By Siddhi Jain
New Delhi, Aug 30 (IANSlife): History enthusiast and American adventurer Don Wildman says the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is adding fuel to the "fire of change" that was already going on for museums around the world. With a strong focus on going digital even pre-COVID, museums will now have to work harder on stitching together a whole experiential story for their audiences, he feels.
"Because of digital technology, the public experience of museums has been changing for years. There has been a massive urgency for the museums in America - I am sure it true for India as well - of how to attract younger audiences, how to make young people interested in coming and seeing a bricks-and-mortar museum which is an old fashioned idea. Not for me -- I loved museums all my life and that is certainly true for a lot of people. (But), the number of people that will go to museums in the future is going to change, with or without COVID," Wildman, 59, told IANSlife in a telephonic interview.
He adds that because of digital technology, people are operating differently these days and "going to a building to see things is an old-fashioned idea".
"So, COVID comes along at a very specific time when everything is changing. All it has done is add gasoline on the fire of that change. Sad in the short run, but in the long run it's probably moving along something which was already starting to happen. The upshot? The effects of COVID making people think in terms of seeing things online instead of going to those rooms and seeing it themselves is inevitable, I think it's already happening. It is forcing the museums to think more innovatively to how to hook those people in the things. By that I mean you can't just depend on people coming and walking around rooms looking at pieces anymore...when a person goes to a museum they put little tiny labels on the objects and it doesn't satisfy them anymore. They want the whole experience, they want more information, more interaction," Wildman explained about the process of change for museums.
Wildman is the host and narrator of the popular longest-running show 'Mysteries at the Museum', which has been on in the US and other countries for 10 years. Set to make it India debut on September 7, on Discovery Channel, Discovery Channel HD and Discovery Plus, "Mysteries at the Museum" illuminates the hidden treasures at the heart of history's most incredible triumphs, sensational crimes and bizarre encounters with special episodes.
For Wildman, the television show has already been stringing together an interesting and exciting experience of history, exactly how viewers like to approach the subject.
"It has been a very successful programme that has fascinated American audiences because there are so many museums in this country and yet people don't really know what's inside them. The show's format has been a success because it tells short form stories about artifacts that are always interesting and contain stories. They're brief and entertaining, but they're about history. I think American audiences don't know how much they're interested in history. And so when they watch these shows, they're delighted by the experience of understanding their culture better."
Containing largely American-centered storytelling, the show is sure to resonate with Indian audiences too, and bring them closer to world history. Calling the stories accessible to a global audience, Wildman terms the Travel Channel show multi-generational and family-oriented. Asked about the show-makers travelling to India to feature Indian stories and historical culture, Wildman finds it an interesting prospect and even said that he would like to look into it himself.
Wildman answers how he thinks the Coronavirus pandemic would be written into history. He credits the internet for the global feeling of being one and staying connected. "The recording of this pandemic will be quaint, strange and awkward for future generations to look back on because everything we had at hand was so difficult to work with in terms of our communication. COVID brought to the forefront...a brand new world we are in and we better get better at running this because it's not good enough yet."
Finally, he invites viewers to join him in watching the show. "We're digging deep into history, exciting and fascinating tales that will satisfy our viewers' curiosity about some of the world's hidden treasures. There are so many museums, galleries, local archives, crimes and collections, each with numerous artifacts and stories to tell - we've barely scratched the surface! We investigate and explore the mysterious stories from around the world," the storyteller concludes.