Since the 1960s, European artists have been experimenting with emerging technologies – film, video, sound, slides, software, and networked environments – to expand the boundaries of artistic practice. These media artworks are not only evidence of Europe’s creative legacy but also vital research infrastructure across disciplines including Art, Media Studies, Anthropology, Computer Science, and Digital Humanities.

Yet Europe’s media art heritage is facing a preservation crisis. Legacy technologies are rapidly disappearing, expertise is scattered, and collections – particularly in smaller institutions or Inclusiveness Target Countries – are at risk of loss. Without urgent action, decades of cultural innovation could vanish, leaving gaps in Europe’s art history and research infrastructure.

EMBARK (European Media and Born-Digital Art Conservation and Knowledge Network) is Europe’s first pan-European initiative addressing this challenge. By connecting academic researchers, heritage professionals, artists, technologists, and legal experts, EMBARK builds a cohesive, interdisciplinary community dedicated to media art conservation. The network fosters knowledge transfer, shared tools and methods, and collaborative strategies to safeguard analog, digital, and born-digital artworks.

Key Actions

• Networking and knowledge exchange: Linking institutions, universities, and experts across Europe to share expertise, develop best practices, and map skills gaps
• Emerging technologies: Developing curatorial, conservation and legal frameworks,
• copyright and security issues in relation to software-based art, ownership, and emerging infrastructures such as blockchain technology
• Artist and stakeholder engagement: Involving creators in shaping preservation strategies and documenting their tacit knowledge
• Sustainability and ethics: Integrating environmental considerations into conservation strategies and storage practices
• Capacity building: Training the next generation of specialists through workshops, conferences, and collaborative projects

Impact

EMBARK intends to strengthen the scientific foundation of media art conservation, support heritage institutions in preserving Europe’s rich cultural diversity, and ensure public access to this dynamic, socially and politically critical art form. By creating transnational synergies and shared infrastructures, EMBARK secures Europe’s media art legacy for generations to come.

Header image: digitalcanon.nl