Jolana Havelková – Disappeared Places

Disappeared Places: The Memory of Extinct and Partially Extinct Settlements in the Rychnov Region

My interest in the post-war period led me to the Sudetenland. In the project Disappeared Places I search for vanished and partially vanished isolated villages and towns in the border areas of the Czech Republic, from which the German-speaking population was displaced after the war. Lately I have been focusing on the Rychnov region. In some places there is almost nothing left, sometimes only uneven terrain or foundations of buildings, but also small sacral buildings, dusty churches, neglected cemeteries. Elsewhere, only a few cottages remain. In many places of former life there are often only old fruit trees. However, it is still possible to find artefacts of the former inhabitants: everyday objects, utensils, parts of tools and equipment of their dwellings, but also, for example, shards of glass. 

In my wanderings through the landscape at different times of the year, I mainly record the sites of former solitudes and villages, narrow roads, ruined walls overgrown with trees, the remaining foundations of houses or found objects. I also photograph natural scenery where once there was a lively activity. The subjective documentary collection also includes images of the sites of various objects, buildings and monuments that have escaped destruction or are being restored and are serving people again, almost like in the old days.

In another part of my initiative, the author's works are created by combining different layers of records - mainly photograms of found everyday objects and other materials (fragments of glass products or slag). The resulting works, entitled Remains, sometimes include photographs, but also drawings, sketches of (current or former) street networks and buildings, maps or cartographic elements. The collection also includes black and white minimalist photographs of glass shards. In addition to the creation of original works and visual documentation of the places visited, the whole event also includes a presentation of historical images. Thus, I try to reflect the mentioned area through multi-layered material.

text: Jolana Havelková