ALMATY, KAZAKHSTAN – In a story as tragic as it is transformative, the name Saltanat Nukenova has become a symbol against domestic violence. Her brutal murder at the hands of her husband, a former government minister, shook Kazakhstan and the world. But Saltanat’s legacy didn’t end with headlines, as it culminated in the swift passage of legislation criminalizing domestic abuse – a milestone now known as Saltanat’s Law. For a moment, the country stood united in outrage. Yet, as often happens, the spotlight dimmed. The violence, however, did not.
In 2024 alone, Kazakhstan’s police fielded over 100,000 reports of domestic violence. That’s more than 270 cases a day. Yet the silence around the issue remained deafening. Awareness of rights was alarmingly low. Access to legal support, even lower.
Enter Saltanat Light, a digital art intervention turned public information weapon, lighting up both city streets and social media feeds.
Spearheaded by GForce Grey and Citix, a Kazakh digital out-of-home (DOOH) media company, Saltanat Light resurrects a piece of cultural history: a neon sign from the iconic women’s clothing store once simply called “Saltanat.” But now, its purpose transcends fashion. Each time a case of domestic violence is reported anywhere in the country, the sign blinks.
And it doesn’t blink alone. Over 100 digital billboards across Kazakhstan are linked to the same data stream. But this is more than a light show. Each screen is a portal leading users to a Telegram bot co-developed with the United Nations, designed to educate women about their rights under Saltanat’s Law and offer discreet access to legal resources and crisis support.
An AI-driven engine processes a vast stream of data – news, NGO-channels, social media, inputs from crisis centers and user-submitted stories collected via a Telegram bot and interactive Citix street devices. To ensure clarity and credibility, the system leverages a localized language neural network. Using a custom Node.js prompt, the AI filters and verifies each incident before sending validated data to Citix’s AdTech platform, which activates the neon sign and updates a live Saltanat Light widget across digital screens.
As a result, it reached 22.3 million (75% of Kazakhstan’s population), 522 000 reactions and 400% increase in criminal cases initiated under the Saltanat Law.
CREDITS
Advertising Agency: GForce Grey, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Managing Director: Yulia Tushina
Executive Creative Director: Yevgeniy Kostylev
Creative Director: Evgeniy Gavrilchenko
Creative Group Head: Victor Ershov
Art Director: Maxim Shilov
Designer: Aizhan Shagansariyeva
Motion Designer: Alexander Filatov
Client Service Director: Anna Kostyleva
Account Director: Anastasia Ivanova
Original score: Alexander & Sergey Lipsky (Simple Symmetry)
Video contribution: Anton Popov, Ilya Pitertsev
Gabriel Schmitt, Chief Creative Officer, GREY Global team
Diego Medvedocky, Global Creative Partner, GREY Global team
Constanza Rossi, Global Craft Partner, GREY Global team
Emma Tonetti, Global Head of Creative Management, GREY Global team
Catrina Ramos, Sr. Creative Manager, GREY Global team
Florencia Kessler, Global Creative Reputation, GREY Global team
Emiliano Alvarenga, Global Creative Production Partner, GREY Global team
Carolina Suarez, Global Team Production Project Manager, GREY Global team
Production: DK Entrepreneurship
Dauletbek Koshanov
Yerlan Ashimov
Yembergenov Nuratdin
Citix
Chief Executive Officer: Yana Shoi
Chief Marketing Officer: Yelena Ogbonna
Chief Commercial Officer: Yevgeniy Tyan
Global Creative Director: Magamed Khazhaliyev
Creative Production Director: Dmitry Kiiko
Creative Production Executive: Vladislav Pak
Creative Producer: Uliya Kusherbayeva
Creative Producer: Rustam Ashykbayev
PR Director: Leonid Nigmatullin
Chief Technical Officer: Kuanysh Baitenov
Head of Technical Operations: Konstantin Machshenko
Tech Lead: Yevgeniy Burlyai
Product Manager: Almaz Shadyrkulov
PR Manager: Umit Nurakhmet
Motion Designer: Amaliya Bektassova
Motion Designer: Almat Suisimbayev
Graphic Designer: Zhagan Amanzholov
