The reed sculpture exhibition in Amber Bay, Juodkrante represents a sophisticated contemporary reinterpretation of ancient seasonal rituals. By combining traditional craftsmanship with modern artistic sensibilities, this annual installation demonstrates how pre-modern mythological thinking continues to evolve through new cultural forms while maintaining connection to historical practices.

The deliberate timing of the exhibition during the Autumn Equinox—a period of balance between light and darkness—connects this contemporary artistic practice to universal human patterns of marking seasonal transitions. Across cultures, equinoxes and solstices have served as crucial temporal markers, prompting ritual activities that acknowledge cosmic patterns and their influence on human experience. This exhibition thus participates in a tradition that extends back to humanity's earliest attempts to understand and harmonise with natural cycles.

The illumination of sculptures during the festival creates a powerful visual metaphor for enlightenment or revelation, while their placement on water connects them to universal mythological concepts of liminality and transformation. The Curonian region's historical association with amber—a material often mythologised in Baltic traditions—adds another layer of symbolic resonance, incorporating local cultural significance into the broader pattern of seasonal observance.

This festival exemplifies how contemporary societies create new ritual spaces that serve functions similar to traditional mythological practices—marking time, connecting communities to landscapes, and facilitating shared experiences that transcend ordinary reality. The merger of art, nature, and local history demonstrates that mythological thinking remains a vital cultural force, adapting ancient patterns to address modern needs for meaning and connection while creating experiences that respond to contemporary aesthetic sensibilities.