The Bones

Roberta Lobos is a South American forensic anthropologist. An expert in bone trauma, she identifies victims of violent disappearances worldwide. After decades of developing her practice in a field that – to great surprise – keeps growing, she decided to approach a group of artists with a simple, yet radical request:

“I've analyzed bone data from a scientific perspective, and that's resulted in hundreds of scientific papers. I wanted to know what would happen if we were to interpret the data with music. I was certain we would hear more.”

The group responded, honoured and enthusiastic. They supported Roberta in creating a different way of viewing and listening to these horrific acts of violence – to honour the memory of the missing, and reconnect them with the ecology of matter and meaning that shapes our world.

A performance about how music can create a space where the dead speak to us in unexpected ways. The artists explore how we can attune ourselves to really listen to the bones, the bodies, the stories, the conflicts, the violence, and the unequal distribution of public mourning. How can we always stay connected to others – dead or alive? 

• Manuela Infante Güell is a Chilean theatre-maker, dramatist, screenwriter and musician with international appeal. Known for her theatrical staging of contemporary theoretical issues, she creates work that cross the line between music, theatre and philosophy. Kaaitheater and KVS jointly presented its show How to turn to stone in 2021 and Horizon in 2023.