archaive: a creative europe project

archaive is the acronym for Access and Re-creation of Cultural Heritage archives challenging Artificial Intelligence for Valued Engagement, a project funded under the European Union’s Creative Europe programme, running from April 1, 2026 to September 30, 2028, and coordinated by MEET Digital Culture Center in Milan. The initiative aims to foster a dialogue between artistic archives and emerging technologies, promoting new forms of access, interpretation, and reactivation of digital heritage. Through an interdisciplinary approach that combines artistic research, technological innovation, and curatorial practices, archaive brings together an international consortium of cultural institutions working in the fields of digital arts, audiovisual archives, and cultural innovation.

The project is implemented by the consortium of European institutions, that are active in media art, artistic research, and digital heritage preservation: MEET Digital Culture Center (Italy), New Art Foundation (Spain), Museu Zer0 (Portugal), Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision – NISV (The Netherlands), and Public Art Lab – PAL (Germany).

The main objective of archaive is to revitalize historical media art archives, developed since the 1960s, through a critical dialogue with Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) technologies. In particular, the project aims to:

• enhance the role of archives as tools for analysis and critical reflection on AI;
• support the development of digital literacy among artists and cultural professionals;
• promote new modes of access to and engagement with digital cultural heritage;
• explore the relationship between AI and cultural heritage through the activities AI for Culture and Culture for AI.

One of the core elements of the project is its artistic residency programme, which will select 18 emerging artists through an international open call. Each selected artist will receive a €5,000 grant and will take part in 12-month residencies hosted by the partner institutions within the consortium. During the residency period, artists will have access to historical archives, workspaces, and a programme of curatorial and technical mentoring aimed at supporting the production of new digital artworks that reinterpret archival materials in relation to AI technologies.

The archaive project aims to generate a lasting impact within the European cultural sector by transforming media art archives from simple repositories of historical materials into dynamic platforms for artistic experimentation, research, and technological innovation. By democratizing access to cultural heritage and supporting artistic experimentation, archaive contributes to preserving Europe’s past while actively reinventing it in a contemporary perspective.