The Museum Speaks – Your Narrative or Mine? The Museum in a Web 2.0 World

When we encounter material objects in the gallery – artworks or archaeological artefacts – we are reading narratives authored in the institutional voice of the museum that can be compelling but, at the same time, through their opaque structure, can be totalizing in their delivery. In reading these macronarratives we are assured that this is the story – whether it is national, local or historical in nature. How could these persuasive narratives be seen as less than irrevocable, especially when they are punctuated by the physical evidence that is laid out in front of our very own eyes? However, when ‘normative’ displays of ‘our’ heritage, or ‘our’ shared memory are presented in the gallery not all visitors will necessarily concur with this message. Visitors may, of course, comply with the story line and will readily engage with the narrative; alternatively, the exhibition message may be read in opposition, while at other times visitors may simply react