How a living lab methodology supports the reuse of cultural heritage in virtual environments

Built with Bits - run by Europeana Foundation and Macedonia Studio - has been running since 2021, and continues to evolve as an initiative supporting the creative reuse of digital cultural heritage. While this year’s open call led to the selection of three projects and the involvement of over 20 contributors, the programme’s impact extends far beyond these numbers. Over the years, Built with Bits has grown into a space for collaboration and experimentation. This year, we also supported six additional initiatives developed by educators, students and former participants, including classroom-based projects and reimagined proposals from past editions.

Built with Bits uses a methodology called ‘living lab’. This means that institutions from different cities in the world propose projects to carry out in virtual spaces. Then, an open call looks for people willing to collaborate with them.

We are excited to share the outcomes of this edition’s selected projects and highlight the creativity and collaboration behind them!

Discover the main projects

Marysee’s Paintings

Led by Pere Oliva from the volunteer organisation Serve the City, Paris, this project brings to life the story and artwork of Marysee, a woman who has lived on the streets of Paris for over 40 years. The project transformed a book created by volunteer and artist Claudia Vogel into a virtual, interactive exhibition using Captic, a European-based free 3D platform.

The initiative explores artivism — the intersection of art and activism — as a powerful tool for raising awareness about homelessness, challenging invisibility and fostering empathy. Co-created by an international team, it invites visitors to engage with Marysee’s experiences through her art in a deeply human and respectful way.

Project leader: Pere Oliva on behalf of an NGO named Serve the City from Paris (France).

Team members: Marina De Blas (Belgium), Maria Antónia Brandão (Portugal), Shweta Sachdeva Jha (India)

Other collaborators: Claudia Vogel, Marysee

Stories Of Displacement

Led by university professor Alejandro Cappelletti (Argentina), in collaboration with the Museo de Arte Español Enrique Larreta, this project presents a virtual exhibition centred on a 16th-century Spanish altarpiece in honour of Saint Anne now housed in Buenos Aires.

Using the altarpiece as a starting point, the exhibition explores the physical and symbolic displacement of artworks across time and geography, from Spain to France, Belgium and Argentina. It examines how cultural meaning shifts in new contexts and adopts a decolonial perspective to reframe Western religious art within today’s plural societies.

The exhibition includes three immersive rooms: iconographic analysis, historical journey, and thematic connections to migration. Developed with Europeana resources and Museo Larreta materials, it combines digital storytelling and exhibition design practices. The virtual exhibition was created on Spatial, with additional features currently under development on Holonet.

Project leader: Alejandro Cappelletti (Argentina) in collaboration with the Museo de Arte Español Enrique Larreta in Buenos Aires

Team members: Anna Johansson (Sweden), Elena Olmedo (Spain), Tena Sojer (Croatia), Andrea Perez (Italy)

Other collaborators: Dr. Patricia Nobilia from the Museo de Arte Español Enrique Larreta

Creative Lab For Migrants

Led by Qnarik Grigoryan from 4083km NGO, this project created a collaborative virtual space where young migrants express their experiences through digital art, music, comics and performances.

Centred on food as a symbol of cultural memory and migration, the project explores how ingredients, like people, travel and transform across borders. The result is a series of thematic virtual islands combining personal stories, recipes, and artworks.

The team explored creative digital platforms like Roblox, supported by technical mentorships and collaborative contributions from team members. Notably, one of the team members' tourism and culture start-up, artgonuts.io, helped expand opportunities to showcase the project beyond the virtual space. The lab fosters storytelling, creativity and shared cultural reflection in a uniquely digital format.

Project leader: Qnarik Grigoryan (Armenia/Spain) on behalf of the NGO 4083km.

Team members: Lulu Grigoryan (Armenia/Spain), Gina Palumbo (Italy), Anna Recasens (Spain), Guillermo Medrano (Spain), Despoina Lampada (Greece), Merit Zimmermann (The Netherlands), Javier Martínez (Spain), Javier Toral (Spain).

Other collaborators: Anna Recasens, Lyed Abdallah, Ikjot Singh, Andrés Marquínez, Anush Mnatsakanian, Ana María Pardo, Patricia Pardo

Explore the additional creative projects

Zamora Pyxis, A Story Told (Accessible)

This project was the result of a research project funded by the State Research Agency of the Ministry of Science and Innovation (Spain) and carried out by the IDEA Lab Research Group. It focused on the Bote de Zamora, a piece in the custody of the Museo Arqueológico Nacional in Spain that was submitted to Europeana as part of the Twin it! Campaign in 2024.

Project leader: Elena Loreto Olmedo (Spain) from IDEA Lab research group from Complutense University of Madrid

Team members: Rosario Arquero, Gonzalo Marco. Collabs: Silvia Cobo, Brenda Siso, José Antonio Salvador

Explore the space.

Restoration Of Sibiu Project

This project restored the virtual space created by students during the second edition of Built with Bits (Lucian Blaga Library) through the Captic platform, and expanded it with new spaces developed by a new group of students.

Project leader: Monica Oancea from the “Gheorghe Lazar” College in Sibiu (Romania)

Team members: Bratu Victor, Pop Daria-Maria, Reti Alexia, Milea Matei, Rusu Robert, Mila Andrei, Volosiniuc Adrian, Nedelcu Tudor, Tamas Rianna, Rusu Stefania

Explore the space.

A Virtual Tour Through The Old Part Of Our City

This space was conceived as a virtual tour of the city of Úbeda (Spain), offering a new way to prepare tourists before visiting the city and alternative ways of experiencing the city through immersive environments.

Project leader: José María Díaz from Colegio Salesiano Santo Domingo Savio from Úbeda (Spain)

Team members: David Rodríguez, Joaquín Torres Povedano, Francisco Trillo, María de la Yedra Martínez, Gaspar Sánchez and Luis Valero + 19 sixteen-year-old students

Explore the space.

Le Corbusier Virtual Museum

This is a virtual museum inspired by Le Corbusier’s Pavilion in Zurich, a museum dedicated to the architect’s work. This version is fully explorable in Spatial. The exhibition showcases his work and legacy through immersive 3D modelling. Featuring AI-generated videos, Le Corbusier himself reflects on today’s architectural challenges and redefines his Five Points for the modern era.

Project leader: Paco Sánchez from the Instituto Provençana from Barcelona

Team members: Kilian Ballesté Carrasco, Abryl Bergada Esteban, Duna Castillo Moyano, Nil Esteve Núñez de Arenas, Ian Moliner Mayor, Sara Vallejo Barbante, Aina Vázquez Anguera

Explore the space.

Built With Bits Cultural Hall

Finally, this project, whose team was composed of Paco Sánchez and their students, had the very special mission of creating a brand new cultural hall that would serve as an entrance for the totality of virtual environments from the four editions.

Project leader: Paco Sánchez from Instituto Provençana from Barcelona

Team members: Claudio Maximiliano, Unai Martín, Teo Palma, Esther Urriaga

Explore the space.

An inspiring year for Built with Bits

Throughout this edition, technology has been both a tool and a space for reflection. We questioned what accessibility, participation and openness truly mean in digital contexts. A sudden platform shutdown last year exposed the fragility of the systems we rely on, highlighting how technology shapes our work, connections and ethics. It reinforced the need for digital resilience and critical thinking that looks beyond the immediate.

As we move forward, we are reminded of the value of building projects with long-term sustainability in mind, ensuring that what we create today can endure, inspire, and continue to evolve into the future. Stay tuned and receive updates about our next open call for collaborators by joining the ENA Education Community. If you are representing an institution with a project that could participate in our next edition, you can fill in this form and share your idea with us!