#  Prioritizing Culture 

 



There are a growing number of cultural heritage sites that are becoming endangered, and threats to their security are cause for alarm within the international community. Monuments and sites can deteriorate due to a number of reasons, including natural disasters, climate change, political agendas, or armed conflict. It is important that we, as citizens of the world, make an effort to combat forces that threaten culture—culture is something that has existed far before our time and will continue to outlive us, and it is one of the most significant transmitters of history for future generations. Without it, we lose part of our own memory. For these reasons, it is important that there are efforts mades towards protecting and *prioritizing* culture.



 

 

       ![Arch of Triumph today](/sites/g/files/omnuum11291/files/styles/hwp_21_9__1920x825/public/whoseculture/files/arch_of_triumph_today.jpg?itok=pY45KjMw) 

 

 



 

 



 

**International Accountability**

All peoples have contributed to building world culture, and so the protection of cultural heritage is thus an international responsibility. Part of UNESCO’s mission is to establish principles, laws, and treaties that uphold this universal expectation and to keep countries in equal conversation with one another. Still, the mistreatment of historical sites and artefacts persists.

Repatriation is an ongoing issue with problems rooted in national identity and an international neglect of it. Sometimes the loss of objects happens in a secretive and untraceable way, such as in the case of blood antiquities of Syria and the looted art objects from the Iraq Museum, and other times this problem takes place on a global stage, as the controversy regarding the British Museum’s possession of the Parthenon Marbles has illustrated. Whether on the micro or macro level, the persistence of this problem relates to the fact that there is oftentimes a lack of international accountability following the loss of these objects. Ignoring the principles of international respect for other nations' heritage results in the deterioration of culture. It is crucial that countries continue to respect not only the laws established by UNESCO, but also cultural heritage itself.

Other times, neglect for the protection of cultural heritage occurs within a nation’s borders, or is unbound entirely. Although the conversion crisis of Hagia Sophias within Turkey is an intranational problem, there needs to be pressure from the international community to ultimately ensure the protection of these spaces. Similarly, the demise of Babylon's archaeological ruins was the result of the country's leadership and a disregard for the proper conservation required to maintain the historical integrity of the space. Without some kind of external consequence, these monuments will continue to decline.

**Advantages in a Digital World**

One way to enhance the respect for and protection of cultural heritage is through the use of Augmented Reality (AR) and other technological advances. AR is an increasingly popular trend in which the real-world environment is enhanced by computer-generated graphics. These graphics are often implemented through smart devices, such as phones or tablets, and thus are mobile and fairly accessible. Museums worldwide have already started to utilize AR to both amplify the space for aesthetic purposes and use it to further the educational potential of their galleries.

As proposed with the Parthenon, a potential solution for reconciling the tension between the British Museum and the Acropolis Museum might manifest itself in the creation of virtual renderings of the Parthenon Marbles in either of the museums’ galleries. While there is a greater issue of ownership that blankets this controversy, the implementation of AR can open up new conversations for how to resolve the problem at hand. AR can also project a myriad of motion graphics that push the educational potential of these objects, such as a virtual retelling of the history behind the Acropolis and Athens, which a single object cannot necessarily inform us of on its own. AR can also function outside of the gallery context, such as in the Bamiyan Valley. In the empty spaces of the Bamiyan Buddhas, there can be some kind of holographic projection of the original sculptures, in addition to features that might allow users to zoom in up close and see details that otherwise never would have been visible. A similar technology has the potential to reanimate the removed elements of Angkor Wat, fully illustrating the complete history of the site and not just the vision of French colonialists.

Whether objects have been displaced, destroyed altogether, or are fully intact, the potential for AR to provide users with a more robust viewing and educational experience has yet to be tapped. Technology can help us bridge the gaps in understanding and protecting cultural heritage by keeping its history and memory alive.