XIII PragueMicroFestival 2021

Michael John Rowland

Michael John Rowland has been working on numerous painted and written projects from his Prague-based studio over the past 13 years. Michael mistrusts language and everything that comes out of everybody’s mouth including his own. When he does use words he tends to have as much fun with them as possible. When he is painting or collage making and not writing he feels very little difference between these acts of sign making. He works with the Zvlášť Collective in Prague and the international project known as The Alt*Art Society.

 ZOOM

Text from a novel in progress entitled ‘The Unnameable Object’ The spoken word element is all nostalgic reflection of a Prague long gone. This in contrast to the video collage illustrating our current state of frustrating restrictions and our primary method of virtual communication. Covid fatigue is setting in and the director/author is scrabbling together his roots before all sense of self is severed and the luxury of rationality is erased from society forever.

Ten of Swords

Spoken word and video collage of The Ten of Swords as taken from Michael John Rowland's Tarot book 'Infinity in Bits'.The Ten of Swords represents something akin to a philosophical revolution on the back of a dreadful experience. Michael took the Kabbalistic Tree of Life as a jumping board for his reflections on this card. According to Kabbalistic theory, only a full understanding and subsequent balancing of the ten Sephiroth can help us achieve enlightenment and be truly free to 'rejoice without shame'.

Interactive Reading

Click the video images to start the video.