Kolowrat Castle will light up the Maják Festival. It will bring light installations and video mapping to the Rychnov region
Press release: On 30 and 31 October, the travelling ‘Maják’ Festival of Light will visit the Rychnov region for the first time. It will transform Kolowrat Castle in Rychnov nad Kněžnou and its surroundings into a nocturnal spectacle filled with light installations, video mapping and interactive experiences. The festival, organised this year by Kultura Rychnov nad Kněžnou s. r. o. with financial support from the Škoda Auto Endowment Fund (NFŠA) and the town of Rychnov nad Kněžnou, will be held in the Rychnov region for the first time. The historic architecture, the castle park and the Church of the Holy Trinity will, on this occasion, be exceptionally open to visitors after dark. This year’s edition will combine the theme of space with the region’s history.
One of the most significant Baroque complexes in Bohemia will serve as the venue for Maják. This travelling festival, initiated by the Škoda Auto Endowment Fund in the Mladá Boleslav area, gradually showcases the cultural and historical sites of various regions in a new light. This year, for the first time, it is moving to the Rychnov area, where it is being organised in collaboration with the town of Rychnov nad Kněžnou and Kultura Rychnov nad Kněžnou. The artistic programme has been created by the Pilsen-based creative studio ARTshifters.eu. Visitors can look forward to a total of ten stops, which, through contemporary art, light and interactive elements, will offer a fresh perspective on familiar locations within the Rychnov Castle complex.
“We launched Maják a few years ago with the idea that contemporary art can show people familiar places in their region in a completely new way. From the outset, we wanted the festival not to remain tied to a single town, but to gradually travel between regions. The Rychnov region is a natural choice for its next stop – it has an exceptionally rich history and a number of places that are worth rediscovering. Kolowrat Castle and its surroundings are a wonderful example of how cultural heritage can be linked with contemporary art and presented to locals and visitors alike in a new light,” says Ladislav Kučera, director of the Škoda Auto Endowment Fund.
“When the Škoda Auto Endowment Fund approached us with an offer to organise the Maják Festival right here in Rychnov nad Kněžnou, it was a huge challenge for us, but also a wonderful opportunity. In my view, the festival can show familiar places in a completely different light and offer visitors an experience they won’t find in a standard cultural programme. I am delighted that this year Rychnov nad Kněžnou can be part of this unique concept. I appreciate the support of the Škoda Auto Foundation and the town of Rychnov nad Kněžnou. I would also like to thank the Kolowrat Krakowský family for enabling us to organise this unique festival in the beautiful setting of Rychnov Castle and its park. “I believe that not only locals will enjoy the festival, but that people from across the region will also come to experience it,” says Lucie Václavková, Bc., managing director of Kultura Rychnov nad Kněžnou s. r. o.
The Baroque complex will link history with the cosmos
The festival route will feature seven light installations, two video-mapping displays and a creative workshop. The space theme will be evoked by monumental models of the Earth, the Moon and the Sun, whilst an artistic video-mapping display on the Kryštof bell tower will focus on the history of the Rychnov area. Through this display, events, figures and landmarks associated with the Kolowrat estate and the entire region will come to life.
The highlight of the programme will be Horizont nekonečna (Horizon of Infinity), an approximately eight-minute immersive video mapping display inside the Church of the Holy Trinity. The projection will interweave the Baroque architecture of Jan Blažej Santini with a view of the universe and references to notable astronomers. It will be accompanied by original music combining contemporary electronic sounds, Baroque motifs and the sound of the church organ.
More information and tickets HERE
