OPEN CALL | Cafés as European Cultural Heritage
Are coffee shops among your favorite places? Do you have any stories or memories connected to these places? Would you like to help share this cultural heritage?
Take part in the Open Call for the European CAFÉ project!
A collective memory project—a collection of photos, images, and stories that tell the history of cafés
WHAT IS THE CAFÉ PROJECT?
CAFÉ is a project co-funded by the Creative Europe program of the European Union, which aims to revitalize the historical, social, and cultural value of European cafés, recognizing them as places of gathering, creativity, and collective memory, rooted in a rich tradition of social and intellectual exchange. The project partners are: Hadik (Hungary), ECCOM (Italy), ZRC SAZU (Slovenia), and KEA (Belgium).
The project involves contemporary artists and the people who live in or frequent the cafés. We are collecting contributions of various kinds and in different formats to reconstruct a collective history of the cafés: memories, images, stories, and personal accounts.
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE
Anyone! Regulars and occasional visitors, artists, story lovers, and citizens of all ages and backgrounds. Participation is free and open to everyone.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
Fill out the online form by entering your information and uploading the required documents:
- A short personal essay in response to one or more of the questions listed below (maximum 300–350 words).
- At least one photo, image, illustration, audio, or video (historical or contemporary)
Images: JPG or PNG, maximum 5 MB
Audio or Video: MP4, maximum 100 MB, maximum duration 2 minutes
The contributions collected will be included in the Emotional Map of European Cafés, published on the project’s website and shared on our channels, and will serve as a source of inspiration for the artists’ work.
QUESTIONS
Feel free to answer by choosing one of the three topics below and answering one or more questions.
Topic 1. Coffee Shops as Spaces for Collective Creativity
- What do coffee shops mean to you today?
- You often choose coffee shops as places to:
- Meeting
- Socialization
- Inspiration
Tell us how.
Topic 2. Intangible Elements and Emotional Memories
- What are some of the coffee experiences you remember fondly? What elements or sensations are associated with those memories? (sounds, smells, sensations, etc.)
- What’s your favorite “ritual” when you’re at a coffee shop?
Topic 3. Design and Atmosphere
- If you were to design a coffee shop, what objects and elements would be essential to creating its atmosphere?
- If you had to choose a movie, a painting, or an image to represent a coffee you like, which one would it be?
DEADLINE
Submit your entries by June 30, 2025.
CONTACT US
Follow us on social media to stay updated on the project @eccom_it
