Constantinopoliad, the installation (2025)

CPH:DOX 2025

Constantinopoliad is a handmade book, read collectively by the audience inside of a sound installation. A response to the archive of the poet Constantine Cavafy, the work is inspired by the blank and torn out pages in “Constantinopoliad, an epic”, the journal the teenage Cavafy began when he and his family fled Alexandria; by lost and missing archives through time;  and by the ghosts, both erotic and historical, that visit the older Cavafy in his poems.

This installation version of Constantinopoliad is supported by the British Council. Based on a live performance, “Constantinopoliad”, which was commissioned by the Onassis Foundation, supported by residencies at Onassis Air, and with the support of the Cavafy Archive, Athens.

Conceived, directed and written by sister sylvester
Score by Nadah El Shazly
Illustration and book co-design by efrîn ozyetis
Lighting by Cosette (Ettie) Pin based on a design by Bruce Steinberg
Slides Jeremy Kadetsky based on a design by Tei Blow
Dramaturgy by Andrew Kircher

Photos by Jill Steinberg and Zach Shulman

Inter:Active award, CPH:DOX 2025, jury statement

‘Constantinopoliad is not just a work of storytelling; it is an invitation to discovery. It intertwines narrative with action, making us feel as though we are the first to stumble upon this archive, the first to unearth Cavafy’s story, to breathe life into his words. The work radiates a rare curiosity and playfulness, slipping between the boundaries of literature, performance, and archaeology. Yet, just as we settle into this deeply personal experience, an uncanny sensation creeps in. As we turn the pages, touch the stones, and immerse ourselves in the poet’s world, we become the protagonist, performers in an unfolding documentary. Our movements, our gestures, become part of a cinematic language, synchronized with the voice-over that narrates a past we are now embodying. This work is not just an artwork—it is an experience, a portal, a living archive.’