User:Herr0183/Demonstration

Demonstration
Demonstration is a form of museum interpretation that has been used in museums, historic sites, zoos, and aquaria for decades to illustrate activities and concepts such as historic craft making and scientific principles. Demonstrations have traditionally involved explanation accompanied by a real object and presented by a demonstrator who generally does not assume to be anyone else. Examples include the New England Aquarium's fish-feeding demonstration, during which visitors watch a diver feed fish while listening to a volunteer explain the process, and a lightning presentation at the Museum of Science, Boston, in which visitors watch lightning flashes produced by a Van de Graaff generator. There is a great deal of overlap between demonstration and theatre. Some museums, such as The National Museum of Science and Industry in London, classify demonstration as a form of museum theatre. Other museums, such as the Science Museum of Minnesota, use actors to present demonstrations. Demonstrations often employ theatrical techniques such as characterization, costume, narrative, and special effects; the purpose of using such techniques is to enliven the demonstration. Demonstration may also serve as an element of a museum play or theatre piece. However, differences remain between the conventions of demonstration and the conventions of theatre, and in her book Exploring Museum Theatre, Tessa Bridal warns museums against promoting a demonstration as a theatre performance, as it may cause visitor confusion or disappointment. In general, demonstration aims to engage visitors, to create interest in a topic, to serve as an alternative to lists of facts and static exhibitions, and to provoke emotions, and subsequently, learning.