From towering projections to immersive light displays, Cincinnati's biggest arts festival is about to light up the region.
Blink Cincinnati will return to the streets of downtown Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Oct. 8-11. This year's festival will feature more than 80 installations by local and international artists across more than 25 blocks in five different "zones," including Over-the-Rhine, Findlay Market, Fountain Square, The Banks and Covington.
With installations on both sides of the Ohio River, deciding where to start can be a challenge. Your ideal route may depend on the type of art you want to experience first.
The Enquirer chatted via email with Kathrine Nero, vice president of media at Game Day Communications, the festival's public
relations firm, about some of this year's must-see installations.
While organizers encourage visitors to see everything Blink has to offer, everyone has to start somewhere. Here are some of the festival's can't-miss installations and where to find them.
'Muon: Bloom' by Christo Squier & Tyrell
Zone: Fountain Square.
Christo Squier is a London-based composer, artist and creative director whose work explores the intersection of music, science and immersive experiences. His installation, "Muon: Bloom," transforms muons, subatomic particles that travel at nearly the speed of light, into an audiovisual experience using light and sound, according to Nero.
The installation responds to real-time particle detections from space, generating unique and ever-changing outputs.
According to the Blink website, "Muon: Bloom" is "part observatory, part sound poem, this euphoric voyage is coloured live by signals from deep space, inspiring awe at the unseen universe within."
'Horizon' by Leslie Epsztein
Zone: Covington.
This year, three French artists will project artwork onto the historic Mother of God Roman Catholic Church in Covington. Among them is designer Leslie Epsztein, a projection-mapping artist whose work blends themes of time, space, science, dreams, mythology and local culture. Her piece, "Horizon," explores "the limits of our perception, from human vision to the most extreme boundaries of the universe," Nero said.
'Threaded Light' by Sew Valley
Zone: Over-the-Rhine.
Sew Valley is a Cincinnati-based nonprofit collective of designers, patternmakers, prototypers, sample makers and sewists. The group is known for its immersive, large-scale textile installations made from repurposed materials.
For the 2026 festival, Sew Valley will transform an ordinary alleyway into a "glowing corridor of color." Hundreds of garments will be suspended between the alley's brick walls and illuminated by a video projection created by artist Rob Misleh. The imagery will be projected directly onto the clothing. An ASMR recording by local artist Joey Thomas will be synchronized with the garments' movement. The soundtrack draws on sounds captured from Sew Valley's manufacturing floor, including the hum of sewing machines, the snip of fabric and the rhythm of thread pulling through cloth.
'Jacob's Wall' by Parker Heyl
Zone: Over-the-Rhine.
Parker Heyl is a London-based installation artist, kinetic sculptor, educator and mechanical engineer. His work, which explores the intersection of physical objects and digital technologies, has been featured at cultural events around the world, including Coachella music festival.
His 2026 Blink installation, titled "Jacob's Wall," is a "kinetic, light-based installation inspired by the traditional Jacob’s Ladder toy," Nero said.
'Music Hall Experience' by Brett Bolton, Jonas Denzel, Silent Partners Studio and Strangeloop
Zone: Over-the-Rhine.
Brett Bolton, an audiovisual artist from Las Vegas, presented two performances, "Phases" and "Actions," during Blink Cincinnati 2024. He will return to the four-day festival with a live show at Music Hall, in collaboration with fellow artist Jonas Denzel, art collective Silent Partners Studio and production company Strangeloop. The performance will combine live drumming with projection and light mapping synced in real time. Shows are scheduled for 8:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. each night.
'Voyage to Atlantis' by Asha Ama Bias-Daniels
Zone: The Banks.
Asha Ama Bias-Daniels is a fashion designer from Cincinnati who has created pieces for various celebrities including Zendaya, Little Big Town and Lizzo. The University of Cincinnati graduate was also a finalist on Tim Gunn's "Project Runway: Under the Gunn," and was invited to compete in "Project Runway All Stars."
Bias-Daniels presented Blink's first fashion show in 2024 and will debut a new show, "Voyage to Atlantis," at this year's festival. The fashion show, a nod to Cincinnati funk group The Isley Brothers' 1977 song of the same name, will showcase a capsule collection by the local artist's mentee student designers. A live music tribute by Cincinnati musicians Mic. Carr and Shades, Turich Benjy and Cleöcrt will also accompany the piece.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 6 must-see Blink Cincinnati installations you won't want to miss
