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An archivist by profession, Kristin Parker, consulting partner with the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), has worked more recently with refugees to help them create personal archives that aid them in making sense of their displacement. “I believe that cultural heritage acts as a wayfinding sign, especially in times of disaster and crisis. It reorients people out of the disorientation of disaster,” she said. “We are living in a time of mass displacement and, as archivists, we have to be really proactive about preserving the historic record right now for future generations so that we can understand what is going on.” Martin Roeske, from Google MENA’s public policy and government relations team, spoke about the tech company’s recent not-for-profit efforts in the fields of culture and the arts. “For those who cannot visit archaeological sites or museums in person, we are looking at immersive technologies to see how we can make that happen,” said Mr Roeske. Google began by using super-high definition cameras to capture two- dimensional objects and then moved on to 3-D objects and archaeological sites, using the same 360-degree capture technology that was employed for Google Street View. Augmented reality has also been used to bring together disparate objects in single, online exhibitions such as ‘Meet Vermeer’, one of 9,000 virtual immersive tours that have been created by Google, with 1,800 partners in 80 countries. “There are only 36 Vermeer paintings in the world, they are 18 different locations, one has been stolen; it’s very difficult to get them out of private collections for public viewing,” he said. 87