Backstory on Instant Between Two Strides 2 (Kafka/Prague)
“Backstory” on Instant Between Two Strides 2 (Kafka/Prague)
Sometimes I pick the location for a new collage and other times it picks me. In the summer of 2009 I visited the Czech Republic to watch the world championship crew races in a little village called Racice. Its claim to fame is a very large, man-made lake that is perfect for rowing. Beside the lake there are just a few houses (each with a barking dog), one grocery store (not open on Sundays), and a train station with regular service to Prague. Given that our son would only race once a day for less than six minutes, my husband and I opted to stay in the capital.
I didn’t intend to work towards a collage of Prague as I explored the city on foot with him for four days ( it’s no fun to travel with a distracted and pokey photographer); nevertheless, I returned home with almost a thousand pictures. A distinctive color palette dominated the images, thanks to the reddish-ochre colored rooftops and summer green trees. This city of hills offered numerous opportunities for striking views. My challenge of how to combine them into one piece was resolved by assembling the hundreds of 21st-century city pieces on top of the ancient walls, allowing those to show through, even in the sky. Franz Kafka, who was born in Prague, generously gave me the title in a poem.
