BLINK is an art event that occurred in Cincinnati Ohio October 10-13, 2019. The free event occurs after dark and includes light art installations and light projections in the streets, businesses, and alleyways of Downtown Cincinnati. BLINK had occurred in 2017 and returned in 2019.
I had just recently acquired a Voigtlander Bessa R and thought this would be a good time to run some film thought the camera and become better acquainted with it. I’ve also been wanting to try my hand at some nighttime color film photography and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. I loaded the Bessa up with some Kodak Ultramax 400 and we were off to Cincinnati!
The event covered 30-city blocks from Northern Kentucky’s Covington neighborhood, across the Ohio river, through Downtown Cincinnati and into Over-the-Rhine and the Findlay Market neighborhood. We parked near the Roebling Suspension Bridge along the Ohio River and headed north through the city, eventually making our way through the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood and into Washington Park.
While some of the art installations were meant to be observed, there were a great many that were interactive. It was estimated that over 1 million people attended BLINK over the course of the four day event.
The people attending BLINK even got into the spirit. This guy was wearing a LED strips on this clothes, which made for a really cool effect, turning him into a walking stick figure while he explored the dark streets of Cincinnati.
Street artists also got into the mood.
If you’ve ever visited Cincinnati, you’re no stranger to the many beautiful murals that grace the city. Some of these seemed to come alive when light was projected on them.
Some of the installations were put on by area businesses. We walked down a street we had never been down before and noticed music and flashing lights emanating from a doorway. This turned out to be a neighborhood theater where children were invited to interact with the performers.
These light sculptures were suspended between two buildings.
While some of the exhibits were static, others were very animated. The shot below was from one of the animated art exhibits that projected a series of animations on the side of the building.
I was really please with the results from this roll of film. It captured the colors just as I remembered them.
