In East Kensington, projection artists turn buildings into canvases at first-ever Illuminate Kensington festival

East Kensington transformed into a glowing outdoor gallery as moving projections lit up building facades along Frankford Avenue and Hagert Street.

The free festival, Illuminate Kensington, featured local artists and live music across a multi-block stretch of the neighborhood.

The event was hosted by the East Kensington Arts Committee in coalition with the East Kensington Neighbors Association. Organizers said the committee’s goal is to create more art events in the neighborhood that support local artists and are funded through donations and grants.

Tima Ozen, an East Kensington resident and lead organizer of Illuminate Kensington, has been a member of the East Kensington Arts Committee for about two years. Ozen said the idea for the festival grew out of monthly brainstorming meetings held by the committee in collaboration with the Philadelphia ACM SIGGRAPH Chapter, where projection artists began to find one another.

“Doing that regularly, we started to meet more artists in the neighborhood who were doing [projection art], and we were really surprised that there's just a lot of people in this area who are doing projections,” Ozen said.

What began as a smaller concept featuring about 10 artists quickly expanded after organizers shared it on Instagram.

“We posted about it, and then people just started sending it to each other, and then I had friends and people reaching out who wanted to be part of it,” Ozen said. “So, that's kind of how it exponentially grew.”

Around 30 artists ultimately participated, with organizers prioritizing artists from East Kensington and other parts of Philadelphia, along with some from New Jersey and beyond.

From pieces showcasing nature and vibrant colors to interactive, playful works, each projection revealed the artist’s personality and turned buildings into canvases for vivid storytelling. Veronica Patrick, an artist and architect based in Philadelphia, showcased her piece called Building Maintenance.

Patrick said she was drawn to the festival because it allowed her to blend her love of dance and movement with her background in the more static field of architecture.

“I've drawn hand-drawn patterns to apply to the building to kind of give it a new life and a new energy,” said Patrick. “I got to combine my interest in buildings and big art and things like that and have it be responsive, almost like a performance, like a live interaction that is really meaningful. It's like I'm bringing back that kind of energy of dance performance and like merging all my worlds.”

Alex Sztenderowicz, a graphic designer, presented a piece about the cost of self-determination, referencing the long-standing fight for transgender people to live openly in society.

“I wanted to show some cool visuals, some visual analogies along with this narrative, and it's really just about expressing your authentic self and just having the freedom to express yourself and inspiring others to do the same,” Sztenderowicz said.

Sztenderowicz lives in the neighborhood and was excited to show their work to the community.

“I've never done anything like this before,” Sztenderowicz said. “Working at home all day, staring at a screen, it's nice to get out and like meeting new people like yourselves.”

A crowd favorite was Intricate Interplay by Joey Strain and Josh Miller. Strain created the graphics for the projection, while Miller coded the display. The piece was interactive, allowing viewers to scan a QR code and use their phones to move different elements of the projection.

“We wanted people to walk up, scan, tap on their phones, and see what silly, ridiculous things can happen.” said Strain.

The inspiration came from the duo’s fondness for the concept of a Rube Goldberg machine, which is a contraption designed to complete a simple task in a comically complicated way.

“The whole piece emerged from, how can we make something that's sort of an interactive puzzle, a situation where you do one thing, and another thing happens based on what that previous thing was,” Strain said.

For Strain, the most rewarding part was watching people of all ages engage with the work.

"My favorite interaction to witness is a parent and a child. The parent coaching a kid how to do it, and in some cases the kid is like, 'I know how to do it. I can handle it.' And the kid is telling them how to do it," Strain said.

Sam Cressman, from South Philadelphia, said the format offered artists something different.

"I think it's a great way to showcase local artists and really just show a different way of art that can go anywhere, like on a wall, and it becomes part of the building and the building becomes part of the art," Cressman said. "People are super friendly right now and just very mellow. It's like the perfect Friday night activity."

Dominique Butts traveled from New Jersey, in part to see the piece by Sztenderowicz, a family member.

"I think this is bringing people in from other areas, really highlighting just how far this area has come," Butts said, who described Sztenderowicz’s art as their favorite. “I love the message that it sends, in terms of acceptance. People need to look beyond just what the norm is and accept everybody for where they are.”

Holly Logan, a 16-year resident of the neighborhood, said events like this help counter outside perceptions.

"There's a lot of different assumptions given the different media and the different stereotypes about Kensington,” Logan said. “This type of event brings new folks in to experience a fun, interesting event and see a unique part of the neighborhood."

Organizers hope to make the festival an annual event.

"I think it's just a unique, different way of experiencing this space," Ozen said. "And everyone's just really excited and has a lot of really great ideas."