Signal Festival 2024

Oct 25

Written By DAB

Event Date:
October 10 – 13, 2024

Signal Festival curator: Pavel Mrkus
Signal Forum curators: Lucia Dubačová (SK) and Irini Mirena Papadimitriou (GR)
Visual identity: Jan Brož and Jan Novák

Location:
Prague Castle
Prague, Czech Republic

*Prague Castle becomes a digital art wonderland for Signal Festival 2024*

For the first time ever, the Prague Castle was transformed into an immersive digital art experience during Signal Festival 2024. From October 10 to 13, the festival’s twelfth edition, Ecosystems II: Quest, lit up the city’s iconic landmarks with video projections and art installations by prominent Czech and international artists, blending the old world with cutting-edge technology.

Key attractions included video mapping by Filip Hodas at the Archbishop’s Palace, Jiří Příhoda’s sculptures at Sternberg Palace, UVA’s kinetic pendulums at Kunsthalle Praha, and Quayola’s sound projection at CAMP.

“Signal Festival has long aspired to transform the historically and architecturally unique space of Prague Castle, and after twelve years, this dream has become a reality.”

— Martin Pošta, Director of Signal Festival

*SpY ORB at Prague Castle, South Gardens by Tomas Slavik*

Signal Festival welcomed visitors to discover well-known and hidden parts of Prague, the premiere of the Prague Castle route being a major highlight this year.

“Prague Castle is open to various cultural and artistic events, including Signal Festival. Thanks to this partnership, visitors will literally see parts of the Castle in a new light.”

— Veronika Wolf, Programme and Cultural Director of the Office of the President of the Republic

The Prague Castle District route began at the Prague Castle Riding Hall, passing through the palaces of Hradčany Square, then the South Gardens, open exclusively in the evenings for the festival, and ending at Kunsthalle Praha.

At Sternberg Palace, visitors found Jiří Příhoda’s dynamic projection Capriccio, which uses AI to evoke Renaissance painting styles.

The experimental structure Karbola gave the impression of an alien ship landing in the palace garden.

Filip Hodas, a renowned Czech 3D artist and graphic designer, has created a layered video mapping called Eternal Recurrence for the Archbishop’s Palace, telling a digital story of life’s origins and evolution.

*Filip Hodas’ Eternal Eecurence by Tomas Slavik*

UVA, a prominent London-based studio, presented Strange Attractions at Kunsthalle Praha, combining kinetic pendulums with multimedia installations.

The second route guided visitors through Prague’s creative hotspots, with highlights like the video mapping installation The Rhythm of the Ocean by Spanish-Danish duo Desilence at the Municipal Library. Accompanied by music from Grammy-nominated composer Suzanne Ciani, this display transformed the library’s façade into an underwater spectacle.

Bill Fontana, a sound art pioneer, presented Silent Echoes at the Baroque refectory of the Dominican Convent, incorporating sounds from Notre Dame Cathedral and a glacial cave.

*Jiri Prihoda’s Capriccio by Tomas Slavik*

The journey ended at CAMP with Quayola’s video series Effets de Soir, capturing the stunning effects of light and shadow at dusk and dawn, drawing inspiration from artists like Monet and Van Gogh.

Signal Festival continued its collaborations with partners like Mercedes-Benz, showcasing Aura, an installation at Klementinum that merges animations with electric vehicles by designer Václav Mlynář, along with Monument Office, Signal Creative studios, and lighting designer Lukáš Dřevjaný.

At the National Theatre’s Piazzetta, Kryštof Brůha’s Audire Fluctus, created in partnership with PrusaLab, visualized technological activity.

The Gallery Zone featured seven unique venues across Prague, mesmerizing visitors.

*Michael Bielicky, Kamila Richter, Columbus, by Tomas Slavik*

New to this year’s festival was the Signal Forum conference, an educational and networking platform held in partnership with the Slovak festival Sensorium. Taking place on October 11 and 12 at CAMP, the forum hosted lectures, workshops, and activities focused on 21st-century trends. Featuring 15 international speakers, including NASA astrobiologist Michaela Musilová and Arts at CERN founder Ariane Koek, the conference perfectly aligned with the festival’s Ecosystems II: Quest theme. Additional activities, like the Meet Market, encouraged further engagement with the festival’s themes.

Participating artists included Seohyo (KOR), Filip Hodas (CZ), Jiří Příhoda (CZ), Michael Bielický & Kamila B. Richter (CZ), SpY (ES), United Visual Artists (GB), Cao Yuxi (CHN), Desilence (SP), and more.

If you were there to experience the Prague Castle and the digital art world collide this October, let us know your thoughts!