CINCINNATI — Artist Alan P. Marrero has two days to make pigs fly.
“It hasn’t really hit me yet that we’re doing it, even though I’m like doing it right now,” Marrero said 10 feet above the ground in a bright red scissor lift.
He will spend the next few days atop that perch in Piatt Park as he hangs 70 pink, resin-casted pigs. Each one is illuminated by lights. They’re programmed to give the appearance of a flock moving east.
Marrero said he lost track of the amount of hours it took to create each of the one-foot-long pigs by hand. After creating a silicone mold, constantly spinning it during a resin pour created a surface while leaving the inside hollow. That allows a light to be installed on the inside.
“As I was going through the process, it just felt like, ‘Oh yeah, this is going to be a good project,’” he said.
Though Marrero is a Walnut Hills High School alum, he has spent the last 15 years in Seattle working for a decorative light manufacturer. Public art has always been a passion, and, at the urging of friends and family, he decided to apply for BLINK. Organizers accepted his submission.
At a press conference Tuesday, BLINK executive director Justin Brookhart said the festival saw 950 public submissions this year. That’s a 280% increase from 250 in 2022.
“What it means to us is: ‘celebrate our own while also having world-class artists come in and contribute to a vibrant landscape here,’” Brookhart said.
“When Pigs Fly” will be on display in Piatt Park, along the downtown zone’s walking trail. BLINK runs from 7-11 p.m. from Oct. 17-20.
“I think it gives them more life when their overall form kind of mimics nature and how a pig would naturally fly with its group,” Marrero said.
Find more information about BLINK here. Find more information about how to purchase a pig after BLINK here.
