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BLINK CINCINNATI
AN INSTALLATION FOR A CITY-WIDE,
LIGHT-BASED ART FESTIVAL
THIS PIECE WAS COMMISSIONED BY THE MIAMI UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT (MUCCE) IN OVER-THE-RHINE, CINCINNATI AS PART OF THEIR BLINK CINCINNATI ART INSTALLATION AT THEIR STOREFRONT SPACE AT THE CORNER OF 13TH & VINE ST. WHILE I DESIGNED THE CONCEPT FOR THIS INSTALLATION, THE OVERALL EXECUTION AND CONSTRUCTION OF IT WAS DONE IN COLLABORATION WITH KYLIE BLOVITS AND KIARA CLARK.
STORYBOARDING
OVER THE COURSE OF 14 WINDOWS, MY CONCEPT TELLS THE STORY OF THE OVER-THE-RHINE PEOPLE'S MOVEMENT, A GRASSROOTS COMMUNITY MOVEMENT DOING ACTIVISM AND ADVOCACY FOR HOUSING RIGHTS FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD'S BLACK RESIDENTS AS THEY FIGHT GENTRIFICATION. THE MOVEMENT'S SYMBOL IS THE SUNFLOWER, WHICH STEMS FROM A PHRASE RESIDENTS THERE LIVE BY: "OUR PEOPLE'S HOPE WILL RISE AND STAND TALL LIKE THE SUNFLOWER."
I DESIGNED THE WINDOWS TO TELL THE STORY OF THE SUNFLOWER - REPRESERNTING THE PEOPLE - GROWING, AND WITH IT THE PEOPLE'S HOPE. THAT SENSE OF COMMUNITY GROWS TO BUILD A LARGE SUNFLOWER IN THE LAST WINDOW.
INSPIRATION
ANOTHER PART OF THIS BLINK INSTALLATION WAS A VIDEO PROJECTED ABOVE THE MURAL ON THE SIDE OF THE MUCCE BUILDING. IN ADDITION, ANIMATION PROJECTIONS ON TOP OF THE MURAL BROUGHT IT "TO LIFE". THE STORY OF THE GROWTH OF THE SUNFLOWER WAS INSPIRED BY THIS MURAL.
THE PROCESS
LASER-CUT PANELS WERE ASSUMBLED TO FIT INTO EACH WINDOWN OF THE MUCCE STOREFRONT. THE WINDOWS WERE THEN COVERED FROM THE INSIDE WITH GLASSINE, PAINTED IN CERTAIN AREAS TO FILTER COLOR. LIGHT FIXTURES BACKLIT THE WINDOWS, PROJECTING THE ART ONTO THE STREET AND CREATING THE ILLUSTION OF SILHOUETTES INSIDE.
Part of the window installation involved physical representation of some actual Over-The-Rhine residents and leaders working to piece together a sunflower. We took black and white photos of 8 of them for this.
FINAL PRODUCT
SUNFLOWER STAGE 1: THE SEED
REPRESENTING THE SEEDS & ROOTS OF OVER-THE-RHINE'S PEOPLE AND THEIR CULTURE. THE PEOPLE CARRY THE SEEDS IN THEIR HEARTS.
SUNFLOWER STAGE 2: THE SEEDLING
DESPITE PROBLEMS SUCH AS POVERTY, HOMELESSNESS, AND RACISM, THE OVER-THE-RHINE PEOPLE'S MOVEMENT USE ITS ROOTS TO GROW AND FIGHT FOR MORE WIDELY AVAILABLE PUBLIC RESOURCES AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR EVERYONE. ​
SUNFLOWER STAGE 3: THE SPOUT
WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD NOW GENTRIFIED, IT MAY LOOK NICE ON THE SURFACE LEVE, BUT NOW LACKS CULTURE, EMPATHY, AND FAMILIARITY. MANY OF THE ORIGINAL RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN FORCED TO LEAVE, AND YET THE PEOPLE'S FIGHT FOR EQUITABLE HOUSING AND RESOURCES CONTINUES TO GROW LOUDER AND STRONGER.
SUNFLOWER STAGE 4: THE BLOOM
EVERPRESENT AS IT GROWS BIGGER AND BIGGER, YET NOT ENTIRELY HERE YET - JUST LIKE THE NEIGHBORHOOD PEOPLE'S FINAL DESTINY. IT STANDS STRONG AND TALL, JUST LIKE THE PEOPLE'S CONTINUED HOPE FOR THE FUTURE OF THEIR COMMUNITY.​
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