Signal Festival has long been about more than just installations that light up when Prague is plunged into darkness. This year’s accompanying programme offers activities for the youngest visitors, discussions for anyone interested in digital and light-based art, as well as musical experiences that continue long after the installations go dark.
Signal for Kids at Kampus Hybernská: Workshops and a Sound Installation
Medusa Valley → Children’s Workshops
Dive into a world of light, animation and sea creatures with your children. As part of these family workshops for the festival’s youngest visitors, you can discover the strange jellyfish that have inhabited our planet for millions of years in a playful and creative way. You will also explore how art can be combined with animation, technology and light.
Taking place from Friday to Sunday, the workshops are divided into two age groups. Children aged 4–10 will create and draw their own jellyfish, then bring them to life and work together to create a short animated film. Children over the age of 10 will learn the basics of soldering and programming an LED strip. At the end, they will take home the result of their work — their very own glowing jellyfish.
The workshops are available in both Czech and English. As part of their ticket, participants can also visit the children’s installation Sound Robot.
Medusa Valley project was created by Greek multimedia artist Yiannis Kranidiotis in collaboration with the Athens-based ADAF festival. In his work, Kranidiotis combines art, technology and science, exploring natural phenomena, the sonification of data from space and the impact of plastic pollution, among other topics.
Medusa Valley was created as part of the Co-Vision project, which focuses on the impact of climate change on the Greek coastline. One of its consequences is the increasing number of jellyfish. These creatures are not only visually fascinating, but also possess a range of remarkable abilities that we still know surprisingly little about.
The installation is supported by Co-Vision and ADAF Athens. Funded by the European Union.
Tickets are available through the GoOut ticketing network.
Ján Šicko → Sound Robot
What might a robot inspired by folk art look like? And what would it sound like? Ján Šicko’s Sound Robot resembles a folk-tech robot that connects Slovak folk art and traditional crafts with modern technologies.
This interactive installation will entertain both children and adults. Everyone can play with it in their own way and awaken their imagination through tones, rhythms and melodies. Mechanical systems, digital sounds and robotics can be controlled using handmade wooden toys, folk instruments, acoustic resonators, ornaments and objects inspired by traditional village architecture.
The work was created by Ján Šicko, an artist, designer, researcher and educator whose practice combines art, coding and design. The installation is part of the paid Signal INSIDE zone and is open from 2 pm every festival day.
Signal Forum Conference
Friday, 16 October, will be dedicated to a conference for anyone interested in contemporary digital and light-based art, organised for the third time as part of the festival’s accompanying programme.
This year’s conference will take place in the Balling Hall at the National Technical Library (NTK). Artists and experts will take part in panel discussions exploring the possibilities and meanings of Dream On! Dreams and Visions, the theme of this year’s festival. The discussions will address the role of light in artistic practice, artificial intelligence, civil society, as well as the legacy of Woody and Steina Vasulka, pioneers of video art.
Tickets are available through the GoOut ticketing network. The conference is part of CoVision programme. Funded by the European Union.
Afterparties
A day at the festival doesn’t end when the installations go dark. We’re moving to Prague’s SaSaZu club, where the official Signal Afterparties presented by glo™ will take place from Friday, 16 October to Sunday, 18 October.
Four major names from the global electronic music scene — SOHN, Two Lanes, Róisín Murphy and Röyksopp — will perform throughout the festival evenings, bringing together electronic music, digital art and technology.
Tickets are available through the GoOut ticketing network. Admission is restricted to guests aged 18 and over.
Programme at Signal Space
Signal Space is a permanent exhibition created by the team behind Signal Festival and also the largest digital art gallery in the Czech Republic. During the festival, you can visit the Echoes of Tomorrow exhibition and see some of the festival’s most iconic videomapping projections at the Dream On! Where It All Began exhibition.
On Saturday, 17 October, you can also attend a new talk format, Signal Talks — a special festival edition offering a behind-the-scenes look at the work of six new media artists over the course of 90 minutes. Admission is free, but registration is required HERE.
On Sunday, 18 October, you can take part in a hands-on Signal Lab workshop with Timo Lejeune from Lumus Instruments, who is creating the Dreaming Infinite installation for the festival.
For combined admission to both the festival and the gallery, you can take advantage of the discounted Signal UNIVERSE ticket.