The book Fire Dramas is in the 2nd round of the international book competition

The book Fire Dramas achieved a significant success when it advanced to the second round of the book competition organized by the Fedrigoni company. “The book is one of the results of a long-term research project of the Olomouc Museum of Art focused on early modern festivals and propaganda. This time it is devoted to fire dramas – musical-dramatic performances with pyrotechnics. Through reproductions it shows and describes the oldest fireworks and the most influential pyrotechnics. It describes the highlights, staged in unique moments and combining ephemeral monuments, specific music and dramatic acting. Realised as a contemporary interpretation of a baroque book using classical materials and techniques,” described Miroslav Kindl, author of the book and curator of the Fire Dramas exhibition.

Graphic designer Jan Zikmund and Gabriel Fragner, of the production company Formall, are behind the final form of the book. They have already had one success in this competition. In 2022, they came in 2nd place with their publication The Search for Universality/Contexts of Industrial Architecture in Czechoslovakia 1945-1992.

“This competition is a stepping stone for the Olomouc Museum of Art, as we will also be entering Fire Dramas in the Most Beautiful Book of 2024 competition,” Kindl added.

You can visit the Fire Dramas exhibition at the Archdiocesan Museum until 29 December 2024. The captivating exhibition describes the arrival of gunpowder in Europe and the beginnings of its use in fireworks. It showcases the highlights of firework displays and filigree illuminations of a later era.

The book has also recently been published in English translation. You can buy both the Czech and English versions in our online shop.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)