BLINK 2019
LightStreams

Immersive Light + Sound Artwork
Aluminum Canoes, Led’s, Computer Modules
30’x 75’
Smale Riverfront Park, Cincinnati, Ohio
BLINK 2019 Light Festival Commission  

Northern Kentucky University’s School of the Arts Professors Brad McCombs, Hans Schellhas and Amy Gillingham's collaborative artwork entitled “LightStreams” was featured at the Cincinnati BLINK 2019 Art & Light Festival with a live concert at Smale Riverfront Park.

Participants were able to experience the dynamic effects of movement and color of illuminated suspended canoes while the NKU Philharmonic Orchestra performed music by Bedřich Smetana, Miguel Roig-Francolí, and John Botter. After the live performance, the art installation continued with NKU Philharmonic recorded music for the duration of the weekend for BLINK viewers to experience. BLINK was the largest crowd-generator the Cincinnati region has ever seen with an estimated crowd of over 1.5 million people.

The metaphor of canoes traveling on water to communicate our region’s past and the continuing future journey. The installation evokes our connection to place, to tell the story of the land and our relationship to the river. Eight canoes were supported above ground at various heights between seven and ten feet in the air. The installation utilized dynamic colored lights that illuminated the boats that was all coordinated to music.