09 June
31 August
2023
River-pool Bradáč in Prague
"...more or less as one tries to guard an excellent billiard-table even from good players, until the time when the great player comes, who will carefully examine the table, will not put up with any damage done to it previously, but then, when he himself begins to play, lets himself go wildly, in the most inconsiderate manner."
(Franz Kafka)
(Franz Kafka)
Following the ideology of the symbols displayed during the previous appearances of the installation, I searched for a known icon that is related to the archeology of the site. However, following the unique playful quality of the work, it shows an iconic badge used for centuries redrawn in a stylized way. An icon that is meant to draw our attention to the power of and respect to the most important element of our life, water. Its shortage or its overflowing abundance – as it has been witnessed so many times in Prague's history – can create dramatic situations. This icon is a stone relief, that is closely linked to the Vltava and to the history of the entire city, was once the building stone of the Judith Bridge (ancestor of Charles Bridge) is the Bradáč, i.e. the Bearded. Today, this small stone head is located near the Charles Bridge, built into the retaining wall of the embankment, and has been immortalised in numerous publications presenting the city's landmarks. For centuries, among the stones that controlled the Vltava, the stone head served a practical purpose: when the water level reached the beard, the inhabitants of the Old Town had to flee from the flood. A measuring scale indicating the water level can still be seen nearby. Bradáč (the Bearded) shown (stylized) on the white buoy, is no longer bound strictly to the post of his profession, but can now freely follow the movement of the water, like a ghost - that are so common in the history of Prague’s houses with badges – drifting on the river of imagination. For a while, he escapes for the sake of the game and docks on the unmarked white ball, which always must remain above the surface.
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