CINCINNATI — Final preparations are underway to get more than 100 installations ready for BLINK 2022, which starts Thursday.
This included a practice run of the inflation of one of the installations: The Architects of Air's TIMISIEN Luminarium. It's a network of tunnels and mazes inside an inflatable half the size of a football field.
"It's an awesome experience during the day because the sun moves and clouds go by and so the experience is always changing," said Emily Stowe, marketing manager for 3CDC.
Unlike many installations that are a part of BLINK, this one is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and costs $15 for adults and $10 for children under 10. Children under age 2 are free. It's also designed to be accessible for people with mobility difficulties and people with autism.
"It was designed with the intention of being a calm, soothing environment," Stowe said.
Hundreds of bicyclists filled the streets around Findlay Market Wednesday night for the BLINK BRIGHT ride.
"It's a way for everybody who wants to be part of BLINK to join in and co-create a spectacle that shares our creativity as a community all around the city," Art on the Streets founder Marge Waller said.
Art on the Streets is one of the organizations that put on the event featuring cyclists in costumes or lit-up bikes. This year's event featured multiple bikes the organizers commissioned artists to decorate, including a flying pig bike.
The artist named the bike 'Joy,' because of what the flying pig represents to him.
"The flying pig is essentially a Cincinnati thing and my hope and feeling is that Cincinnati is safe and welcoming," said Amphay Oudomsouk, the artist of the flying pig bike.
Joy is also something Waller said she sees a lot during the event.
"People smile all evening long, both the riders and the people who see us — a lot of joy," she said.
BLINK runs Thursday through Sunday from 7-11 p.m. each day. For more information on parking and road closures from the event, click here.
More on BLINK
BLINK parade will kick off art and lights festival Thursday night, 2,500 participants expected
Cincinnati Metro, TANK to offer fare-free rides during Blink 2022
BLINK organizers release 2022 installation map spanning 30 city blocks
