CHArt Seventeenth Annual Conference

Colin Beardon, University of Plymouth, UK
Using dramatic representations to explain historical artefacts on the Web

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The MaRSH project is a collaboration between the Corinium Museum, Cirencester and the Exeter School of Arts & Design, University of Plymouth which investigates the possible use of innovative Interent technologies to increase the public's knowledge of, and enthusiasm about, the museum's collection of artefacts. In particular, we wish to visualise the social contexts within which artefacts may have been used and to address examples from history where there is no clearly accepted single narrative.

Interactive software is inherently better suited to modelling processes, so a design approach is adopted that focuses upon working practices rather than the collection of artefacts. The resulting website is not hierarchical, but is best described in terms of several discrete, but interconnected, layers.

• Information: based upon a set of fairly conventional web pages which describe specific artefacts from the museum's collection.
• Activities: the site provides a number of 'active' pages where the user is expected to undertake a simulated process, thus placing the project firmly within the constructivist tradition of learning.
• Characters: eight dramatic characters have been created and represented.
• Dramatic narrative: when a user accesses the project, it is in the context of this persona and an issue they may have faced in their life.
• Virtual world: the site contains an imaginary 3D world - rather like a 4th century film set.

User groups have shown strong support for the project and found that characterisation helped bring the topic to life.

We argue that the Internet needs to provide better integration between 2D and 3D representations. We anticipate more could be done using server-side technologies.

A prototype website which illustrates the major features can be found at www.adr.plym.ac.uk/MaRSH

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