Houses and the objects within them stand as tangible symbols of human memory. Some
memories are created unconsciously in day-to-day living; others are consciously attached
to objects that are cherished as symbols of other places, relatives and friends. Memories
may seem to be lost until they are rediscovered in moment of involuntary recall, triggered
by an object, a smell or taste.
The purpose of this research project is to investigate the memory experiences of
visitors to a house museum; what they do with those experiences and how important they
are to them.
Forty adult visitors to Calthorpes' House in the ACT were interviewed using the
focused interview technique with a framework of questions that allowed for a
conversational style and additional questions. The interviews were recorded and later
transcribed.
The results showed that all visitors reported experiencing memories during their
visit to Calthorpes' House. Many people found those experiences enjoyable and wanted
to share them with others.
These findings are important because they can inform the set-up, interpretation
and publicity of house museums in ways which will attract new visitors and help to
engage with visitors' interests when they visit house museums.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/201042 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Webber, Susan, n/a |
| Publisher | University of Canberra. Built & Cultural Environment |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | ), Copyright Susan Webber |
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