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Daily Portrait Black Bridge. One day on Metro station Black Bridge.

A photography project by Martin Gabriel Pavel and Alena Hlavacova. 2023, Photo projection. 365 photographs, 36 minutes.

Cerny Most (Black Bridge) is a Prague Metro station and terminus of Line B, serving the Cerny Most housing estate and shopping district and nearby suburbs of Prague. The station was opened on 8 November 1998. The station is directly adjacent to an intercity bus terminal. Its vestibule is located even higher than the main stands and roads of the bus terminal. A photography performance took one summer day in 2023.

I grew up in the Black Bridge housing estate. I used to walk to freshly built metro station passing the shop window with mirror foil. Almost after 18 years I visited the place again with the camera. But now on the other side of the shop window, where is situated ticket store and waiting room. I found myself in the World Behind the Mirror. I had a feeling of leaving my own body. I was centimeters close to the people, but they couldn't see me.

Disguised as a bus driver and employer of Prague Public Transit Company we merged with Space Ship Black Bridge. People in a big city with a lot of anonymity need self-realization. For many of them looking to the mirror becomes their daily ritual. As the observers, we entered their dimension of self-realization. People are often blurry in the photos, which enables the transcendent experience.



Daily Portrait Cerny Most. Jeden den na metru Cerny Most.

Fotograficky projekt Martina Gabriela Pavla a Alenky Hlavacove. 2023. Fotoprojekce. 365 fotografii, 36 minut.

Cerny Most je konecna stanice metra B v Praze obsluhujici sidliste a nedaleka nakupni centra. Stanice byla otevrena 8. listopadu 1998 a je primo napojena na autobusovy terminal. Stanice neni v podzemi. Jeji vestibul je dokonce jeste vyse nez autobusovy terminal. Fotograficka performance se uskutecnila jeden letni srpnovy den v roce 2023.

Kdyz jsem vyrustal na Cernem Moste, tak jsem chodil na cerstve postavene metro kolem vylohy potazene zrcadlovou folii. Po 18 letech jsem se tam vratil s fotoaparatem. Nyni ale na druhou stranu za vylohu, kde je cekarna a prodej listku. Ocitl jsem se ve svete za zrcadlem. Jako po vystoupeni z vlastniho tela. Byl jsem na centimetry blizko k lidem a oni me nevideli.

V prestrojeni za ridice autobusu a zamestnankyni dopravniho podniku jsme splynuli s kosmickou lodi Cerny Most. Lide se divaji na sebe do zrcadla. Lide si v anonymite velkomesta potrebuji uvedomovat sebe sama a pro mnohe z nich se z toho stava ritual. My jsme tak vstoupili jako pozorovatele do jejich dimenze sebeuvedomeni. Postavy na fotografiich jsou casto neostre, coz jeste vice umoznuje transcendentalni prozitek.

copyright · Martin Gabriel Pavel · 2025 · all rights reserved