Series - FotoSlovo 2026 - Category « Documentary / Reportage »

Raves are gatherings centered around electronic music, often held in temporary or unconventional spaces. Emerging from underground movements, they function as judgement free environments where anonymity, freedom, and collective experience are prioritized. Each event exists briefly and will never occur in the same way again.

This project developed alongside my growing involvement in Prague’s rave scene. What began as personal participation gradually became a photographic practice. Raves offered an escape from routine and a space for connection, allowing me to engage with people and environments outside my usual social framework.

With a background in documentary work, I am drawn to moments that are easily overlooked. In rave culture, movement, light, and emotion are constantly shifting. The photographs focus on these temporary states, capturing fragments of experience before they disappear.

Shooting in near darkness presents both technical and ethical challenges. I work without staging and without revealing identity. Long exposures, camera movement, flash, and high ASA film are central to the process. Chance plays a significant role, and the outcome remains uncertain until the film is developed and scanned. This unpredictability reflects the impermanent and spontaneous nature of the rave itself.