July 2026. Cultivate Projects presented Gill Gatfield's In Absentia in Piazza Matteotti, the historic heart of Montegiovi, Tuscany, during the 2026 La Baldi Artist Residency as part of its public programme. Against the silhouette of Monte Amiata, the virtual sculpture's translucent glass figures and codified Acropolis marble met the time-worn stones of the village square. This juxtaposition brought ancient Greek origins into dialogue with the Etruscan, Roman and medieval histories embedded in this landscape. Activated within the village commons, viewers co-created encounters with the virtual sculpture, exploring thresholds between presence and absence, tangible and perceptual worlds.