A Day In The Life - Dominika Hadelova

This month we asked Dominika Hadelova, the co-founder of MATTO.

7:30 - Breakfast, extremely diluted coffee with some coconut sugar, quickly checking emails and responding to messages.

8:00 - I leave the house, it’s an early start today. I go to an osteopath that is near Jardin du Luxembourg. It will take me one hour of walking to get there. I love that Paris is so walkable. Google says it would take 2 hours to walk from the north of Paris to the very south, from Porte de la Chapelle to Parc Montsouris, maybe I will do it one day. I walk everywhere now. I do not like to take the metro and I can’t cycle right now, I am going to give birth in some 18 days. On the streets at this hour there are a lot of children being taken to school, some are crying, there are dog walkers, no tourists. My favourite place in Paris is on one of the bridges when crossing over the Seine. 

It has been an incredible experience to witness the human body go on an autopilot and essentially create another human being. I am suspended in time of waiting now, like there is a bomb that can explore anytime. I am going about my daily life and at the same time the act of giving birth to another human is so imminent, it’s a clash. I feel the brain is not able to fully comprehend this, how these extraordinary things can rush into our daily life. 

10:30 - Meeting with designer Irié at a bar of the hotel at Rue du Pré aux Clercs. Sharing sencha tea together. It has become a ritual to meet there. I bring him a few printed photos which Aldo ( Buscalferri ) took of him to go alongside the conversation with him published also in MATTO #9. They are photographs of his home and the studio where he keeps his extensive collection of printed matter. We did this conversation together with Bruno who has been working at Yvon Lambert for a long time now. We both have this image of Irié in our minds: him on his Vespa, balancing the many bags of newly purchased books, magazines, artworks.

11:45 - Stopping at 7L bookstore as it’s just around the corner. I can never resist to go look at printed matter, books, paper… I have no hesitation to buy a publication when it’s wonderfully made but I have noticed that I had become more picky: the size of the font matters, the graphics and the choice of paper matter… This is especially true for exhibition catalogues which I would often love to buy if I liked the exhibition but many times the catalogues do not appeal to me, I am disappointed by how they are not exciting as an object existing independently of the exhibition. As my BA, I did printmaking and even though today I do many other things, this profound interest and excitement for paper and print did not go away.

There are also many antique stores around this neighbourhood, it’s fun to look at the curious objects. I have a thing for glass objects. I have noticed I have bought many glass ashtrays over the years but I have never smoked!

12:00 - Dropping couple of copies of the new MATTO at an office in the 6eme and starting to return, walking. Stopping at Dreaming Man for a break. Vegan onigiri and delicious hot apple juice which tastes like hot compote with cinnamon and clove. Taking a piece of sponge cake with prunes to go with me, to eat later at home.

13:00 - Working from a nearby library. I like it for the concentration it brings me. Emails, contacting retailers about the new release as it’s distribution time. I am working on a new publication called Happy Waiting: which will be published by my friend Rosemarie. It is a collection of thoughts, which I was writing from March till August of this year. It talks about the experience of witnessing life coming to life and weaves in all other related thoughts which came to my mind during this time.

15:00 - Another stop at Herboristerie du Palais Royal to buy some dry herbs for postpartum. I would often bring herbal mixes when going back to the Czech Republic. One more stop on the way at Rue du Nil at the veggie store. They have the best citrus in autumn and winter ! I purchase bag full of clementines and pomegranates.

15:30 - Still walking. I love walking ! There was an artist residency I did with a friend and urbanist Eduardo Cassina in Switzerland, which was about walking and talking. We literally walked in a forrest and talked. There was no pressure to produce anything, it was such a brilliant framework for a residency, to bond with someone and spend time developing ideas.

16:30 - At home. Taking the time to look at some books I have bought recently: a publication about Mimosa Echard’s work LIES, edited by Julie Peeters. Peeter’s other publication on the photographer George Tourkovasilis. A new Etel Adnan writing on Simone Fattal published by L’Echoppe. I was introduced to Etel Adnan by Bruno at Yvon Lambert. I read everything of her since, and then would always check their stack of her books which they keep near the entrance of the bookshop, to see if there was a new book. Since she passed away in 2021, for a while there were no more books which I had not read yet. This week Bruno showed me this one as soon as it has arrived. I am so excited to read it! Lauren Elkin writing about rides on buses, called No.91/92. I think I was drawn to it because there is something so relatable for me now. If I decided not to walk these past months, I would opt for the bus and sometimes it was quite an experience. All the things you can witness on a public bus ! I am intrigued to read it. And last one: a small publication by Dia Art Foundation on Walter de Maria which I got at the Bourse de Commerce bookstore, after seeing their current Minimal exhibition.

19:00 - I do some more work and emails while my partner cooks dinner. It’s often pasta or gnocchi these days. We usually eat quite late, around 9 or 10pm. Our days end late. 

If I have the energy, I always read a little bit in bed. I rediscovered a book, which I have already read, Milkyways by Camille Henrot. My copy is pretty beaten as I carried it last year on a trip to Kenya. I remember bits of it but I don’t remember it very well. I thought to read it again now as I would probably find it much more relatable.