25 Must-See Installations and Activations at This Weekend's BLINK Art and Light Festival

Future City Light Spectacular

Before BLINK takes over two cities for four days, it will kick off with the Future City Light Spectacular: a 3,200-participant led parade down Cincinnati's Vine Street, grand marshaled by chef Jean-Robert de Cavel. Stepping off from the corner of Eighth and Vine streets downtown, the menagerie of illuminated floats, puppets, musicians, marching bands and costumed performers will march its way down to West Freedom Way at The Banks. Led by Jesse-Mooney Bullock, six ArtWorks Youth Apprentices will transform through Galactic Light Beast puppets, which were designed to affix to the wearer’s backpack. Ten more Youth Apprentices, led by local artist Kenton Brett, will take BLINK’s “future city” motto literally as GlowBots: LED-lit, rainbow robot costumes. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10. Eighth and Vine streets, Downtown.
BLINK 2017 parade // Photo: Hailey Bollinger

“re:FRACTION”

Fountain Square and the iconic Genius of Water fountain will be awash in blue, pink and purple light in this interactive projection mapping experience. Steve McGowan of Brave Berlin, a local media production company behind BLINK, describes “re:FRACTION” as “a totally different, immersive experience altogether.” With the entire square bathed in light, visitors will be transported into a beautiful expression of the fountain’s water and movement: a celebration of a true Cincinnati icon. Fountain Square, 520 Vine St., Downtown.
Photo: blinkcincinnati.com

“Dodecalis”

During BLINK 2017, Washington Park played host to “Katena,” an inflated, palace-like “luminarium” that glowed in vivid color. As BLINK’s only ticketed event (it cost $5), it also proved to be one of the most popular. Outside, its rounded arches and floral turrets made it resemble a miniature, alien version of Music Hall. Inside, visitors were left to explore, marvel and meditate within its caverns, described by its artists as “something between a womb and a cathedral.” Architects of Air, the British production company behind the structure will bring the world premiere of a new installation, “Dodecalis,” to BLINK 2019. Inspired by “natural forms, geometric solids (and) Islamic and Gothic architecture," long lines for "Dodecalis" are a given, but if it's anything like "Katena," the rewards will be well worth the wait. “Dodecalis” is BLINK’s only ticketed event. $10. Washington Park, 1230 Elm. St, Over-the-Rhine.
Photo: Provided by BLINK

“Lookin’ Good/Neon Flux”

Perhaps the most Instagrammed mural in Cincinnati, the “Lookin’ Good” mural on Jackson Street will come alive through 30,000 lumens of light and retro neon animations. 1120 Jackson St., Over-the-Rhine.
Photo: blinkcincinnati.com

“RUMBLE: A Contemporary Voice for the Bridge that Sings”

The John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge is already a local icon. Add a halo of color, song and ambient sound and it will be unmissable. Created by Philadelphia-based MASARY Studios, “RUMBLE” will cycle through periods of gentle, ambient sound as well as seven distinct stories told through music. One of the seven is titled “Johanna’s Hymn.” Named for John A. Roebling’s wife, the tune includes vocal samples from the Cincinnati Boychoir. Take in the sight from a viewing area on the Ohio side of the river or from the bridge itself: the bridge will be accessible by foot or in Oggo e-cars — the only auto traffic allowed on the bridge during BLINK. When spectators watch the bridge flow in waves of rhythmic color, the progression of movement should give the illusion that the bridge itself is creating its own joyful noise. John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge, Covington.
Photo: Provided by BLINK

Dazzle Doodle’s House of Fun

Step right up: Local queen of whimsy Pam Kravetz and her loyal cohort of eccentric artists are turning one unassuming alleyway into a colorful, dazzling display of carnival fun during BLINK weekend. Step through the big mouth entrance and into three funhouse chambers filled with marvels and mysteries: a maze of LED roping, creepy-cool creature projections, a mass of multi-sized glowing, inflatable balls and more will light the way through your adventure. Complete with circus performers, mascots and callers, Dazzle Doodle’s House of Fun is a BLINK-ified carnival classic. 13th Street Alley between Clay and Main streets, Over-the-Rhine.
Photo: Pam Kravetz

“Visionary Reality Threshold”

Saya Woolfalk’s new “Visionary Reality Threshold,” which occupies the space that previously featured the “What’s Happening Downtown” mural at 1005 Walnut St., will be one of the many murals across Cincinnati and Covington brought to life during BLINK. Recent visitors to the Contemporary Arts Center will recognize her work: Woolfalk’s surrealist exhibition A Cabinet of Anticipation runs through Oct. 27. In swirling, hypnotic color, “Visionary Reality Threshold” appears as if through a kaleidoscope. A puzzle of pattern and geometry, a single eye sits open at its center, surrounded by blue flame. Already mesmerizing in its own right, it will become a pulsing, psychedelic trip through Brave Berlin’s animated projections. 1005 Walnut St., Downtown.
Photo: Facebook/SayaWoolfalk

“Light Streams”

Honoring the city’s historic connections to water, artists from Northern Kentucky University’s School of the Arts will highlight “the dynamic effects of movement and color” by the way of eight illuminated canoes, suspended between seven and 10 feet above the ground. Calling to mind the mesmerizing power of water, the boats will glow in rhythm with coordinated music. There will be two nights of live music at “LightStreams,” kicking off with a Thursday night performance from the NKU Philharmonic Orchestra. 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10. Smale Riverfront Park, 166 W. Mehring Way, Downtown.
Photo: blinkcincinnati.com

The World’s Largest Disco Ball

Coming in at 11 feet in diameter, containing nearly one thousand mirrors and weighing three-quarters of a ton, the World’s Largest Disco Ball will return to BLINK this year. Made in Louisville, Kentucky, the world’s largest producer of disco balls, the mirrored behemoth is technically the world’s largest mobile disco ball, with the Guinness World Record going to a 33-foot disco ball in the Isle of Wight in England. The disco ball will be the center of attention at a BLINK pop up party in Covington, location TBD.
Photo: blinkcincinnati.com

”Crickets”

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Los Angeles-based artist Chris Kallmyer are partnering with nature’s musicians to create a new song for the city. In “Crickets,” one thousand live crickets will be beautifully lit in Music Hall’s Linder Grand Foyer. Their unique sound will point listeners to “memory, the passage of time and the poetics of place.” Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine.
Photo: blinkcincinnati.com

“Kentucky or Bust”

The mural at the corner of Fourth and Scott streets in Covington was first born in 2010 with the painting of a single, grayscale dog, Juno. In 2016, street art group The London Police added an array of smiling, bobble-headed figures, a blue sky, and an in-memoriam portrait of Mike Amann, the founder of Covington design group BLDG, who died of colon cancer in 2013. The gray, white and blue mural will be reimagined in technicolor for the duration of BLINK. Fourth and Scott streets, Covington.
Photo: blinkcincinnati.com

Barter Boat

An interactive art project from RADAR Art Collective, the Barter Boat has travelled across the country. During BLINK, attendees can participate in the project by bartering with members of the collective for curated gifts. According to BLINK, “Throughout their travels, RADAR Art has curated their collection of stuff from multiple cities into hand-held assemblages. Those who trade are given one of these precious packets, an eco-friendly bag carefully curated with the small possessions of passersby from a previous city. In turn, whatever visitors trade will become art, too, and exchanged at Barter Boat’s next stop.”
Photo: blinkcincinnati.com

“Chroma II”

Projected onto the façade of the Hanke Building, “Chroma” was a landmark of BLINK in 2017. This year, they’re bringing it back, this time to set alight the BB&T Building in Covington. Set to 120 beats per minute, “Chroma II” will allow viewers to curate their own unique musical experience while watching the mesmerizing pulse of glowing color and pattern. BB&T Building, 231 Scott Blvd., Covington.
Photo: blinkcincinnati.com

“Energy Cycle”

Philadelphia-based Klip Collective will exhibit their projection work, “Energy Cycle,” on Covington’s historic Hannaford building. “Energy Cycle” explores the physical properties of energy through flowing, rainbow waves of light. Brave Berlin’s Dan Reynolds says that Klip is a pioneer in the art form. “They’ve been doing it longer than almost anyone in North America, and their work is just astounding,” he says. “When you give them a location like the Hannaford building, which is stunning to look at all by itself, that is going to be a showstopper.” West Pike Street and Madison Avenue, Covington.
Photo: blinkcincinnati.com

“Bat Outta Hell”

Brought to life (or out of death) by the Cincinnati and Portugal-based collective Bicicleta sem Freio (Bicycle Without Breaks), “Bat Outta Hell” will see the artists’ psychedelic, skeletal bat surrounding in the chaos of lightning bolts, neon and electronic surges, “like a wild ride through the depths of hell where anything is possible.” Projection location TBD.
Photo: blinkcincinnati.com

“Entropy”

Highlighting the geometry of Over-the-Rhine’s Memorial Hall, “Entropy” will showcase ideas of “digital decline into disorder,” according to BLINK’s website. “Shapes will devolve from being clean and orderly into a more colorful and amorphous mixture. The piece will challenge the notion that degeneration and beauty are at odds with each other.” Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine.
Photo: blinkcincinnati.com

“Glass Fabric and Justice”

“Glass Fabric and Justice” takes inspiration from the American justice system to alter the Hamilton County Courthouse into a work of art. Using a cinematic approach and bursts of red, white, blue and yellow, the installation and projection uses real glass art created by GRT Glass Design and silk fabrics. The abstract work will draw parallels between “court’s inherent need to be both rigid and transparent like glass, while still maintaining the intricately woven flexibility that can conform like fabric to society.” Hamilton County Courthouse, 1000 Main St., Downtown.
Photo: blinkcincinnati.com

“Through Neon”

Inspired by the retro aesthetics and neon works of the 1940s and ‘50s, the Italianate architecture of the old Tower Furniture Building will be swathed in swirls of hot pink, highliter green and neon yellows, oranges and blues in “Though Neon,” a projection mapping above Aladdin’s Eatery + Lounge on Main Street by local artist Greg D’Amico, who has created murals across Cincinnati for the likes of Court Street Lobster Bar and 3 Points Urban Brewery. 1230 Main St., Over-the-Rhine.
Photo: blinkcincinnati.com

Foreal-Mobile

Cincinnati-based art and Electronic music collective Forealism-Tribe is taking a mobile dance party across the city with their interactive Foreal-Mobile. Comprised of reflective surfaces, DJ equipment, a PA sound system, lasers and lights, the Foreal-Mobile will participate in the BLINK parade. Multiple locations.
Photo: blinkcincinnati.com

Cultivars (The Dead Don’t Die)

Mini Microcinema founder C. Jacqueline Wood will turn the exterior windows of the Aronoff Center into a photographic “light table” to illuminate 35mm film slides of amaryllis flower specimens cultivated by her grandmother and photographed by her grandfather between 1967 and 1995. Featuring a total of 27 large-scale slides, Cultivars explores analogue media in the digital age “by resurrecting images taken long ago and re-contextualizing their meaning for today. The collected images represent not only the ephemeral life of these hybrid plants, but also the creative lineage of past generations,” according to a release. Weston Art Gallery/Aronoff Center for the Arts, 650 Walnut St., Downtown.
Photo: facebook.com/westonartgallery/