THE Presence of the absenT

Raffaele Virgadaula & Anastasia Kostner

The Presence of the Absent is a site-specific dialogue between body, sound, and memory.

At its center is a walkable DJ console—a moving island of sound that travels through the city, continuously shaping and reshaping the space it passes through.

Together, DJ and occupational psychologist Raffaele Virgadaula and dancer and choreographer Anastasia Kostner create a living encounter between music, movement, and collective memory. Their collaboration transforms remembrance into a poetic gesture that unfolds across streets and squares.

Inspired by Gunter Demnig’s Stolpersteine, the performance becomes a ritual of presence—an act of listening to what remains unseen, unheard, or forgotten.

A tribute to those whose lives were interrupted by totalitarian regimes.
A movement through the city that allows absence to become visible again.

Duration: 40 minutes

Materials
Download the project dossier and technical rider:
Dossier (PDF)
Technical Rider (PDF)

For further information or collaboration inquiries, feel free to get in touch.

An invitation to reflect.

An invitation to give space to the forgotten.

An invitation to dream, dance, and connect.

An invitation to rediscover your own city.

“So moving… I believe these stumbling stones should cover all our streets — not only to remember the Holocaust, but to remind us that wars, ethnic cleansings, and massacres still happen every day. History is not over; the present is its consequence.”
— A visitor’s reflection after the performance