Narrative and the Museum in Docklands

As with most factual stories the story does start in the present day with an introduction by Tony Robinson, setting the scene. But we are then taken straight away to the origins of London. The first gallery, although modernised by the use of digital labels with further video footage of M

There are a couple of interesting narrative devices that diverge from the standard. The first is the use 'filmed' fictional drama to bring the past to life, with a few ham actors pretending to be in Edward Lloyds Coffeehouse discussing the state of shipping in the pipe smoking, wig wearing, smug 18th Century. It fails both to be authentic or dramatic enough.

More successfully, is the multimedia in the Slavery section where meaningful words are spoken by a cast of ordinary (but very multi-cultural) Londoners. As a narrative tells a parallel story of the past and the present at the same time, and the use of one voice with many faces, at least makes the viewer think, and for once departs from the traditional narrative structure.
Physically, mostly the displays are of the directed serpentine system whereby there is definitely a right way to go around the Museum, in places there is a mixture of pinball and th

Post modern elements are restricted to the multimedia as mentioned above and the use of various post-it notes and pin up your opinion participative devices.
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