by Holly Brians Ragusa
writer, communications consultant, Friends of Music Hall board member
She BLINKED! Music Hall shone bright during BLINK!
For four nights, Cincinnati was enraptured and bedazzled with the incredible light displays of BLINK. This incredible event anticipated 1.5 million people to share in the sense of wonder and community that once before, in 2017, graced the streets of downtown Cincinnati and OTR.
This year the event spilled across the river on a glowing and musical bridge to extend the splendor into Covington.
Not to be outdone, the Hunter’s Moon shone down all four nights with her mighty clarity in the inky sky.
Buildings and murals across the city sparkled and seemingly moved under the impressive projection mapping that stopped crowds in their tracks at street corners all over town.
ArtsWave, ArtWorks, Brave Berlin and AGAR each brought some incredible talent and resources to BLINK and many Cincinnati companies championed this long weekend event.
The Star of Elm Street
This BLINK, Music Hall spun her own sparkle into Elm Street and onto the masses that passed under her as they gazed up from street curbs and Washington Park. No building had quite the effect of dazzling beauty and timeless affect as Music Hall.
The rose window came alive under the wonderful lights created and manned by imaginative CAA staff, led by Music Hall Technical Director Gary Kidney.
Music Hall Manager Scott Feldman provided this photo showing how the effect was achieved. You’re looking at the back of the Rose Window, which, by the way, is many many flights of steps up in Music Hall.
The weekend saw streams of visitors into the lobby of Music Hall where the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra brought an auditory experience of crickets into the lobby and a film looped for all to enjoy in the gorgeous Springer Auditorium.
However, it was the Over-the-Rhine Artistic Anchor that cast wide her welcoming shadow into Washington Park. Music Hall.
Through her park-facing glass, she oversaw the installation of a central feature of BLINK, the inflatable wonder of Architects of Air. If windows could speak, the joy that Music Hall stood witness to this weekend surely stood above the rest.
The Queen and the Art of BLINK
Almost 24,000 visitors passed through the front doors of Music Hall. On Saturday, October 13th alone, over ten thousand guests were welcomed into this historic structure, sharing her unique beauty and her stories with the public.
BLINK gave Cincinnati a chance to show off its best and the city didn’t disappoint! Friends of Music Hall rallied to the warm lights and open doors of this remarkable icon, languorously situated on and wrapping the over-sized city block of Elm and 14th Street to Central Parkway.
