Telling the Traditions of Europe Through Light
Answers to questions from ExportMag.cz, July 2025.
From this year DECOLED is preparing a new concept for light parks. What will it consist of?
In our light exhibitions we are increasingly expanding interactivity and developing educational elements in public space. A completely new and perhaps slightly bold intention is the wish to tell, through light, the traditions of Europe in a project called Heart of Europe (Srdce Evropy). We operate in most countries of Europe, and we would like to connect with light the idea of our common home. The basic idea draws on Greek myths, and through the individual elements we want to draw attention to the landmarks of Europe, continental Europe, of course. We want to carry this idea into our other light exhibitions too and connect everything interactively. I am also looking forward to further accompanying plans: to convey the idea of mutual perspectives, of Europeanness, of the traditions that shaped Europe, and above all to stress the awareness that being European is a process. Like our exhibitions, behind every door there are more.
Christmas and the winter season are the centre of gravity of sales for the DECOLED brand, but can you also give examples of interesting products for other times of the year?
The decoration of shopping centres and towns sometimes resembles film or stage scenography with a themed setting. In other words, we must be able to make almost anything; with regard to durability, we simply choose resistant materials and suitable production processes. In this spirit we are preparing Valentine’s decoration and Easter decoration, but also, for example, decoration for music and other festivals, or advertising commissions. Last year we installed the Universe (Vesmír) exhibition in Prague, which we also lend to observatories. As our exhibitions expand and move through time, opportunities arise for wider use during the year, although natural light and darkness are absolutely fundamental. But we are also preparing floral decorations and non-illuminated exhibitions, though on a smaller scale.
How does the company handle design development; does it make use of any elements of state support for applied design?
As in every creative activity, I still consider human creativity and mutual aesthetic harmony the most important. It is sometimes demanding, especially in made-to-order production, to balance economic and technological possibilities so that they do not limit the originality of the designs. Of course, we innovate technologically, and so we acquired a robotic head made to measure for our printing of 2D motifs, and we would like to acquire a more sophisticated one, but unfortunately, unlike our competing suppliers in Europe, we received no state support, like most small and medium-sized firms here.
Published in: ExportMag.cz, 16 July 2025.