Ballantyne, Roy

Bond, Nigel

Packer, Jan

University of Queensland eSpace

 1 
Interpreting Difficult Stories: Principles for the application of hot interpretation 
 
Roy Ballantyne, Jan Packer and Nigel Bond 
University of Queensland School of Tourism 
 
Published in: Interpretation Network New Zealand, INNZ Insights (2013). 
 
“Hot interpretation” is a term coined by David Uzzell, to refer to interpretation that 
uses emotive and challenging content to prompt visitors to re-examine their own 
beliefs and perceptions regarding social, environmental, or moral issues. In this paper, 
we explore the use of hot interpretation at an exhibition in the State Library of 
Queensland that depicted the history of forced removals of Aboriginal children from 
their families in the early to mid-twentieth century – often referred to as the “Stolen 
Generations”.  
   
Based on this research, we have identified five principles that may serve to guide the 
application of hot interpretation techniques when dealing with controversial and 
emotional issues: 
 
1. Narrative and personal storytelling should occupy a central place in hot 
interpretation and should provide multiple points of personal connection 
with visitors.  
For the majority of participants, personal accounts or stories provided by those who 
lived through the Stolen Generations experience left the largest impression. 
Highlighting the similarities between the visitor and the storyteller helped to develop 
empathy and allowed visitors to imagine themselves in the place of the other and to 
develop an understanding of their situation. Visitors are often drawn to exhibits 
containing diaries and personal letters for example, because these things help visitors 
connect with another’s feelings. 
 
2. Despair should be balanced with hope, providing visitors with a way to deal 
with their feelings and move forward. 
A number of participants commented on the feelings of sadness and anger, guilt and 
shame the exhibition had aroused. However, for the majority of visitors, the sadness 
and anger felt over the events depicted were balanced with feelings of hope and 
admiration for the Aboriginal people. In particular, participants discussed the 
resilience of Aboriginal people in their ability to survive in the face of such extreme 
adversity and hardship. When the topic or event being interpreted is likely to be 
distressing to visitors, providing a balancing, positive perspective may help to provide 
visitors with a way of dealing with their feelings and find a way forward. 
 
3. Presentation of historical evidence and balanced interpretation should leave 
visitors feeling educated, rather than persuaded. 
Mostly, visitors considered the exhibition to be educational, and supported its role in 
bringing these issues to the attention of the public. Supplementing personal stories 
with historical detail in official government documents and letters was one way that 
the exhibition approached this. The use of official documents “authenticated” the 
experiences of the individuals being interpreted. However, some participants felt that 
the exhibition had tried to be too persuasive. If the perception of balance is lost, the 
educational value of the exhibition will likely be diminished.  
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4. Providing a place or space for reflection should encourage visitors to 
personalize and internalize their learning. 
The Visitor Response Wall was an important aspect of the exhibition because it 
allowed visitors to consider and reflect on the exhibition content in relation to 
their own lives and also allowed them to become a part of the exhibition. One 
possible complication, however, is that visitors’ comments may not be in 
keeping with the balanced approach taken by the exhibit designers. This is 
clearly something that needs to be considered carefully by the institution.  
 
5. Focusing on the past to inform the future should provide visitors with a way 
of learning from the mistakes of others and contribute to building a better 
future for all. 
Just as it is important to balance a sense of despair with hope, so it is important 
to focus not only on the past but also on the future. How can visitors make 
sense of distressing events and learn something that will be of value in their 
own lives? Participants in this study acknowledged that an understanding of the 
past should lead to better decisions in the future. 
 
 
Note: This article is drawn from a more detailed discussion of the study which is 
published as: 
 
Ballantyne, R., Packer, J., and Bond, N., (2012). Interpreting shared and contested 
histories: The Broken Links Exhibition. Curator: The Museum Journal, 55 (2), 153-
166.  
 
 


Interpreting difficult stories: principles for the application of hot interpretation

http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:288161/ballantyne_packer_bond_2013_INNZ.pdf

Interpreting difficult stories: principles for the application of hot interpretation

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