TEHIC-Handbook_of_best_practices

2. An overview of the concept of heritage interpretation and its evolution. 9 Tilden’s principles F reeman Tilden was a journalist and consultant to National Parks in the USA. He defined the discipline in 1957 in his work “ Interpreting Our Heritage ”, which is considered to be the "Bible" of heritage interpretation. According to Tilden, heritage inter- pretation is: “An educational activity which aims to reveal meanings and relationships through the use of original objects, by firsthand experience, and by illus - trative media, rather than simply to communicate factual information”. (Tilden 1977, p. 8.). After years observing visitors’ be - haviour, he drew up a set of principles which, despite being over seventy years since their publication, they still are very much alive: 1. Interpretation should relate what is being displayed and described to something within the visitor's experience and personality. 2. Information, as such, is not interpretation. Interpretation is revelation based upon in- formation. But they are entirely different things . However, all interpretation includes information. 3. Interpretation is an art which combines many arts regardless of subject material. 4. The chief aim of interpretation is not instruction but provocation . 5. Interpretation should aim to present a whole, rather than a part. It must be a compre- hensive approach . 6. Interpretation for children must be designed specifically for children, and not simply a dilution of programs and information for adults. Freeman Tilden’s “Interpreting Our Heritage”. Spanish ver- sion translated by the Spanish Association for Heritage Interpretation (Asociación para la Interpretación del Patri- monio, AIP), 2006. Picture by Verónica del Río.