ABSTRACT
Heritage sites, museums and galleries are increasingly being viewed as sites for dialogue and exchange. As a result, the last decade or so has witnessed a growing number of exhibitions that have been designed to be provocative and to challenge people’s perceptions and accepted ways of engagement. Among these are the exhibitions that have been developed to allow previously unheard voices to be included in the representations and in the interpretations offered for public consumption. Some have used new frameworks, approaches and devices to encourage people to look at, and interpret, material differently. Others have included material deemed to be sensitive. A number of these have stimulated controversy and heated reactions in the public arena—even when they have been curated with sensitivity, responsibility and with a certain amount of consultation. Can, or should, cultural heritage sites and institutions try to avoid controversy?
