Chasing Life: A Story of Memory, Loss, and Life That Goes On

As part of the Nicosia International Festival 2026, the audiovisual installation Chasing Life—a collaborative work by director and photographer Eleonora Sotiriou and the architecture and design studio Archlab10—will be presented in the historic center of Nicosia.

This is an unusual work that combines video footage, original animation, and visual materials reimagined using various artistic techniques. The project will be presented as a street projection in the historic part of Nicosia’s Old City.

The starting point for the work was the tragedy on Gaza Beach on July 16, 2014, when four children were killed while playing soccer.

The creators explore the themes of loss, memory, and the ability of life to go on even after experiencing tragedy.

At the heart of the work is children’s play as a universal symbol of childhood. Children run, laugh, explore the world around them, and simply go about their everyday lives. But in an instant, this reality is interrupted by war. All that remains is a soccer match that was never finished.

Gradually, the narrative transforms into a visual poem, using symbols and imagery rather than a linear story.

One of the work’s main symbols is the seed. It becomes a metaphor for memory, continuity, and rebirth. The life that was cut short does not vanish without a trace: it takes root in the earth, in people, and in the stories that continue to live on.

The location of the installation holds special significance. The history of Gaza is transposed into the Cypriot landscape not to compare different historical tragedies, but to create a dialogue between two places that know what it means to live with the memory of violence and its consequences.

The placement of the work in a public space in Nicosia’s Old City, near the buffer zone and the Green Line, becomes part of the artwork itself.

Chasing Life invites us to reflect on how close to us are events that sometimes seem distant. It explores memory, childhood, war, and the human capacity to carry on living even after what we have endured.

Duration: 7 minutes.
Creative Team:
Eleonora Sotiriou — director, photographer
Alexandra Pappa — artist, illustrator, visual artist, Archlab10
Demosthenes Choupas — architect, urban planner, Archlab10
Dimitris Chaliasos — graphic designer, illustrator, Archlab10
Sotiris Grivelas — graphic designer, editor, Archlab10

Date: October 14, 15, and 16, 2026
Venue: Nicosia’s Old City, within the city walls

The exact location and schedule of the exhibitions will be announced by the organizers at a later date.