A Monumental Celebration of Imagination, Joy & Possibility
What happens when we give our imagination permission to take up space? Like, really take up space. Fifteen feet tall, larger-than-life, dancing with light and color above the city kind of space.
Meet In Light of Us, our monumental inflatable and projection-mapped installation featuring MATILDA, a character born from a desire to create the kind of imagery we wanted to see more of in the world.
For four nights during BLINK Cincinnati 2026, Matilda came to life above the streets of Over-the-Rhine. Through animation, shifting patterns, color, and light, her surface became a canvas for transformation, inviting thousands of passersby to look up, pause, play, and imagine themselves larger.
But the experience extended well beyond those four nights. We spent a week in Cincinnati connecting with artists, neighbors, visitors, and new friends through an exhibition, creative workshops, conversations, and a whole lot of making.
Here’s a look at how it all came together.
Making the Impossible Possible
Now, let’s talk about how we actually pulled this thing off.
Projecting onto a 15-foot-tall, three-dimensional inflatable is a very different experience from projecting onto a flat wall or screen. Every curve, contour, and change in surface affects how an image lands.
And Matilda has plenty of curves.
What began as a character illustration required us to think through sculpture, fabrication, structural engineering, projection mapping, animation, and the physical realities of installing a monumental inflatable in an outdoor environment.
We had to consider how the object would hold its shape, how it would be anchored, how the projections would wrap around its surface, and how to maintain the integrity of the character through every transformation.
There was a whole lot of experimenting, testing, adjusting, and testing again.
The challenge was to make a highly technical process feel effortless to the audience. We wanted people to experience the wonder of a character coming to life, while behind the scenes, we were figuring out how to make light behave across a giant, rounded, dimensional object.
It took a combination of creative problem-solving, technical exploration, collaboration, and a healthy dose of persistence.
And seeing Matilda illuminated above Cincinnati made every round of testing worth it.
Taking Up Space: Cincinnati Art Week
A Pop-Up, Some Experiments & a Whole Lot of Community
We figured if we were coming to Cincinnati with a giant inflatable, we might as well make a week of it.
From October 3–10, we transformed a space at 1606 Race Street in Over-the-Rhine into our temporary creative home for Cincinnati Art Week.
The In Light of Us pop-up brought together different corners of our practice, from our Soft Spaces work and animal-inspired creations to experimental projections, prototypes, artwork, and collectible objects.
It was an opportunity to share the worlds we create, the processes behind them, and some of the ideas we’re still exploring.
More importantly, it gave us room to connect.
We welcomed visitors into the space for conversations, creative exchanges, and hands-on experiences that explored everything from printed matter to the physical properties of sound.
Press
We were excited to see In Light of Us receive coverage from both Spectrum News and NBC WLWT during BLINK Cincinnati.
Sharing the story of Matilda, the thinking behind the installation, and the process of bringing such an ambitious work to life gave us another opportunity to introduce our practice to new audiences.
A Little Something to Take Home
Artwork, Collectibles & a Few One-of-a-Kinds
Of course, we couldn’t create a whole world around Matilda without making a few things to bring home.
Alongside In Light of Us, we developed a collection of artwork and objects that extend the experience beyond the installation.
Our new releases include screen prints produced in collaboration with DIY Printing, original artist prints, one-of-a-kind works, and a selection of Matilda collectibles.
You’ll also find our Matilda Relics, small sculptural interpretations of the character, each with its own personality and individually painted finish, along with lenticular prints, pillows, and oversized bag charms.
Some pieces are open editions, while others are unique works or available in very limited quantities.
Whether you experienced Matilda towering above Cincinnati or you’re just meeting her for the first time, these pieces are another way to bring a little of that imagination into your own space.
What We Carry Forward
There is something special about creating work in public space. You put an idea out into the world, and suddenly it becomes part of the experiences and memories of everyone who encounters it.
For some, Matilda was a familiar face. For others, she was an unexpected discovery while walking through the city. Some stopped for a photograph, some stayed to watch her transformations, and some found their way into our pop-up to learn more about the world she came from.
We love that.
As a collective, much of our practice is rooted in creating opportunities for people to see themselves, engage their curiosity, and participate in the worlds we imagine together.
In Light of Us gave us the opportunity to explore those ideas at a monumental scale while continuing to experiment with the relationship between art, technology, storytelling, and public space.
We’re grateful to BLINK Cincinnati, Cincinnati Art Week, DIY Printing, Victoria Lekson of Prahxas, our collaborators, and everyone who spent time with us throughout this experience.
And to everyone who looked up, wandered in, asked a question, shared a story, or took a little piece of Matilda home, thank you for being part of it.
The work continues, and so does our curiosity.
