"codified absence" is composed of text found in and erased from the pages of the Schengen Borders Code (SBC). The SBC outlines border control and border crossing regulations within the Schengen area. As such, it is primarily concerned with preserving borders and regulating the entry of third-country citizens. The SBC consists of 52 pages of legal text that is divided into four titles, each of which is subdivided into chapters and articles. The aim of "codified absence" is to erase through the entire document. We here submit the erasure of the first seven pages of the SBC.
The project is part of the subthemes Healing Narratives - Poetry, Mental Health and Collective Trauma, Cultural Resilience - Literature as a force for social justice.
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Author
Katarina Gotic
Katarina Gotic is a Bosnian-born poet and interdisciplinary artist. She is the author of two poetry books, "we need a breathing tongue between" (Kith Books, 2024) and "leerlauf" (2025), and several performance and visual pieces. Her work has earned numerous grants and awards, including the 2023 Work Stipend for Non-German Literature and the 2024 Research Scholarship for Translators awarded by the Berlin Senate. She has exhibited and performed in Bosnia and Germany.
Author
Vincent Damiani
Vincent Damiani is a musician and data scientist. His recent solo project, "bellow a century, some gold" (2024), combines improvised and composed pieces, field recordings, and fragments of conversation. Vincent has scored several performance and hybrid works, including "zamelte | dihtung" and "codified absence," blending experimental and traditional forms.
