by Freeman Tilden
Father of Natural & Cultural Interpretation
Text in italics are my own summation of these principles.
1. Any interpretation that does not somehow relate what is being displayed or described to something within the personality or experience of the visitor will be sterile.
Make your site and your persona relevant to the guest through mental or emotional connections. Without this, the interpretation is stale and ineffective. It must be different from what might be considered the same type of program at a similar site. What makes your site different? What was the reason your site was set aside to be protected?
2. Information, as such, is not Interpretation. Interpretation is revelation based on information. But they are entirely different things. However, all interpretation includes information.
An interpreter can spout information all day long, but while informative, this will not add
anything to the experience of a guest. A common analogy is that of a hose attached to a fire hydrant. Once turned on, the water jets out in a long continuous stream. An interpreter spewing information like this overloads the mind of the guest and very little is retained. Not to say accurate information is bad, but use that information to make a connection. In the process, the question “so what” or “why does it matter” must be answered.
3. Interpretation is an art, which combines many arts, whether the materials presented are scientific, historical, or architectural. Any art is to some degree teachable.
Interpretation IS an art. As with any artistic pursuit, some will have greater aptitude than others, but interpretation IS teachable regardless of the subject matter. What is required of the interpreter is an interest in continual research, a passion for the subject matter, and a desire to relate the subject matter to guests in a personal way to make connecti Freeman Tilden’s Interpretation Theory Before understanding Tilden’s model of Interpretation, we first need to know what is meant by interpretation? According to the Socratic concept, all tables in the world (using tables as examples was Plato’s favourite work) are imitations of some ideal table; when one thinks of a table, he is creating his own table by imagining an ideal table. This imagination is important because if we did not have the memory of the ideal table, this material table could not have come about. The craftsman knows, however, that he will never be able to build a table like the ideal table of his imagination because the table of his mind is indestructible. But the material table is bounded. On the other hand, Aristotle says that this is not the case. Our tables are different because of our mimesis (creativity). That is, I am unable to make according to my mind meanwhile what is happening is something new. Being “I” is what makes the difference. If we think of interpretation from here, we can see that every interpretation has a subject called ‘I’, and who/what I am interpreting, is the ‘object’. Hence, in Nyāya philosophy, it is called “Vyāpāra”, when object and subject meet at a point. Interpretation starts right from here. The process by which this interpretation begins is called the “Ādhīkaraṇa” in Nyaya philosophy, which means a ‘source’. Interpretation therefore means to analyse any object (which, in essence becomes an object when interpreted) from the point of view of the subject – through an “Ādhīkaraṇa”. Coming to heritage interpretation, it is the art of revealing the story behind every object. It aims at a certain public service that is not just mere information but a wholesome story, which will make you think about the object, once you leave the venue. Interpretation is not just the translation from one language into another, or a construction placed upon a legal document, rather interpretatio Freeman Tilden (August 22, 1883 – May 13, 1980) was one of the first people to set down the principles and theories of heritage interpretation in his 1957 book, Interpreting Our Heritage. Tilden was born in Malden, Massachusetts, and developed his writing skills as a newspaper reporter. His work with the United States National Park Service (NPS) inspired generations of interpreters across the world and continues to be a definitive text for the discipline. According to thematic interpretation expert, Sam H. Ham, Tilden's quotation on page 38 of Interpreting Our Heritage (which was taken from a US National Park Service administrative manual) has become one of the most cited phrases in the interpretation literature worldwide: Through interpretation, understanding; through understanding, appreciation; through appreciation, protection. Tilden is the namesake for the NPS's annual Freeman Tilden Award, awarded regionally for excellence in interpretation. Updated: Nov 11, 2021 Freeman Tilden (August 22, 1883 – May 13, 1980) is known as the Father of Heritage Interpretation and lived to be 97 years old. Tilden was the first author to ever provide a definition for the field of interpretation: “An educational activity which aims to reveal meanings and relationships through the use of original objects, by firsthand experience, and by illustrative media, rather than simply to communicate factual information.” He’s famous for writing the book Interpreting Our Heritage in 1957. In this book he laid down the principles and theories of park interpretation that would inspire interpreters across the world for future generations to come. Freeman was not a trained environmental educator or interpreter, instead he was a writer from a young age. It wasn’t until the 1940’s that he began to write about National Parks which he believed to be a symbol of America’s natural and cultural heritage. Some of his early publications include The National Parks: What They Mean to You and Me in 1951, and The State Parks: The Meaning of American Life. As an employee of the National Park Service his responsibilities included traveling to numerous National Parks so he could observe and record the presentations and habits of Park Rangers as they delivered educational programs to visitors. He complied these notes and began to lay the foundation for interactive, provocative interpretation. In his studies lie the ingenuity of high-quality pioneers, people who were educating in engaging ways before the book was even written. These were his study subjects, he took what he seen that worked, and created a compilation of techniques and Freeman Tilden's Interpretation Theory
Freeman Tilden
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Freeman Tilden - The Father of Heritage Interpretation: People of the Parks Past Series #8