Covington-based mural group brings a first-of-its-kind immersive experience to the city

Covington’s newest art collective, Immersion Alley, is taking the idea of a mural to the next level. “The Wenzel House” is much more than just a large image on a building: It is a hyper realistic, fine art experience with interactive doors, 3D elements, and multiple scavenger hunts.

“The Wenzel House” will occupy both sides of Tobacco Alley up to Electric Alley, off Madison Avenue. When patrons visit local businesses like Wenzel Whiskey and the Pickle Factory, instead of walking down a spooky, unlit alleyway, they will find themselves immersed in an extravagant Victorian shotgun home.

Featuring a foyer, living room, dining room, kitchen, and bedroom, each room is filled to the brim with details and narrative. Painted shadows, perspective, 3D elements, and fully functioning doors will play with the viewer’s eye and make them feel right at home. Feel free to open a cabinet to see what is inside! Immersion Alley invites the public to search for and discover the treasures hidden within “The Wenzel House” in this public art masterpiece.

There are many reasons why this installation doesn’t fit the typical definition of a mural. First, it is not being painted on an existing wall. The team at Immersion Alley is painting on clear PVC modular panels in order to attain a smooth surface and to avoid painting on a historical building.

“The Wenzel House” is more like walking through a giant fine art painting rather than simply viewing a typical mural. You can spend hours, even days exploring all the tiny treasures hiding within the walls of “The Wenzel House,” but if this is not enough, it also contains two versions of a scavenger hunt.

One is a simple game of “I Spy” in which each artist has hidden their own object somewhere in the house. You begin your search with just the silhouettes of each object. This game can be played without a device and can be enjoyed with children and the whole family.

The second scavenger hunt is an epic saga of Covington lore which requires research and knowledge of the city and those who envisioned it all.

Amy Milburn, the woman responsible for the vision knew what she wanted to do to transform an old alleyway, but not seeing anything like this before, was not sure where to start on such an undertaking.

That’s where the lead artists, Devan Horton and Gabrielle Siekman come in. Both are graduates of Northern Kentucky University with their BFA in painting.

Horton is a painter who has had recent solo shows of her work Penchant in Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio, and Ft.Wayne, Indiana. She was a finalist in the Young Painters Competition last year, and recently received the Kentucky Foundation for Women’s Art as Activism Grant.

Siekman is painter and an educator at Baker Hunt Art and Cultural Center and has done several murals and public art projects locally. Horton and Siekman gathered twelve other talented painters and together with all of their combined experience.

The Immersion Alley group also includes artists Wesley Ericson, Randy Godawa, Rachel Linnemann, Yuanrong Li, Clint Noble, Rashad Orlando, Serhiy Royter, Brett Tachi, Tia Tobergte, Brennan Walden, Logan Walden, and Chloe Wenger.

“Thanks to the hard work of the talented artists, I get to have the amazing feeling of having an imagined vision turned tangible,” said Milburn “I am truly grateful for the quality of place grant, which served as a catalyst for the project.”

“It’s an honor to work with all of these talented local painters and to bring a public art installation of this magnitude to the city I grew up in,” says horton. “This mural will bring people together in the community for a fun and interactive experience and I am so proud of our team for what we have created,” says Gabrielle.

“The Wenzel House” is currently being installed and an unveiling event is scheduled for October 19 at 4 p.m. Attendees are invited to join Immersion Alley at their “House Party” for an opportunity to enjoy art, mingle with the artists.

The mural was made possible through a Quality of Place Grant from the City of Covington, a private foundation’s generous donations, and in partnership with Wenzel Whiskey. You can stay up to date with progress with photos and details of the unveiling event on their Instagram @immersionalley.

Immersion Alley

The post Covington-based mural group brings a first-of-its-kind immersive experience to the city appeared first on NKyTribune .