The name of this series comes from an old 60s song by JiriSuchý and Jiri Slitr. The piece has remained incredibly popular for decades and – more often than not – served as a closer for many a psychedelic soirée that have taken place in Prague, especially if Paulina or Mejla were the DJs that night. 

After hours spent listening to the best local bands inspired by this wild era of music, after hearing once again the greatest records by The Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Doors, or Pink Floyd, the music of 1960s Czechoslovakia would follow.

I was a part of this for a while, but I guess I felt more like an observer. I danced away like crazy at concerts, drank way too much wine, smoked way too many cigarettes, maybe fell for one or two Jim Morrison wannabes… And then I ran away. I’m still fascinated by all of it though. Why do we get so excited at the prospect of reliving a time in history that we weren’t a part of? 

The sweet 60s, here I am! A fictitious decade of freedom and understanding, the memories somehow stronger than the real ones – escapism at its finest. Wearing a flowery shirt and a leather jacket like a hippie. A black beret and a scarf like a beatnik. A striped shirt and sunglasses – oh, that’s Warhol! Turtleneck, a mini skirt, and enormous earrings for all the Factory Girls. Leather pants for Jim Morrison. And a tab of LSD under your tongue like everyone else in California at the time. 

… However, I must also ask
Why did I keep coming back…?

The photo series A Land Possessed by Darkness offers a subjective portrayal of psychedelia and its people: The effervescent atmosphere of live concerts as well as an intimate glimpse of the homes that often serve as an extension of their inhabitants’ fiercely independent nightlife.