This theme groups work that might focus on the voice, or where the presence or absence of the artist(s) is significant in some way. Some ways in to exploring this theme of Voice and Presence could be via M Lamar's deeply operatic performance at Episode 6: Make a Way Out of No Way, or through Ayreen Anastas and Rene Gabri's live (but at a distance) film performance from Episode 1: A Film is a Statement.

Aimed to aid exploration and investigation, these paired theme ‘terms’ are not synonyms nor are they binary oppositions but words that combine to (hopefully) produce un-rational anti-categories. The aim is to allow (encourage) the archive to be read in ways counter to normative or reductive categories. To allow things in the archive to appear in sometimes unlikely groupings and to resist essentialism.