The Vital Spark Interpretation Conference
Encyclopedia
The Vital Spark Interpretation Conference was held from 30 September - 3 October 2007 in the Aviemore
Highland Resort in the Cairngorms National Park
. This international conference brought together over 300 heritage interpreters
from many countries around the world who shared experiences, learned from each other and reinforced the networks of professional interpretation organisations and individual interpreters around the world.
The conference was run by Interpret Scotland
and the Association for Heritage Interpretation
and was one of the key events of Highland 2007
- a year of events and projects celebrating Scotland's Highland culture and heritage. The name 'the Vital Spark' refers to the name of the Clyde puffer, Vital Spark
, in Neil Munro's Para Handy
stories and was chosen to reflect the importance of interpreting our cultural and natural heritage to the public.
The conference was accompanied by a special edition of the Interpret Scotland Journal Issue 16. Edited versions of the keynote papers were published in the Association for Heritage Interpretation's 'Interpretation' Journal (Volume 12 Number 3).
- The Vital Spark: interpretation as the driver for cultural regeneration
- Creativity and innovation: interpreting remote and fragile areas
- Voices in interpretation: languages, cultures and communities
- Authenticity and re-interpretation: traditional icons in the 21st century
The keynote speakers at the conference were :-
The main conference visits were to the site of the Battle of Culloden
and key sites within the Cairngorms National Park
.
Many of the papers presented at the conference, including those from the keynote speakers, are available from the Association for Heritage Interpretation website.
Aviemore
Aviemore is a town and tourist resort, situated within the Cairngorms National Park in the Highlands of Scotland. It is in the Badenoch and Strathspey committee area, within the Highland council area. The town is popular for skiing and other winter sports, and for hill-walking in the Cairngorm...
Highland Resort in the Cairngorms National Park
Cairngorms National Park
The Cairngorms National Park is a national park in north east Scotland, established in 2003. It was the second of two national parks established by the Scottish Parliament, after Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, set up in 2002. The park covers the Cairngorms range of mountains, and...
. This international conference brought together over 300 heritage interpreters
Heritage interpretation
Heritage interpretation is the communication of information about, or the explanation of, the nature, origin, and purpose of historical, natural, or cultural resources, objects, sites and phenomena using personal or non-personal methods....
from many countries around the world who shared experiences, learned from each other and reinforced the networks of professional interpretation organisations and individual interpreters around the world.
The conference was run by Interpret Scotland
Interpret Scotland
Interpret Scotland is an inter-agency initiative between Scottish organisations concerned with heritage interpretation. It was begun in 1997 and its key aims are to :* Improve the quality and quantity of interpretation in Scotland...
and the Association for Heritage Interpretation
Association for Heritage Interpretation
The Association for Heritage Interpretation is a membership based organisation for people actively involved or concerned with heritage interpretation....
and was one of the key events of Highland 2007
Highland 2007
Highland 2007 was a year-long celebration of Highland culture which took place from January until December 2007. It involved local communities throughout the Scottish Highlands and Islands as well as people across Scotland, the UK and beyond....
- a year of events and projects celebrating Scotland's Highland culture and heritage. The name 'the Vital Spark' refers to the name of the Clyde puffer, Vital Spark
Vital Spark
The Vital Spark is a fictional Clyde puffer, created by Scottish writer Neil Munro. As its captain, the redoubtable Para Handy, often says: "the smertest boat in the coastin' tred"....
, in Neil Munro's Para Handy
Para Handy
Para Handy, the anglicized Gaelic nickname of the fictional character Peter Macfarlane, is a character created by the journalist and writer Neil Munro in a series of stories published in the Glasgow Evening News under the pen name of Hugh Foulis....
stories and was chosen to reflect the importance of interpreting our cultural and natural heritage to the public.
The conference was accompanied by a special edition of the Interpret Scotland Journal Issue 16. Edited versions of the keynote papers were published in the Association for Heritage Interpretation's 'Interpretation' Journal (Volume 12 Number 3).
Conference programme
The Vital Spark featured over 70 speakers who presented papers based upon current interpretation issues and in particular concentrated upon the following conference themes:- The Vital Spark: interpretation as the driver for cultural regeneration
- Creativity and innovation: interpreting remote and fragile areas
- Voices in interpretation: languages, cultures and communities
- Authenticity and re-interpretation: traditional icons in the 21st century
The keynote speakers at the conference were :-
- Professor Sam H Ham, Director of the Centre for International Training and Outreach, University of Idaho, USA.
- Professor James HunterJames HunterDr James Hunter CBE is currently Director for the UHI Centre for History, Chairman of the Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust and formerly the Chairman of Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the Inverness-based development and training agency for the North of Scotland...
, Director of the UHI Centre for History, Scotland. - Professor Alastair McIntoshAlastair McIntoshAlastair McIntosh is a Scottish writer, academic and activist.He was brought up in Leurbost on the Isle of Lewis and is married to Vérène Nicolas. He is involved with Scottish land reform especially on Eigg and campaigned successfully against the Harris superquarry in Lingerbay...
, Fellow of the Centre for Human Ecology, Treasurer of the Galgael Trust and Visiting Professor of Human Ecology, University of Strathclyde, Scotland - Shonaig Macpherson, Chair of the National Trust for ScotlandNational Trust for ScotlandThe National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, commonly known as the National Trust for Scotland describes itself as the conservation charity that protects and promotes Scotland's natural and cultural heritage for present and future generations to...
, Scotland. - John Pastorelli, Principal of Ochre Learning, Australia.
- Jette Sandahl, Director Experience of Te Papa Tongarewa, New Zealand.
- Susan Strauss, Storyteller, Author and Professor, USA.
The main conference visits were to the site of the Battle of Culloden
Battle of Culloden
The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Taking place on 16 April 1746, the battle pitted the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart against an army commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, loyal to the British government...
and key sites within the Cairngorms National Park
Cairngorms National Park
The Cairngorms National Park is a national park in north east Scotland, established in 2003. It was the second of two national parks established by the Scottish Parliament, after Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, set up in 2002. The park covers the Cairngorms range of mountains, and...
.
Many of the papers presented at the conference, including those from the keynote speakers, are available from the Association for Heritage Interpretation website.