Owing in part to an unexpected yet highly flattering mention in Dan Brown’s latest literary release, *The Secret of Secrets*, the renowned Signal Festival has witnessed a surge in international recognition and media attention. Only a few weeks after the publication of Brown’s new global bestseller—set against the evocative backdrop of modern-day Prague—readers and art enthusiasts alike were inspired to seek out the festival that captivated the celebrated author’s imagination. This annual event, already known as the largest and most prestigious exhibition of digital and light-based art in both the Czech Republic and the broader Central European region, suddenly found itself illuminated in a fresh and global spotlight. Within one memorable passage of Brown’s narrative, the festival makes a brief but meaningful cameo when the book’s protagonist reflects on attending an edition of the event in 2024, thereby enshrining the festival within the realm of contemporary cultural fiction.
Commenting on this literary recognition, festival director Martin Pošta expressed both pride and measured enthusiasm. “We’re happy about it,” he affirmed, noting that such a mention represents “a kind of recognition”—a rare moment when popular art and literature intersect to mutually enhance each other’s cultural resonance. Nevertheless, as Pošta graciously implied, the festival hardly relied on global bestsellers for promotion. Even without such distinguished acknowledgment, its reputation and popularity have long been self-sustaining. Although the organizers have not yet released the official attendance figures for the current year’s edition, previous iterations of the four-day celebration have consistently drawn nearly half a million visitors. This remarkable turnout underscores the festival’s enduring ability to engage diverse audiences through its synthesis of technology, creativity, and immersive public artistry.
Evidence of this enthusiasm was particularly apparent on the festival’s final evening. Before the opening of *Tristan’s Ascension*—an installation by the pioneering American video artist Bill Viola—a lengthy queue had already formed outside the venue. The installation, housed within the ethereal interior of the Church of St. Salvator in the Convent of St. Agnes, invited audiences to experience a dreamlike vision: a Christ-like figure rising slowly toward the heavens while torrents of water simultaneously ascended with him, defying the laws of gravity. All of this unfolded through Viola’s signature technique of large-scale video projection, enveloping the audience in a meditative and transcendental atmosphere that blurred the boundaries between the sacred and the technological.
The festival’s opening night delivered another moment of innovation and wonder. Its premiere took place on the waters of the Vltava River, close to the Dvořák Embankment, setting a stage that was as poetic as it was ephemeral. There, the Taiwanese collective Peppercorns Interactive Media Art presented *Tzolk’in Light*, a projection cast upon a drifting mist of water vapor. Unlike those artists who rely on the solidity of Prague’s historic architecture—with its irregular façades, ornate surfaces, and intricately decorated cornices—Peppercorns worked with an inherently unstable and intangible medium. Water droplets, constantly shifting in shape and density under the influence of the wind, offered no fixed canvas. As a result, the precise appearance, scale, and definition of their imagery were dictated by natural elements, making every moment of the display unique and unrepeatable. Yet it was precisely this unpredictability that gifted the viewers with an extraordinary, near-holographic spectacle. The shimmering cloud of mist transformed the projection into a three-dimensional illusion of floating light, achieving a visual effect impossible on any static, built surface.
Another standout premiere illuminated the tower of Prague’s Old Town Hall, an architectural icon standing roughly 230 feet high. For this site-specific work, the Italian creative studio mammasONica crafted a dazzling projection that reimagined the ancient stone structure as a constantly shifting mosaic of vivid color. Cascades of blue, green, red, and white light rippled across the tower’s intricate details, transforming it into a giant kaleidoscope—a living monument to the fusion of history and innovation. Meanwhile, only a short distance away in the bustling Republic Square, Peppercorns unveiled a second installation: a circular LED display titled *Between Mountains and Seas*, an artistic retelling of Taiwan’s cultural and historical narrative. Through rhythmic sequences of light and motion, the work guided onlookers through a poetic journey from mythic origins to modern identity, illustrating how digital art can evoke collective memory across geographies and generations.
Taken together, these works exemplified the essence of the Signal Festival—an event that continues to redefine the relationship between art, technology, and urban experience. By integrating cutting-edge light design, immersive storytelling, and the architectural beauty of Prague itself, the festival reaffirmed its status not only as a local celebration of creativity but also as a powerful international symbol of how digital art can illuminate both cityscapes and imaginations alike.
Sourse: https://www.wired.com/story/prague-signal-festival-report/
