Czech Programme of Signal Festival 2026
This year’s Signal Festival programme features several prominent figures from the Czech art scene. For the first time in the festival’s history, we are also creating a dedicated student zone showcasing the work of emerging talents. Discover the installations that should not escape your attention.
Theatre in a Water Treatment Plant → Laterna magika
Multimedia theatre company Laterna magika has created the site-specific performance Voda (Water) for the unique setting of the Old Wastewater Treatment Plant in Bubeneč. The process of water purification becomes a metaphor for inner transformation – for what we carry within us, what we are capable of letting go of, and what remains with us along the way.
The performance brings together non-verbal theatre, video mapping, acrobatics and live singing. It is inspired by the poem Voda (Water) by Czech poet and prose writer František Vinant and features award-winning mime artist and artistic director of Laterna magika Radim Vizváry, musician and sound designer Martin Hůla, lighting designer Michal Kříž and many others.
Voda (Water) has been created specifically for the treatment plant, allowing its industrial environment to become part of the story itself. The vocal parts will be performed alternately by Aneta Kalertová and Marie April. The installation is part of the ticketed Signal INSIDE programme.
A Homage to the Pioneers → MUCHA Studio
Brno-based MUCHA Studio pays tribute to Woody and Steina Vasulka, pioneers of video art and experimental computer art. Their work is brought into the present in the Masaryk College, creating a pulsating world of light and projections where technologies and techniques from the 1970s and 1980s meet contemporary light design.
Fragments of the Vasulkas’ work are broken apart, layered and transformed into new audiovisual compositions. But this is not just an experience to observe – you can become part of the artwork yourself. A camera captures your image and breaks it down into fragments, which are then layered and transformed across a wall of vintage CRT displays.
The result is an experimental space where the boundaries between viewer, image and technology begin to dissolve. The installation is created in collaboration with Vašulka Kitchen Brno, BERG Contemporary and Vasulka Foundation and is part of the festival’s Homage to Masters series, which commemorates prominent figures in audiovisual art. The installation is part of the ticketed Signal INSIDE programme.
An Artwork with a Message → Karolína Schulzová
Karolína Schulzová, a student at the Faculty of Art and Design at UJEP, drew inspiration from Václav Havel’s essay The Power of the Powerless for her installation What Are You Responsible For? She has arranged light panels bearing statements reflecting passivity and the desire to “remain unseen” so that visitors can walk among them and become part of the system themselves.
The panels gradually go dark until only a single panel remains illuminated, carrying an important message.
The installation reminds us that change does not have to begin with a grand gesture. Sometimes all it takes is to stop remaining silent and take responsibility for our own actions. You will find the work in the courtyard of the Church of Our Lady of the Snows, whose Gothic architecture creates a striking contrast with the minimalist light panels.
Installation What Are You Responsible For? is a joint project of Signal Festival and the Díky, že můžem association. The installation is presented with the support of Václav Havel Airport Prague.
Lasers, Baroque and Automobiles → Maxim Velčovský
For the festival’s main partner Mercedes-Benz, Maxim Velčovský has created an interpretation of 140 years of the brand’s innovations – from the first models that pushed the boundaries of the automotive industry to the latest technological advances shaping the future.
The entire space of the opulent Baroque Clam-Gallas Palace, whose architecture contrasts with automotive technology, will be taken over by a laser light show. It uses light as an intangible equivalent of speed while also prompting us to reflect on technological progress. What remains tangible, and what exists only as a trace in time?
The installation, titled In a Flash by Mercedes-Benz, brings together automotive design, history and contemporary technology in a unique setting.
A Cosmic Mechanism → Jan Kaláb
One of the most prominent Czech contemporary artists, Jan Kaláb, will take you on a journey into space. His monumental sculpture Black Mechanical Planet resembles a giant cosmic mechanism made up of interconnected spheres. It evokes the movement of planets, the mystery of dark matter and energies that are difficult for us to imagine.
After dark, the sculpture is transformed by a specially created projection by Jan Hladil. Light travels across its surface, accentuating its structure and adding a sense of dynamism to the entire object. Kaláb’s fascination with cosmology and geometric abstraction thus takes on another, luminous dimension.
You will find Black Mechanical Planet by the PPF Gate building on Evropská Street. Signal Festival has a long-standing collaboration with the PPF Foundation, which supports its international programme.
A Gateway to Imagination → Milan Cais
Visual artist and musician from the band Tata Bojs, Milan Cais, has created a monumental audiovisual object for this year’s festival that looks as though it has just landed from outer space.
A giant mirrored cube will be placed on Fleming Square, where during the day it will function as a mirror of its surroundings, drawing fragments of the city into itself. After dark, it will transform through image, light and sound.
The installation, whose patron is glo™, is titled Into Imagination and was composed by Milan Cais based on data collected during an interactive happening in summer 2026. Participants gradually created a unique combination of words from a hundred terms describing different states of mind, social situations, human and natural circumstances, as well as purely personal feelings. Into Imagination is therefore not only a visually striking sculpture in a city park, but also a timely reflection of the current generation.
In keeping with this year’s festival theme, Dream On! Dreams and Visions, we are creating a dedicated student zone for the first time. Student Visions will showcase innovative projects by students from CTU and the University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague (UCT Prague). Alongside a presentation of student works, it will also offer a hangout space for meeting, relaxing and refreshments.
You can find the complete programme of this year’s Signal Festival HERE.