Arcade Music Festival 2025

Arcade Music Fest was a local event held in Covington, Kentucky in August 2025. Many stages were free and music could be found both on the street, in the existing “arcade” tunnel, and at various venues around town.

I was commissioned to create something both across the street and inside the tunnel. There were many constraints with going across the street, related to engineering, permitting, install window, and feasibility due to equipment needs. So while we all wanted to go larger, the outdoor piece was ultimately limited to a triangle that was about 30’x35′ in size.

The outodor piece was activated using a custom-built UV laser on fluorescent yarn. However, it also utilized 3M retroreflective material which meant that simply using a phone flashlight would activate aspects of the piece. People were invited to take flash photos for a unique photo opportunity.

Inside the tunnel, various 8-bit characters were cut using a laser cutter and covered with a retroreflective vinyl, causing them to illuminate brightly both from a light positioned at the entrance to the tunnel and with any flash photography.

WCPO – On-site interview

https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/kenton-county/covington/arcade-music-fest-a-look-at-the-most-ambitious-project-in-covington-in-years-creator-says