"That's Not Why I'm Here": Promoting Sustainable Development in the Open Air Museum

In this article, I explore how emerging interpretive practices related to contemporary building culture and sustainability challenge the interaction between public and professional understandings in a history museum – in this case, the Open Air Museum in Lyngby, Denmark. Focusing on visitor engagements, the study highlights the complexity and, at times, ambiguous nature of affective responses evident in visitors’ understandings of and attitudes towards such interventions, as well as the role their perception of the museum and the past on display play in shaping these responses. Drawing inspiration from heritage scholar Laurajane Smith’s work on emotional heritage, the study further demonstrates that affect need not be intense to have consequences. ‘Flat’ forms of emotion, such as indifference and disregard, also shape the meanings visitors derive from their visits and, consequently, how open-air museums can effectively communicate – and promote – sustainable development.