Signal Festival to light up historic Prague buildings for 2024 edition

The 12th edition of Signal Festival, Prague’s renowned celebration of digital and creative culture, will take place from October 10-13, 2024. This year, the festival promises to captivate audiences with special videomapping projections on two iconic buildings, adding a new dimension to the city's historic architecture.

One of the festival's main attractions will be the videomapping projection Eternal Recurrence by internationally acclaimed Czech digital artist Filip Hodas. The facade of the Archbishop's Palace in Hradčanské Square will serve as the canvas for Hodas’ work, a digital narrative that explores the evolution of life forms through a blend of reality and fiction.

“Eternal Recurrence isn’t just about spectacle; it’s a story told through the history and architecture of one of Prague’s oldest buildings,” Signal Festival director Martin Pošta says in a press release. "Filip Hodas is a master at transforming spaces, and his work for this festival will push the boundaries of what digital art can achieve. His art is not just seen, it’s felt."

Hodas has gained global recognition for his unique digital art style, particularly with his viral Pop Culture Dystopia series in 2018. His work has been exhibited in prominent galleries like Tate Modern in London, and he has collaborated with leading brands such as Adidas, Apple, and Samsung.

The 2024 Signal Festival will also feature the videomapping show The Rhythm of the Ocean, by the Spanish-Danish visual studio Desilence, which will transform the Municipal Library on Mariánské Square into a living oceanic landscape. Accompanying the visuals will be music composed by Grammy-nominated electronic music pioneer Suzanne Ciani.

“The ocean is a force of nature that is at once beautiful and terrifying,” says Pošta. “Desilence’s projection and Suzanne Ciani’s groundbreaking sound design will transport viewers to another world—one that is both untamed and crucial to our planet’s climate balance.”

This year's Signal festival will also introduces a new initiative, Signal Forum, a platform for education and networking aimed at bringing together professionals from art, science, and technology. The forum, featuring talks by leaders in the fields of science and technology, will take place on October 11-12 at the Prague Centre for Architecture and Metropolitan Planning (CAMP).

"Signal Forum is our answer to the growing need for deeper engagement with the ideas driving modern culture,” said Pošta. “It’s a space where innovation and creativity come together, offering inspiration and new perspectives for anyone interested in the trends of the 21st century.”

Supported by the City of Prague and the Czech Ministry of Culture, the Signal Festival has become one of the most attended cultural events in the Czech Republic since its inception in 2012. With this year's themes, the festival encourages visitors to explore the balance between technology and the natural world.

“This year, we’re expanding our footprint with new locations and collaborations that we’ve been working on for years,” adds Pošta. “The projection on the Archbishop’s Palace, for example, is a testament to the incredible new spaces we’ve secured for this year’s edition. Visitors can expect some truly remarkable surprises when the festival reveals more locations in September.”