Hotel Bohemia – Urban Life & the Aesthetics of Conformity, 2013, Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic

 

In 2013 I documented Hotel Bohemia during its reconstruction. Half the building was still running with guests while the other half was being renovated. Built in the 1960s, the hotel was filled with original graphic art and design typical of the Eastern Bloc era. Many of these elements were being discarded during the renovation.

Using an analog Nikon camera from the 1960s, I photographed the entire building — rooms, reception, emergency exits, and rooftop. The project became both an architectural documentation and a quiet intervention, preserving the atmosphere of a space that would soon disappear forever.

Because I entered the hotel without checking in and photographed sensitive areas like the reception, I was reported to the police. They raided the hotel, took me to the station, and — since it was a weekend — I had to spend two days in custody until a translator could explain my project. After my release, I offered the hotel owner some of the photographs to keep as historical documentation for the new rooms, but he showed no interest.