For our third day at BLINK, the nation’s largest light and art event put on by ArtsWave in Cincinnati and Kentucky, we explored the installations in the Banks Zone and the Fountain Square area. October 20th marked the last day of the four-day light festival, so we were excited to check out the last of the areas we had yet to experience.
Along the banks of the Ohio River the Stargate installation by Chalk River Labs created a portal through the cosmos. The 12 ft square encompassing a circle changed from the color and liquid like appearance of an oil spill to a spinning mandala, accompanied by a soundtrack. If you look through the circle at just the right angle, you can see the Roebling Bridge in the distance.
One of the coolest installations of the night was Christopher Schardt’s “Paraluna.” This spectacle is a 28-foot diameter disc with over 14,000 full-color LEDs, suspended in the air. The disc spins and lights up, creating fun patterns in the night sky. The patterns are choreographed to a supporting classical music track. Guests of all ages at BLINK laid on the ground below the spinning disk to fully immerse themselves in the lights.
The larger than life translucent frog titled “Heart of Glass” was very interesting to see near the river. A giant inflatable frog is filled with colored lights and a beating heart, which a lot of the children visiting liked. The artist, Katie Stewart, said the frog symbolizes the fragility and wonder of the natural world.
Located in the Downtown Zone, Fountain Square was transformed by Fifth Third Bank and B!G ART into a plaza of portals and light. The installation is called “OPEN” and includes three separate areas: The Arch, The Doors, and The Gates. The Arch is a 25-foot tall square archway covered in millions of LED pixels that show colorful and trippy images. The Doors are free-standing doorways around the plaza that are interactive, allowing guests to walk through them. The Gates are door frame shaped arches lit up around their border and lined up single file.
We ended our night by watching the Mystic Eye drone show that runs at 8 and 10 PM over the Ohio River. This time, we watched the show from the Ohio side of the river. The lighted drones soar through the sky in intricate patterns, changing colors and forming shapes and designs in the darkness. We did however enjoy our pictures and view better when we watched from the Kentucky side of the Ohio River earlier in the week.
BLINK 2024 was a magical experience we won’t forget. We can’t wait to see what creativity flows through the Cincinnati and the Northern Kentucky area next time, lighting up the night.