I Teach Lights to Tell Stories
Answers to questions for Deník (Víkend magazine) and Denik.cz, July 2025.
Your motto is: “Lights can do more than illuminate; they can tell stories.” How do such stories come into being?
Every project begins with respect for the architectural setting and for the intention behind entering public space. Lights can not only illuminate and tell stories, but also connect: experiences, people, places. This year's story is dedicated to Europe – our common home. We would like to recall what shaped it and what unites us. From Greek myths we want to move, interactively, into present-day Europe. The individual hearts of Europe link up with ours in Prague.
From a teacher of philosophy and literature to the author of light exhibitions – that sounds like a big leap.
It may look so, but in reality I am perhaps simply widening my sphere of activity. They are no longer students, but lights that tell stories. I explained Plato's allegory of the cave for more than twenty years. Today I enjoy creating light stories that draw people into another world and perhaps, in their time of rest, open new horizons for a moment.
Your light exhibitions attract hundreds of thousands of visitors across Europe. Which project has stayed most in your memory?
Every story is different and I love each of them like my own child. Last year I enjoyed preparing the exhibition about Sisi, who has inspired so many people throughout history. Her portrayal in the form of a 5 m sculpture and the symbols of her life attracted thousands of visitors, including some from noble families. A similar challenge was the installation of an 8 m light sculpture in Paris, or the technically demanding installation in a listed building in Marseille. The exhibitions at Špilberk, in Komárno and in the Treetop Trail were impressive.
DECOLED is today one of the European leaders in its field. Where are you heading next?
We would like to be number one on the market for festive and decorative lighting not only in the Czech Republic but in other countries too. This year we want to concentrate on new markets, for example Croatia, Slovenia, Switzerland or Ireland. And we are preparing further light exhibitions. Each of them is original, but all should bring joy and, we hope, educate a little.
When the lights go out and the season ends, where do you draw inspiration?
For us the end of the season is merely another beginning, the beginning of preparations for the coming one. It is already then that new ideas, projects and stories arise that the lights will go on telling. I draw inspiration from all around me – from life, from the everyday – and some motifs I carry within me for longer, simply waiting for their time or opportunity. I believe in all the meanings of light, and so, on the way from cause to goal, I would like to make, as a small building block, a kinder world around us.
Published: Deník.cz, 7 August 2025.