In 2017, the Hintze Hall of the Natural History Museum in London was closed to visitors for six months while Dippy the Diplodocus skeleton cast, which had been on display since 1905, was replaced with the skeleton of the blue whale.
This move was in line with the museum’s Strategy 2020 to promote its commitment to its narratives of evolution, sustainability and the diversity of life.
Unfortunately, most visitors did not see it that way. There was confusion and disappointment around the change, as Dippy had occupied a special place in the museum experience of several generations. It was up to the front-of-house staff to manage visitor expectations, navigate operational challenges and engage with visitors with new narratives.
In order to support my team, I conducted a story-making workshop called Whale Tales. The aim was to transform scientific facts about the blue whale into stories that could be shared with visitors. The workshop was conducted in one day with 32 participants from the museum’s welcome services, bookings and sales and retail teams.
Whale Tales comprised of three exercises focused on:
  • Communication: The sharing of stories.
  • Collaboration: Introducing “whale words” and expanding the scientific vocabulary of participants.
  • Creation: Learning about narrative strategies and creating original narratives.
This project was made possible by the guidance and support of the Natural History Museum’s visitor-engagement managers and the learning and development adviser.
The workshop was conducted during museum hours and the participants and I were paid for our time at our standard hourly rate.
One of my key learnings from conducting this workshop was the value of a tangible outcome. Some of the workshop participants contributed their stories to be shared in the form of a booklet. Their stories reflect ownership of the space and specimens while expressing the museum’s narratives of sustainability, diversity of life and evolution.
The framework of this workshop engages three key stakeholders – visitors, staff and the museum. The way forward for this project and my personal practice is to apply the workshop to different scenarios and museums.
Manasi Pophale has a postgraduate degree in narrative environments and works part-time as a visitor assistant at the Natural History Museum, London