To perceive, from the Greek meaning 'touch at a distance'. Absent Presence is a surreal journey of a disconnected body seeking itself in the empty spaces of a house. A play of perceptions unfolds, blurring the line between the ambiguity of reflections and distorted shadows, prompting viewers to question their own experience.

In this cinematic adaptation of Severs’ stage performance Coerced and Freely Given ('24), three performers train together to endure the world’s violences and reclaim space for vulnerability and anger through care and solidarity. Known for her unique blend of choreography and martial arts, Severs delves into the body’s resilience, vulnerability, and ability to resist societal and political pressures.

After separating heaven and earth, Tengri, the all-embracing God of heaven in the traditional Turkic, Yeniseian, and Mongolian beliefs, divided himself into man and woman to procreate. He named the woman the goddess Umai and settled her atop Mount Sumeru in the sky, near a milk lake called Sutkol. Here begins the story of Umai – the ancestor and spirit of women – on the vast steppes of the nomadic lands.