THROUGH THE EYES OF: Elena Savvidou, Episode 19

Meet Elena Savvidou in this new episode of our series *In The Eyes Of*, and immerse yourself in a residency centered on listening, movement, and exploring a new environment.

Cypriot artist Elena Savvidou is currently participating in her very first artist residency in Cascais, an opportunity made possible by Art Explora’s arrival in Cyprus. Her practice, which blends performance, sound, and movement, always begins with a gesture or a sound—a small detour that first allows her to understand the space, before a light, a soundscape, and then a performance emerge.

This month-long residency offers her a rare opportunity for time and space. She expresses her amazement at the length of the days and the intensity of the light in Cascais—so much so that she has to alternate between a studio open to the light and a closed studio in order to better make the space her own. Sound becomes a true compass here: when everything around us is understood through sight, she chooses to restore sound to its rightful place, convinced that everything—even when motionless—has a sound—and that this sound changes over time.

From this attention to detail—the sound of the rocks, the heat that shapes the sound of an island—emerges a memory of Cascais that she describes as both calm and vibrant, imbued with an energy reminiscent of Cyprus: the same gentleness, punctuated by contrasts.