FIGMENT is a free, family-friendly participatory arts event held in multiple cities and attracting tens of thousands of participants each year. FIGMENT is an explosion of creative energy, a celebration of participatory art and culture where everything is possible. FIGMENT celebrates an abundance of creativity and passion, challenging artists and our communities to find new ways to create, share, think, and dream. Become a part of 2012 events in NYC, Boston, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Cedar Rapids, IA, Washington, DC, and Jackson, MS, as well as interactive exhibits on NYC's Governors Island from June through September.
FIGMENT is completely FREE to artists and participants thanks to grants and donations. If you enjoy FIGMENT, and share our belief in the importance of free cultural experiences for everyone, please make a tax deductible donation at the link below, or put a donation in a donation box at the event. Or, if you have a credit card, ask anyone in a FIGMENT T-shirt where you can make a credit card donation. FIGMENT only exists because of individual donations from people like you. No amount is too small.
FIGMENT is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, created and produced by a coalition of volunteers. FIGMENT is entirely funded by grants and individual donations, and accepts no corporate sponsorship of any kind. FIGMENT is supported by public funds from the National Endowment of the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, as well as by the Fund for Creative Communities, supported by New York State Council on the Arts and administered by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. FIGMENT Boston is produced with support from the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, the designated stewards of the Rose Kennedy Greenway and site of FIGMENT Boston. FIGMENT Jackson is supported by the Greater Jackson Arts Council.
"‘Til Death Do You Part – MARRY YOURSELF!" is a one-on-one installation and performance piece where you marry yourself (not someone else). Guided by the artists – The Encouraging Priestess and her Host-Guides – in a quickie, Lost-Vegas parody of a non-denominational marriage ceremony, one finds the power of vows amidst the characteristic wedding fuss. Wedding photos and rings to keep, costumes to borrow and multiple-choice vows are only the beginning.
0H10M1ke wanders the streets of Brooklyn and NYC, passing out serially numbered matchbook portraits completed on the spot in less than 1 minute. Having penned #10,000 at the close of last year's FIGMENT, he continues to wander... When will he hit 100,000???
Ryan Krause and Mark Goldstein host two full days of
Breakfast. Visitors of all ages can come sit down and have breakfast at their
five-seat kitchen table. Feel free to read cut-and-pasted newspapers from that
morning in any order to determine the day's events. Join a newspaper quintet.
Pick a small cup of coffee or tea and let the sound of boiling water and
washing cups complement the radio. Eat some bread and honey, fry some pancakes
on portable stove burners! Meet interesting people and share some thoughts. Stay
tuned for the 5PM news summary of the daily happenings!
"AMELIA" is an epic Civil War tale of one woman's search for her husband across the battlefields of America. The story culminates at the gates of the notorious Andersonville prison camp. Performances will be at Fort Jay on Governors Island, a former Civil War prison camp.
Adorn a few of the things the artist loves in this performance and installation piece. Wrap tree trunks and a few other objects of affection with ribbons & adorn with 'love'; 'I love trees...'
Draw hearts and powerful words of empowerment and inspiration with colorful chalk; symbols and other types of drawings that are surrounding and inspired by the concept of 'Adorn me...the things I love' are written decoratively on the sidewalk. Words, love, symbols, and color are powerful.
The "Aeolian Ride" is the world's only inflatable bike ride, now not just for the big kids. For the past 9 years artist Jessica Findley has travelled the world with her inflatable costumes inviting local folks to bring their bikes and helmets, don a costume and go for a ride, tranforming themselves and the surrounding city into a playground. This "Aeolian Ride Kids" Rainbow Edition invites children to join the ride that has been transforming adults into children. Sign up online to join the fun: www.aeolain-ride.info.
"AffirMirroR" strives for personal and collective evolution through a positive affirmation process. Write present tense statements about the way you want to see yourself and our world on the "AffirMirroR" (“I am beautiful”, “Our planet is abundant and sustainable”, etc). Concentrate on generating the gratitude for exactly what you are manifesting with your words. Gaze at your reflection and let your eyes travel to other statements, mirroring the words of the original writer. All minds reflect the collective presence of each of us and add to the generative capabilities of the "AffirMirroR."
Bringing together beatboxers, drums, electronic autoharps, glockenspiels, synthesizers, loopers, guitars, and string trios, the Alyson Greenfield Experiment runs the gamut of musical genres including folk, electronica, and hip-hop. She'll take you to dream lands with her synthesizers, spin wild stories with her lyrics, and might just make you want to jump around with her raps!
Andy Golub does a lot of live bodypainting. At FIGMENT, he paints his own models as well as volunteers. People get to watch the artistic process as he paints a model. Unlike most bodypainters, Golub's work is spontaneous, as he feeds off of the inner energy of the model to inspire the art.
Are you a Super Villain or Super Hero? "Aqua Attack!!", the
imaginary Japanese game show where you dress up and battle in kiddie
pools with super soaked plush toys and guest game show hosts, is back!
Manhattan Tribal Belly Dance is an American Tribal Style® Belly Dance Company, the first of its kind in New York City. Their dance form incorporates movements embedded with non-verbal cues. "Belly Dance In The Moment", directed by Mimi Fontana, allows the dancers to communicate and create a dance piece "in the moment" which appears to be choreographed, but is purely improvisational. In addition to live performance demonstrations, we'll also be giving mini-classes engaging the audience to come dance with us!
Life buzzes, beats, flows, and arranges itself in
endless patterns, often on scales too small for us to see with our naked eyes. Inside
the “BioBus” – a converted, carbon-neutral 1974 city bus – you will use some of
the world's most powerful microscopes to search out beauty and horror in a
strange world we rarely see. Bring your own samples to magnify, and leave with
a printed photograph of your discovery.
In homage to our own bodies, 70% water, the artist presents an interactive piece invoking us to think about our water. There is a battle for New York's clean water going on right now. If the Marcellus Shale upstate is ruptured by fracking, our drinking water will be infected with radioactive toxic materials that even reverse osmosis filters cannot clean. The audience is encouraged to participate by calling their local senator to vote to Ban Frack. After you call your rep, email the artist to receive a hand decorated thank you postcard: beatrixx@gmail.com. Find your local rep (http://www.nysenate.gov/senators) and call!
Returning for its second year of FIGMENT, "Boom Box Trike" is a custom built human powered tricycle that carries a 900 watt battery powered sound system, injecting auitory boom wherever it goes. The aim is to take celebration to all corners of FIGMENT (and all over NYC) striving to redefine when and where dancing and celebration can occur, blurring the default world imposed boundaries on such.
This project uses recycled standard cardboard boxes as
oversized building “blocks” to make large-scale structures/sculptures. The
"construction set" will consist of 100-200 cardboard boxes of various
dimensions. People will be invited to make “sculptures” from the various boxes.
They will be free to make their own configurations, as well as assist the
artist in realizing his. None of the “creations” will be permanent; they can be
constantly rearranged into new structures based on the input and interaction of
the participants. The artist intends to document the results with photographs.
Using Brain Computer Interface headsets, two players can engage in a digital game of table tennis. The "paddles" are controlled solely by brainwave activity that is wirelessly transmitted and interpreted by computer software. The headsets use non-invasive and gel-free electroencephalography (EEG) to measure mental states. Come and battle it out with other players, or just watch the matches on the wall-sized outdoor display!
"Brooklyn Aerodrome" will be roving around the FIGMENT grounds flying farcical objects by remote control. Look up to the sky for a flying banana, heart and other creatures of the sky.
"BucketCraft" encourages participants to play and build with
square recycled buckets, adding to a video stream of constructions with
one another. This encourages play within a broad community through a
collaborative sandbox space, that highlights the reuse of materials, and
the reexamination of everyday objects. Every time a bucket is moved,
the camera above takes a photo. Visit BucketCraft.org to play back a stop-motion movie of the different constructions—or view the camera live with your smart phone.
Please keep the buckets within the designated area.
Please do not stand on the buckets, or remove the lids.
Large scale drawing in chalk on tarmac. Drawn with a dryline marker on a parking lot. Modern hieroglyphics glorifing the power of nature. Colored chalks will be provided so that the public can collaborate and this can become a collective work.
Costume Designer Nancy Brous will take her "act" on the road, setting up a sewing machine and a bag of fabrics and trims on a card table on Governors Island, inviting FIGMENT goers to give her a piece of their clothing right off their backs which she will change: embellish, add to, cut from, lengthen, shorten, or otherwise re-model while they watch. Requests will not be accepted, in fact she may well be wearing headphones throughout, so a leap of faith is required.
Rolando Vega, known as the Chickinman, has been performing in New York City for most of his life. Thousands of people have photographed him in many of the parades and events in the city. He has been an artist with FIGMENT since its beginning, he brings with him things for people to do, like the eyeball-tossing game of “Socket”; "Draw on Me," a big white head that anyone can draw on, and any other fun thing he can invent.
In acknowledgment and light-hearted examination of the eternal challenges humans face when communicating and cooperating with each other, co ax is hosting a participatory art event. "Coaxial Cloud Glitches" challenges every participant's ability to be in a state of constant attentiveness to the contributions of others and to join in this process to create a more complex yet cohesive creative team. The challenge extends across sensory realms utilizing archival and live audio, archival and live video, archival and live drawings that each play off the other and inspire us all on forward, into...
The Cocoon is a sheer, stretchy fabric enclosure designed for playing inside. The Cocoon Project performs and documents these colorful temporary installations and the public's participation. Performers use gestures, poses and noises to express ideas about form, shape and movement in space and time. The Cocoon is performed/installed when the participator enters the Cocoon. Each one is different in its size, opacity, subtle texture and smells. A collection of them together – in FIGMENT's grass and sunshine – creates an interactive Playground. Best for groups of 4 and 5, the experience must be from inside!
"Collective" is a dance that materializes out of, and becomes a part of its environment. Audience members will find themselves right in the middle of this dreamy, consuming world as the piece builds in intensity and then dissolves back into the crowd.
"Community Garden" is created from repurposed plastic shopping bags that
have been turned into 'plarn' (plastic yarn) that has then been used
to create an array of flowers and creatures through crochet, knitting,
and other fiber arts techniques. In addition to the completed exhibit,
at various points throughout the day visitors are invited to learn how
to make plarn themselves and ultimately crochet a reusable shopping
bag for everyday use.
Is Con/Science a collective of musicians, a band, a sound, an activity, spontaneity or your mind? All of the above, built upon a foundation of a pre-agreed groove. Con/Science is everything that happens from then on until the emergence of a pre-agreed cue for a stop. Con/Science can be a song, a drone, a groove, a conversation, a chant or the sound of the community. A collective con/science is born among those who contribute.
This piece of interactive art stands as one of the only
known examples of public sculpture to employ the lenticular image. Referencing
the form of The World Trade Center, “Confronting the Towers (Not a Memorial)”
consists of 24 lenticular panels, housed in an aluminum structure, and
protected by UV blocking Lexan. The lenticular images contained in these two
towers are constantly in flux, changing with the movements of each and every
viewer that passes by. Conceptually this piece addresses American attitudes and
global outlook in a post 9/11 world. Additionally one is left to contemplate
the realities of commodified tragedy.
Costumery, Absurdity and bringing together some of the most inspired people at FIGMENT. Based at the Kostume Kult costume dome, the most costumed people will be helping to costume kids, creating fun and going on excursions – exploring all the wonderful things that FIGMENT has to offer while creating scenes wherever we go... COME JOIN US or get in touch with Costume Jim prior.
This installation creates art in an unusual location – the curb. Installed on several curbs, the artist recreates the patterns of several subway map train lines. The material she uses is colored tape. Seen from a distance, the patterns may appear familiar. Upon closer inspection, visitors can engage in guessing train lines that are depicted.
Unleash your inner action hero! "Dagorhir" is a live-action medieval style martial art that uses safely constructed padded foam weapons to immerse participants in mock battles against one another. We will be having demonstrations, open battles, training, and much more throughout FIGMENT Saturday.
"Dance of the Garden Sentinels" is an installation by Michele Brody of a band of Eco marching quadrupeds supporting the growth of hanging flowers. Dancer Sabine Heubusch will move in, through, around and outside the installation. As her choreography responds to the environment around the installation – such as the viewers, the sounds, and the light – she will create a dialogue with the Sentinels, reflecting their resilience, the liveliness, and the buoyancy of their role as the guardians of Nature.
"Dance of the frogs" is a multiple performance piece using dance and painting, transforming into a multi-faceted sculpture every time the dancers have a break.
"Daydreaming" calls upon the participant/viewer to have an imaginative experience conjured in an open space. Most people can relate to lying on the grass on a warm day just watching the clouds go by, letting their imagination run wild. As a child the artist did just that, watching the clouds go by, deciding what the shapes reminded her of. A boat, a car, a dinosaur... She would wonder what heaven was like, In a moment you can become one with the world in a meditative state. Bring a blanket and daydream with her!
“The Degeneration Garden” is a sculpture group with water
kinetics characteristics. The work is inspired by images of experiments of
degenerated and sectioned nerves that work as symbols of physical and psychical
trauma. The nerves are anthropomorphic and mechanical and are operated through
a system of timers, fountain pumps and micro-sprinklers. Spraying water at
different moments of the day, “The Degeneration Garden” gives an ironic and
public perspective that allows visitors to perceive their own traumatic
experiences in cathartic contemplation – while they play and have fun at the same
time!
"Dis-Embodied/Re-Embodied" is a site-specific installation of larger-than-life photographs. Five foot tall female body parts and limbs have been abstracted and manipulated almost to the point of non-recognition, distilled back to their basic elements of lines and curves. Blown-up to a hyper-real size, they can no longer be compared to any “ideal”; instead they can once again be viewed and appreciated for their inherent beauty.
Come experience, respond and even contribute!
Drinks and music in the shade.
"ENDURE: A Run Woman Show" is a site-specific work of interactive, immersive audio theatre written, created and performed by Canadian-born, Brooklyn-based artist, Melanie Jones. "ENDURE" tells the story of one woman’s marathon – an endurance test that is both athletic and personal – through athletic dance-theatre performance, a dreamlike soundtrack and writing that is at once poetic, raw, salty and comical. As intensely dramatic as it is wittily observational, "ENDURE" invites audiences into the mind and body of a marathoner in an intimate and rarely seen portrait.
"Eagle’s Nest" is constructed of natural wood and bamboo. The
weave of the wood “fabric” of the structure of the wings creates a
shading effect and sense of enclosure. The base of the sculpture—”the
nest”—is meant for lounging with natural wood chairs surrounding the
semi-enclosed “nest”. Small children can play in the “nest” whilst
adults lounge in the safety of the eagle’s wings. "Eagle’s Nest"
alludes to the social fabric of family and nature that is part of the
Governors Island experience, by representing an eagle caring for and
protecting its young at its place of haven—the nest.
Inspired by the natural order and fragility of spider webs,
"El Hilo" uses synthetic strings in saturated neon colors, playfully
resisting the work’s connection to nature and the cursory activities of crochet
and threading. The installation discusses delicate structures created in
nature, replicated through threading and crochet. These structures hang from
the tree like webs. The artists ask you to try these colorful webs on. Look in
and interact with your image through the sculptures. Step into and interact
with crochet works as others do the same. Feel the interconnected social
relationship that drives both spiders and cursory activity.
The legendary MC Christopher presents “ElectricBubbleBus”, a
mobile sound-art-visual roving platform. This is a brightly colored dance
enabling, rideable vehicle for all ages to enjoy. With a superior sonic sound
and PA system MC Christopher will do what he does best: engage the crowds creating
impromptu dance parties, introduce and highlight other performances, serve up
random runway/fashion shows. The excitement happens when MC Christopher
encourages the masses to DANCE, get up, move, perform and interact with each
other. “ElectricBubbleBus” is a tidal wave of continuous involvement as guests
ride, dance, watch and interact wherever she roams on Governors Island.
The audience is invited to draw/paint/write upon an existing
work in progress or to add to the sentence, end a paragraph, start a story that
will be continued by a total stranger. The performance will bring words and
rhyme, colors and shapes together as one action. The artwork will be erased at
the end of the day. All that will be left is a video documenting the
passing/continuation and culmination of the action. As history fades and gets
rewritten, the piece will be made, erased and born again as a performance of
persistence and neverending happening.
"FIGMENT Dress is a 3-piece primed canvas dress designed especially for the event. The artist will be asking participants to paint on her, while she is wearing it. The artist may ask participants to wear some pieces of the dress and paint on each other, thus becoming part of the artwork as well. "FIGMENT Dress" will be a recording of the FIGMENT zeitgeist and no piece like it will ever be produced again.
“FYlanges” is a relatively large installation made of
packing foamto dive into, sit or lie on, stroke... It provides several opportunities for sitting and lounging, and
reacts to touch and wind. “Fylanges” is something that participants will want
to jump in, sit on, and relax with for an extended period of time. The novel
experience of sitting in a field of packing-foam is provocative and exciting.
The development of the project focused heavily on material efficiency. The
artists achieved about 95% material efficiency. The installation is fully
recyclable as well, but they'd like to keep it around for as long as possible!
"Face of Liberty" is a 1:1 scale replica of the face of the
Statue of Liberty. Unlike the famous Bartholdi statue just across New
York Harbor, viewers can stare directly into the face of this Statue of
Liberty up close, a viewpoint not possible on Liberty Island. Framed in
wood and finished with resin, the sturdiness of the piece allows viewers
young and old to walk, sit, climb, and slide down the gentle rises and
slopes of the facial features. "Face of Liberty" is funded in part by a grant from Sculpture Space, Utica NY.
MOPDC's interactive dance theater choreography will portray the state of our government and upcoming elections. Like the interactions of dominant male animals put in close quarters, each party puffs out their chests to look the most suitable for the position of President, while strategically implementing jabs at each other. MOPDC will jovially explore the state of our nation while addressing a few of the issues that revolve around this year's election. Look for our masked elephant and donkey candidates performing this contemporary improvisational piece throughout FIGMENT. Watch out, ladies and gents, what they might do to get your vote!
Join Aequitas in a collaborative, interactive, social art
installation. Experience the magic as you hear people singing songs, making
statements, and generally injecting an unpredictable human quality into the
art. Using Augmented Reality this installation exists in virtual space and can
be accessed using Layar, a free application available for smartphones. Just
load Layar and search for “Field of Voices”. Please consider participating by
leaving a brief message. Touch one of the objects to connect, or call 917.392.3611.
Your contribution will influence the direction of the piece, creating the work
as an organic collaborative artwork.
Drawing on the history of Governors Island, playwright Joy Tomasko has created a fragmented, partial story. Three performers will seek out the missing pieces of their scripts through brief interviews with visitors. By asking participants to fill in the blank, the performers will complete the story and perform it in front of an audience in the very place where the tale is set.
“Fire Den” is a place for a gathering of people, dance, or music
celebration. Small musical instruments are provided. To the left will be a
platform, accessible by a short wall with footholds. The space invites the
visitor to bring whatever else into the space to enhance their experience
there, be it a bagged lunch or other musical instruments with which to perform.
The concept comes from a place of wanting to give a homey space to strangers,
inviting them to do what makes them their most comfortable. The artist provides
the tools; the people give the space life.
Before science and philosophy there were myths and legends. These were tales full of symbols and clues to the patterns of life and spirit, told by wise elders and shamans to the young and those seeking guidance. "Firebird" brings one of those symbols back to life.
Come travel to a far off magical kingdom where princes and princess live. Let your imaginations run wild and help create our story. "The Firebird" is an interactive event based on traditional Russian folk tales of a sorcerer and a magical bird. Children will become a character from the story by dressing up, using props, dancing, solving riddles, and playing games. "The Firebird" is an exciting event geared towards children from ages 3-103. Quick, can you save the princess from the sorcerer?
Using an outdoor setting as a stage/fish tank, performers will “swim” through the space as fish encountering the resistance of water, each with its own ecological story to tell. They will be “fished out,” “going extinct” and “ghost” fish. "Fish Land" will be MC’ed by a Science teacher who will encourage audience par-fish-ipation and explore fish eco-reality spiced up with fish talking, "school" dances and singing.
The "Flag Grab Bag" is a new interactive theater piece brought to you by the NYC Street Players! They'll be playing and performing wild flag-waving antics throughout the day on Governors Island. GRAB A FLAG AND WAG IT!
Flash Point is a jazz improvisation created by six writers and artists working in flash fiction, micro fiction, and prose poems. One artist chooses a selection to read at random. The next artist up finds a piece creating a conversation with the first one. A comic piece may trigger a sad response on a similar . Meanings leap across the pieces’ borders as a larger, collaborative work without a pre-arranged plan is created. Writers of flash fiction are encouraged to bring pieces of their own to sit in with the group! Make sure your pieces are under 300 words.
Making art is a way to be honest. This honesty can become
deeper if we get into an intuitive flow. Honesty of this depth is healing. In
this short art experiential, the artist invites you to experience
intuitive-flow while being in an artistic conversation. When you converse with
another person through art-making, using a method that enters you into an
intuitive-flow, the conversation becomes healing. The artist will use pictures
to introduce you to intuition, and teach you how to make art with
intuitive-flow.
The Foreign Tides play garage-infused rock, with nods to soul, funk, pop, blues and punk. Made up of Nick Hoge and Joe Watson, they came together by chance last year as Nick, the son of a traveling newspaper journalist, had come to NY after living abroad in Europe and South America. Watson, who is from London, arrived in NY after school. The boys have been playing a string of sold out shows across NY and have just released their first single, "Wall Street," a cut inspired by the recent Occupy Wall Street protests happening in NY and across the country.
You are invited to take part in a rollicking fun game of bo be do be do during FIGMENT 2012. When one word can spark a hundred songs and every instrument can flood the mind with endless colors, it’s amazing we can call anything the same thing. "Four Words & Draw Backs (Do be Do be Do be Do)" is a giant exquisite corpse game of telephone between the translation of source mediums. Through audio to visual and spoken memes, many participants will try to explain what they hear or see, culminating in an overlapping big mural. All are welcome.
"Free Ice Cream" is a high-tech game of hide and seek. Participants will need to physically find (and sometimes chase) the person with the tokens!
“Funeral for Frida Kahlo” is a funeral procession, modeled after
the ones in New Orleans. At the front of the procession is Frida Kahlo
(portrayed by Judy Sky), wheeled or carried by attendants, followed by a crowd
of musicians and "mourners". Visitors are encouraged to march with them,
mourning Frida’s passing. The procession proceeds to a prearranged destination for
a simulation of Frida's cremation where gathered peasants try to retrieve souvenirs
off of Frida’s dead body. Everyone who joins the procession becomes a part of
what is essentially a very public funeral in the spirit of Frida Kahlo.
"Giant Puppets Save the World" aims to build strong vibrant communities by creating enormous puppets that take many hands to create, operate, and participate in public event arts in New York, Seattle, Portland and San Francisco. It is a demonstration that allows us to see that the only way to accomplish anything amazing on this planet is by working together collaboratively. This year keep your eye out for a 21' long giant flying meso American snake bird skeleton named Quetzacoatl, giant flying birds, and a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis. All giant puppets are available for play!
The "Governors Island Alliance Harbor Map" is a large, color, scaled representation of the New York/New Jersey Harbor Estuary located on Governors Island. The map serves as an educational destination for those interested in learning about the complex ecology, geography, and history of the Harbor. The 30x30 moveable interactive map promotes a hands-on experience through water quality testing, child-friendly activities, and presentations.
Hey! Here you are on Governors Island. But who are you? Did
you settle here before any Europeans arrived? Do you call this place Nut
Island? Are you building the new Governor’s Mansion? Are you under heavy canon fire
from British ships as they attempt to take New York? Are you on the shore ready
to defend the ammunition supply from Draft Rioters? Join “Off The Page” for an
interactive drama – discover your role in Governors Island! Be a character or
be part of the sound team as they create the soundscape and story of Governors
Island throughout history.
Steer new technology away from alienation and towards real
world, carbon-free participation! Bikers crank power to a boom box and a
projector. Music contributed by local musicians plays as digital imagery beams
onto the very bodies of the dancer/participants. The visuals follow the shape
and movement of the participants, paying attention to every gesture and
transforming in reaction to movement and sound. Submit your 20-40 minute long
musical compilation to http://davidsartworld.com/the-great-bike-powered-light-show-dance-party.
"Groove Clock" is a minimalist clock face with hands that respond to ambient sound. As the clock listens to and interacts with its environment, the hands "groove" to the sound, adding an additional layer of context to the typical function of a clock. The participant is able to interact with time and space through sound, by altering the visuals of "Groove Clock". A version of "Groove Clock" is available for the iPad: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/groove-clock/id486225795?ls=1&mt=8.
"The Guerrilla Art Cart" is a portable art classroom designed for impromptu collaborative art workshops in public spaces. The cart is a bamboo bike trailer adapted from Carry Freedom’s Bamboo Bike Trailer project. The brightly painted storage container that fits on top of the trailer contains all the materials needed for the artists' workshops, including a rug, drop cloth, trash bags, and art materials specific to each workshop. "The Guerilla Art Cart" provides a freewheeling art classroom experience to anyone and everyone!
"Guitar Sorcery for Tomorrow" by Mr. Brooke Shields is wonderful Art-Science! Even when other guitarists hear or see it, they stop, dumbfounded, and ask, "What on earth is that sound? How on earth are you making those mysterious melodies?" If you ask nicely, Mr. Shields will explain it all to you, because making art, making music, and making science should be FUN. Find Mr. Shields on the island, and either lay back in the grass to just enjoy the futuristic sounds, or watch intently and try to solve the mysteries of one man's manual manipulation... If you can!
Gym, Deer is a Brooklyn-based band of four musicians whose goal is “to provide an upliftingly honest and interesting performance” and who encourage audience participation, dancing and singing. Gym, Deer is comprised of two vocalists on keyboards/samples, a percussionist on microphones and loops who also sings, and a guitarist on effects who sings as well. Though described as “electronic folk music with a worldbeat refraction,” their songs shift over their framework and change through each performance. Under the Primary Records umbrella, their debut record, "other, ways", was recently released both digitally and on CD.
Greetings, and welcome to the provenance of "Gypsy
TransTemporalis", nomadic time travelers; an encampment brimful of shiny
stories, music, merriment, and magick. They come to teach, learn, and to
inspire. Visit, but know! You may wish to run away with them! Within their
circle, dance and sing ‘midst the Rhythm Crescent, seek counsel and reading of
cards at yon Sorcerers tent, learn herbal lore and have a spot of tea at the
Apothecary, storytelling in The Wordsmith tent: listen, or share your own
stories. Shows may unfold on their centre stage, or even in their midst, with
you…
“HELLO100!” Is a restaging of Bex Burton’s 2011 FIGMENT performance, “HELLO! A Spontaneous Dance for an Infinite Number of Hoopers: An Epic Tale of True Love.” In "HELLO100!", THE BEX presents 100 HoopDancers from New York and beyond, performing in this colorful, campy, multi-tiered, 10-minute choreographed HoopDance. A true-to-life “Epic Tale of True Love” unfolded in the making of the original work, reflecting the love story woven into the dance. This art-to-life happening inspired the restaging of the piece for FIGMENT 2012, creating a unique hoop happening and live performance, and inspiring all who experience it that True Love exists.
"Habitat" is a dance installation piece that utilizes the audience as a participant in the performance. This piece investigates how we view our space and habitat in which we live.
In the "Hanging Garden of Fingers"
Feel the touch of art linger
Walk through suspended digits
And play among the thicket
Paint your own index or thumb
Every color is wonderfully welcome
Watch as the wind rustles your extremities
Have you ever seen such a menagerie of pinkies?
The idea is for you and me
And he and she
To create from the heart
And leave your fingerprint on art
"The Happy Post Project" is a social movement that believes that spreading happiness is a powerful platform for social change. Happy Post invites people from across the globe to answer a simple question: “What makes you happy?” With a Post-it as their canvas, people write down and draw their idea of happiness. So far, Happy Post has reached more than 2 million people in 23 different countries. At FIGMENT, Happy Post invites people to participate by contributing to an interactive exhibit by sharing their own idea of happiness, joining a viral movement to spread happiness.
The roles are all cast for this interactive epic adventure—all except for the heroes themselves. Fortunately, as the Royal Prophecy states, FIGMENT is the time for destined heroes to emerge and save the world! They will lead an adventuring party of warriors, wizards, masters and sages on a quest to defeat the evil warlock, rescue the royal family, and restore the kingdom to peace and prosperity. "The Hero's Journey" is an interactive epic quest influenced by the works of Joseph Campbell. His theory of the monomyth—the one archetypal quest within all quests—combines elements from legends and folklore the world around.
A "rasika" of Hindustani classical music – a complex improvisational tradition – is an audience member who is a real fan. Their presence is an important part of every concert, because their attention and enthusiasm inspire the artists! Master musicians of New York's Kalavant Center will present "tala" (rhythmic cycles) on the "tabla" (tuned hand drums), teach how to count the beats like a rasika, and give participants the chance to try to keep the beat against tricky solos and duets played by 7th-generation tabla master Ustad Kadar Khan, 8th-generation virtuoso Imran Khan, and others.
Inside the arcade, your eyes search the room for your favorite game, or
just one that is momentarily vacant, and land on the one in the corner
peaking above tousled hair-dos that for mere quarters you know will
bring that wanted surge of adrenaline. Coolly shuffling between
occupants and their belongings across the matted industrial carpet, you
arrive at the console that eventually swallows the quarters that weighed
down your pockets; and, for a few minutes or hours, offers you
excitement that can only be felt at the arcade.
This hole features the familiar elements (castle, pipe, mushrooms!) from
the classic Super Mario games. There are two routes to the hole: a
narrow bridge straight through the castle (and into the hole), and a
wider but more circuitous path around the hills and larger mushroom. A
successful bridge shot increases the player’s chance of a hole-in-one
but also risks a “water hazard” (which has a sloped bank to allow
unlucky players to get out of the “water”). The other path is safer, but
also likelier to result in a higher score.
You've grown several sizes too big! (Maybe you ate a mushroom.) Now you'll have to guide a golf ball through the level in your place. In this world of 3D pixels, you can take any of three paths to the endgame: stay above ground to play it safe, sidestepping hills and 'shrooms; risk the bridge and head straight through the castle; or jump in the lake and take the tunnel to the other side. But is your princess in another castle?Special thanks to Tim Corbett, Carly Leinheiser, Jesse Green, and everyone else who helped with this project!
This pinball-inspired model of Governors Island offers almost as many routes as the
real island does, and is perfect for armchair explorers or those seeking a new
road. Sample the history that surrounds you as well as the birds, fish, and
trees that inhabit this unique urban ecosystem. Aim for the swirling star of
Fort Jay, or shoot at the ferries if you are ready to go home. Real duffers can
try sinking the ball in the nearly impossible Castle Williams. Putters only,
please — "Golfernor's Island" works best with a light touch.
Congratulations — you've just been appointed golfernor!
Both an over-sized icon of pest-ridding technology and a contraption large enough to be turned against the player, "A Very Fly Swatter" contemplates the artillery and strategy present in traditional arcade games. What happens when our weapons grow beyond of our control? What will your strategy be for sinking this putt?
We all have had many fun experiences at the carnival, stumbling upon the
ever-so-difficult “Whack-A-Clown”, where we must throw a ball to knock
down stuffed clowns for a rewarding prize. The game sounds easy, but is
nearly impossible to win when faced up against it. For this minigolf
hole, the player must hit their golf ball past one of the clowns in
order to get to the end hole. Hitting a desired clown does not
necessarily mean a win; it is a total game of chance. After hitting a
clown, the ball rolls onto the putting green.
"Asteroids•Turf" takes as its inspiration both the Atari arcade
game “Asteroids” and space junk, the collection of man-made objects,
including defunct satellites, rocket dust, astronaut apparel, and even a
camera that orbits the earth. The player enters a circular asteroid
belt. Aiming for the center hole, the minigolfer must avoid obstacles
including spaceships, asteroids, and other miscellaneous debris.
Designed by Blue School 2nd Grade Class (facilitated by Jess Hooks, Mahayana Landowne, and Lauren Monaco), "Pachinko Kablam-o" is a pegboard with various brightly colored obstacles: pegs, volcanoes, wheels, tubes, holes, and flippers. Pachinko is a game played throughout the world in arcades. By using gravity the ball bounces around the obstacles until it lands on the putting green. Special thanks to Brett Renari, Ashley Hughes, and Chris Niederer.
The best of arcade adventures end with you leaving a mark: you have a
chance, if you do well enough, to put your initials on the high score
board. Only three letters to let everyone know that you were there, and
you rocked that game. Sometimes those three letters are cheeky, but for
the most part they are unique and personal. You keep an eye on them, and
if need be, you will defend them if they move from their ranking. But
at all times they are a reminder telling everyone that you were there.
"The Homespun Merry-Go-Round" has bubbles, music, lights and a menagerie of mechanically animated animals to create a unique experience that is fun for the whole family. It rotates very slowly around a 10-foot circle, at a speed of approximately 7 revolutions per minute. It can hold 2 people at a time, 250lb on each side max, sitting on swing set seats. It also has a baby seat that can be easily clipped in for the tiny riders. The safari-bedecked attendant makes music and blows bubbles! Entertaining animated animals adorn the amusement! Solar-powered, sturdy, and safe!
A ghostly white woman character walks in the crowds, striking statuesque poses, whispering words into the public's ears and blessing them with a touch of gold.
"The ICE Machine" is a steel sculpture that GROWS ICE perpetually regardless of the temperature of its surroundings. It is a self-contained art machine that produces a freeze and thaw cycle, which makes the sculpture change showing water and ice in its various states. Participants watch ice forming and can interact with the frozen form during FIGMENT.
"In so many words" is an 18.5 hour time capsule of news radio, composed entirely of unedited sound bites, devoid of all newscasters, commentators, editorials or analysts – and it's commercial-free! The project sequentially covers the time period of the last Presidential Election, and the first 100 days of the Obama Presidency (between May 2008 and May 2009). The edited result unfolds a mind-opening, non sequitur narrative that informs you about the city, the country and the world we live in, the scope of news reporting, the connections seemingly different stories have with each other, and how you relate to this reality.
"Instascapes" are lightweight sculptural transparencies mimicking camera filters. They are designed to be interactive and social and are produced at varying scales from window size to billboard size. One of the most popular photo social networks is called Instagram, a "fun and quirky way to share your life with friends through a series of pictures." "Instascapes" extends this idea by setting up a series of lightweight sculptural "frames" or "filters" and placing them strategically in the environment for us to see ourselves, our surroundings and our photography at a new scale and at a heightened appreciation.
"Interactive Animated Sculpture" seeks to document the creation of a collaborative sculpture made by visitors of FIGMENT. Visitors will be encouraged to add a number of simple shapes to the developing sculpture throughout the weekend. The process will be documented with both camera and video. After the piece is finished participants will be given a website address to view the finished piece being animated together through time lapse video and animation.
Where would you like to go? The windswept red plains of Mars, to dig for signs of life? One of Jupiter’s 64 moons, to take Polaroid snaps of the swirling red storms of its atmosphere? Or, for a shorter trip on a tight budget, the scorching surface of Venus to sunbathe under acid rain filled skies? Our savvy agent is here to book you the best deal to the holiday of your dreams – don’t forget to send a postcard home.
Say "I love you!" "Jester of the Peace" is a roving one-woman "wedding chapel" where you and your beloved, your friend, your child, your co-worker, and your someone-you-want-to-know-better can experience a spontaneous ceremony that celebrates the truth, the joy, and the wow of your heart. "Jester of the Peace" helps participants express their love, affection, friendship, and caring to each other. Just come on over and have fun appreciating each other together with confidence and sweet cheer. Have a hug and a dance... Hooray for the love in your life in all its forms!
People talk about FLOW and being in the zone, and say we have lost touch with time. "J'ambiance" creates a sonic cloud to feed your introspection and invite you to reflect on being more present in life. They want kids of all ages to join us – to listen and meditate or express yourself as the moment moves you. First they’ll gather soundbites from folks at FIGMENT (with their samplers). When they perform, they’ll use the samples in the music. Improvisation is a process where the participants must act in the present moment. Come enjoy the power of NOW!
"KILL THE BAND” is a comedic “punk cabaret performance art” band. Using five-part harmonies, percussion, saxophone, bass, guitar, uke and audience-improvised instruments, they explore s of pop culture, fame, politics, mental disease among other universals. Capturing “the best parts of the New York fringe music and art scene,” every show includes puppetry, magic, dance, sketch improv, and, of course, audience participation! Eclectic in style and interest, their songs range in genre from the comic country “Don’t Attack Me With Your Happiness” to the gospel about celebrity called “Ben Kingsley” to the slamming punk rock “Girl Balls.”
Kaioni's musical style is eco-lectro, as the music is largely electronic but the lyrics and s speak on the environment, the world, systems, creativity, money, time, humanity, how we treat each other, things, loves, and lives. Kaioni has created two albums so far and is working on a third. There's so much in this world to learn, so let's communicate and be creative! Kaioni aims to inspire the world to get brave and participate in building a beautiful world.
"Kaleidescope MIC" is a sharing camp that welcomes all forms of expression in story telling, music, dance and art. It's an open mic format that bridges the basic idea of community building while ongoing performances, by scheduled young people and open to anyone who wants to join, continue throughout the experience. The areas around the center of the open mic will be art activities for all ages to participate, sit, create and be a part of the experience.
Kama Linden is a fireball of energy, passion, and versatility. This gutsy lyricist catches you (and catches you off guard) with her edgy lyrics and voice (Easier, If Looks Could Kill), lulls you in with SMOOTH vocals (You’ve Forgotten Me), and has you grooving with sultry sounds that are undeniably her own (Better Late Than Never, Been There Done That, All About), which when performed live, have gathered many a crowd at various events.
Kites have been used for thousands of years by many
different cultures and serve utilitarian, creative and religious functions.
Kites suspended between earth and sky can act as a medium for our questions and
thoughts. Man's most ambitious aspirations are represented by the kite – to
reveal and wield the power of unseen forces, measure the heavens, and free
ourselves of our earthly boundaries. The participant is invited to construct
and fly a kite using materials supplied by the artist. Flying a kite is a
meditative experience connecting the participant to nature's most subtle force,
and their own potential to ascend.
Following a thread leads to an unexpected moment in two people’s lives. The artist offers participants basic knitting lessons. Together they will knit and chat, exchange stories. At various moments throughout the weekend the artist performs short monologues, stories by themselves yet part of a complete tale... within the monologues Katz inserts elements of stories told to her during the previous knitting session. As the knitted elements unravel, the remaining yarn winds up the trees like the climbing vines of morning glory, twirling around the branches, hanging down, in a web-like installation that evolves during FIGMENT Weekend.
http://www.mariechristine.com/
http://www.myfavoritegrandmother.com
http://letstakeawalkmc.blogspot.com
Kostume Kult will be giving a costuming experience to children at FIGMENT. They welcome you to bring your children to their dome and transform their time at FIGMENT!
"Landscape Lounge" is a participatory sculptural environment visually reminiscent of Martian topography. An arranged series of smooth plywood dunes is intended to function as stool/chair/bed for the viewer. The forms interact with the natural landscape of Governors Island with the open sky surrounding them, contrasting the grassy knolls with their red finish. The contours of the forms invite the viewer to nestle between them, almost like a beanbag chair.
"Leonids" or falling stars from meteor showers, a white cloud and a green meadow: all of which, when paired with the proper melody, expand and drift the mind into an ethereal realm where art and music are the doorway and you're the journeyer. AlexC (Deep Acoustics) will carry the island on a collective musical ride playing electronic music ranging from experimental/deep/tech house
The viewer enters a space defined by a rectangle of steel
tripod stands fastened to boards lying flat on the ground. These stands string
a steel wire (like a clothesline) that surrounds and defines the space. Within
are benches, a podium and two easels that hold a stack of stretched canvases
and a “paintbox” with felt tip markers within. Hanging off the steel wire
perimeter are truisms left by viewers that comment about art. The viewer opens
the paint box, writes their opinions upon a canvas and hangs it on the wire by
clips provided.
Joe's music is eclectic and all original. He has coined the phrase "Poclectic": Folk, Blues, Ballads and a bit of Country. Joe has lived many lives in his 50 years. He has struggled with growing up on the tough streets of Brooklyn, has been both a worker and supervisor, and dealt with relationship issues, financial issues, and many spiritual changes along the way. His music is a distillation of some of his inmost feelings throughout life. Visitors of FIGMENT will see one man sharing the deep things of his soul.
At various moments throughout FIGMENT Weekend the artist performs short monologues: part of a larger story, yet they can stand alone. If someone were to hear each one of the monologues they would gain the understanding of the entire story... Some of the monologues will be enriched by details of stories told to the artist by FIGMENT visitors.
In "Live!" visitors may put on shows for each other and climb
into and out of the oversized wooden TV screen, moving freely between
observer and entertainer, all without directions. When no one is
interacting with "Live!", the holes in the rear panel suggest TV
static. Visitors can submit photos or videos of their interactions with the screen to live@ashaganpat.com and view them on the artist's web archive: http://www.ashaganpat.com/live.html. Please scan the QR code on the sculpture and follow the instructions
for sending your images to the artist, or simply visit this web address.
Free QR code Apps:
iPhone: NeoReader, Barcode, ScanLife
Android: QuickMark, Barcode Scanner, ScanLife
"Look Up" is a twodimensional mixed media piece of wire, paper wood and
recycled plastic, that is supported by the physical elements of the
landscape of Governors Island. The words of a poem ascend, encouraging
the viewer to follow it with their eyes. Interspersed with detailed
designs anfd patterns made with recycled wire, plastic, wood and paper,
it creates a visual dialogue between the viewer and the concept inherent
in the poem. The viewer’s participation thus completes the piece.
"Love" is a patchwork quilt, made with love and recycled fabrics, in the shape of a heart accompanied by ambiance signage. Participants can enjoy and be inspirde by the fabric puddle space along with fabric signage hanging between trees, and use it as a place to commune.
The Michael Mut Gallery is the headquarters for the "Love Yourself Project," an ongoing participatory project. Artists spread a message of unconditional self-love through art related activities such as paper origami heart making. It all started on Nov 19, 2010, when the Love Yourself team took to the streets and subways of New York City with signs saying “Love Yourself” while distributing over 500 “Love Yourself” stickers and hand-folded hearts. Participants will be asked to write something about themselves that they love; the Team will teach them how to make an origami heart.
Participants are invited to recall a lullaby, write the words and draw a picture. Then they are asked to draw a picture of Christine's lullaby, which she will sing. Christine will speak the words and then sing the lullaby and famous aria "Summertime" from George Gershwin's Opera "Porgy & Bess". Participants will be asked to sing and share their lullabies with each other or someone after the event. This is a time to remember your childhood through song and stories. And whether you have a lullaby of your own or not, everyone will leave with hearing at least one. Everyone can leave Governors Island with some personal art, a story and a melodic recollection.
The M.O.R.E. Drums are 20 recycled plastic industrial drums set up in a circle for anybody to play. Andrzej Liguz as M.O.R.E. (Ministry Of Random Events) has been creating drumming events for over 20 years as he believes anybody can hit a drum and there is an elemental part of human beings that can be released through making music together, whether drumming or singing. If we listen to one another as we play, we end up playing together and a shared rhythm and energy can be created. Lots of people end up laughing or smiling. So play and enjoy.
Let's get meshy! Green Apple Kids presents "The Magical Meshy Mural". Youth and families will be given the opportunity to work collaboratively on a magic mural through the skill of weaving/sewing in their positive intentions or wishes for themselves, their community, the world. Using objects such as buttons, ribbon, yarn, raffia, beads, leaves, and other reusuable and found items participants will write down their positive intention/wish and work on a mesh/netting material weaving in their wishes with materials of their choice, creating one big, collaborative, "meshy" display.
“Mantis Garden” is a sacred art installation merging the
importance of creative process and sense of community. Originally a single
wooden mantis sculpture, the installation has been given a new, evolving life
due to a pivotal moment when the daughter of the artist’s friend asked to paint
its tail. The piece was relocated for the sole purpose of being painted by
everyone and anyone: artist, non-artist, lawyer, single mother, barista… Over
100 participants gave the sculpture a new “skin” in Philadelphia in December
2011. A standalone art piece evolved to a touring, ever-evolving,
community-driven garden of participation.
Interdisciplinary artist Helen Yung makes "Marginalia" for performances and events. Throughout the days leading up to FIGMENT Weekend and at the event itself, Helen will collect stories, quotes, and draw pictures of FIGMENT artists and audiences, which she will combine into artful souvenirs for everyone. Follow her on Twitter @helenyung to learn how to receive your gift.
With a tight rhythm section by two Japanese girls, Naomi Watanabe (Vocals, Stand-Up Drums) and Yukino Ushimaru (Vocals, Bass), Me&Mars is a unique trio from New York City. Their music draws influence from Space Rock and Punk as well as Funk and Reggae, and it's colored with an effects-heavy ambient guitar sound created by Ivan Garizabalo (Guitar, Vocals) from Colombia.
The identity of a river may be imagined through the objects found on its shores. Human impact affects its flow and content. Jogging along the East River in Lower Manhattan, the artist became curious about how trash intertwines with the natural aquatic environment. As a child, her family encouraged her to pick up litter for the aesthetic enjoyment of a landscape. Now, by sorting through and collecting old riverbed styrofoam and combining it with other refuse, she makes figurative sculpture. The "Meanderers" series resembles lost and transient persons, weathered and shaped with a river “patina”.
"Mix-Mart" is a market stall for creating, collecting, listening to, trading, dancing to and talking about mix tapes. "Mix-Mart" serves as a temporary space for visitors to make discoveries of new music and talk about the creation of personal mix tapes. An exquisitely detailed quilted fabric market booth will be stocked with personal mix tapes and CDs for participants to listen to, DJ and copy.
PHWG is a 6 piece progressive rock band (guitar, cello, violin, percussion (tabla), drums, and bass) who plays music composed by Pontus H.W. Gunve. The
electric guitar is at the heart of Gunve's mostly instrumental music, and he craftily combines elements of progressive rock, electronic, and Western and
Indian classical music.
Terra Incognita's public-space performance "Moving Landscape" is a dynamic, rejuvenating dramatic frolic. A delicate structure constituted by elaborations on traditional games, it rediscovers archetypal patterns of personal, interpersonal, and societal interactions, inviting audience participation, while relying on none of the protective layers of performance (text, technology...) but rather on Kinetic-Mind-trained actors' "naked presence". Neither theater nor dance, neither choreographed nor improvised, but a Kinetic Drama, this Performance-InDistillation "Moving Landscape" explores the fear of participation and opening up to others and how individual and group dynamics continually transform each other.
Art is a point of view. By editing reality with a frame, this piece provides the opportunity for you, the viewer, to create your own art. You can adjust the angle, horizon and many other variables just by moving yourself in relation to the frame. Maybe a bird or a person will wander across the vista. You move and the vista moves as well. Do it again! Everything has changed and is new.
“Multiple Dimensions of Love” is a construction depicting the cycles of life represented by the four seasons and three different types of love, which the artists shows literally and symbolically. The three kinds of love that Giovanni Gelardi describes and represents in his project are a love between a man and a woman, a love between a man and a man and a love between a woman and a woman. The participant interacts with this assemblage by entering, and feeling that they've been transported into a different environment, combining all seasons. In "Multiple Dimensions of Love," love is rendered in many forms as experienced here.
Formed in 2008, Florence has been working hard to become part of the New York City underground music scene. They have performed at places like Don Hills, Arlene's grocery, Kenny's Castaways and The Bitter End. Their music is rock with blues and country influences. Their high energy performance makes a fun show while moving your feet to the music. Along with touring the East Coast and recording with many great producers, they are currently seeking management and a good piece of apple pie. To hear and see Florence please visit www.myspace.com/florencenyc.
Use the message "NY Loves Art" and the colors of New York City to help assemble the puzzle map of Manhattan, gateway to FIGMENT and Governors Island.
Armed with an electric grand keyboard, the hair-raising cello/back-up vocal stylings of Valerie Kuehne and the frenetic joy of percussionist Ace Salisbury, Natti Vogel launches a set of rollicking original rock/classical/cabaret numbers on stage. Throughout the rest of the day, visitors can expect to see Natti cavort through the FIGMENT grounds in various outfits singing several acoustic mini-sets accompanied by ukulele/cello/light percussion, each of which will be tailored to correspond to various art installations.
"No Place to Sit (NP2S)" contains almost unlimited places to sit,
but every option is a compromise, a negotiation that requires thought
and work on the part of the viewer. The chairs are stacked, overlapping,
clustered or merged—seats are always shared. Visitors become “sitters”
engaging with one another in a tight space that needs to be negotiated.
"NP2S" requires that sitters become conscious about their position not
only with respect to the sculpture, but also with one another and with
the park itself, since each seat offers its own unique view of the
surrounding space.
A Dutchman bought Governors Island from the Lenape for an alleged two axe heads, a string of beads, and a few nails. The exchange of trinkets, in many Native traditions, is a symbol of transferred responsibility. But the Dutch, followed by the English, plundered and swindled, led by greed and a desire for private wealth. "Not An Island" is a healing, of land and of ancestors, an un-branding of a whole line of people, a re-branding and a re-envisioning of the way we could live; a regeneration of sacred space, tracing the history of Governors Island back to pre-colonized times, a looking ahead to a completely different future that’s possible.
An om symbolizes the sound of the universe. Participants in "Om Circle" take each other's hand and form a circle. The om is vocalized, pronounced with concentration, and repeated a series of times. Om happenings are spiritual, and are not marked by any specific religion, political view, gender, race, sexuality, ethnicity, age, class, etc.Everyone can freely participate.
Come paint with Playa Hot Schezuan Supper Club! The collective demonstrates some Bob Ross techniques to create "happy little flowers"; participants are welcome to use the available paint, paint palates, brushes, wet wipes, paper towels and smocks for those who don't want to get their clothes dirty. Anyone who can hold a paint brush or paint with their fingers is welcome to create at tree in the FIGMENT Forest or paint a flower in Ona's Garden.
OUTBACK NEXUS SOUND COLLECTIVE and WARPER have been on the
forefront of sonic exploration and electronic music experimentation responsible
for countless events and gatherings in and around NYC including previous
FIGMENT. Stimulating sound will be created, music performed, and mixed live
provoking dance and more meditative, cerebral experiences. Participants will be
exposed to music and beat structures defying easy categorization, accentuating
sound intended to shatter confines of genre and popular style. From original
software to original sound “Onex / Warper Sound Space” will leave FIGMENT goers
with desire to delve deeper into the awesome world of music and sound!
"Open Heart" is a large-scale outdoor installation set up across a field of grass, where viewers can move through ropes and stanchions rendered like a gigantic human heart. Filming from above, a video will be created to show the action of visitors moving through the installation. The video documents the work as it becomes a living human illustration, wherein visitors become like blood cells flowing through an open heart.
"Open Sky Bread House" is a place for Theater of
the Crumbs: for kneading dough into bread puppets, baking them in a hand-built
earth oven, and telling stories together through just-baked characters.
Sometimes they may also sculpt warm bread noses that you can tie on with
ribbons and nibble off of each other. The Bread Houses Network is an
international community of collective bread-making events. After three years of
bread-making activities across 12 countries, this is their first ever event
using a temporary wood-fired oven built entirely from dirt gathered on site –
they can't wait to share it with you.
“Ordinary Magic” is an interactive installation, designed to
be playful and fun with the potential to instigate an inner dialogue about our
feelings, hopes, worries and dreams. A box made to function like a toy vending
machine is filled with small plastic capsules, that contain several unique
fetishes, chosen to evoke a sentimental sense of suspense and youthful wonder,
akin to the time when magic was a party of our everyday existence. Each capsule
is unique and every visitor will need to interact with the box in order to receive
a memento, which has been created just for them.
Groups, individuals, families, choirs, communities,
musicians, kazoo orchestras, bicycle bell ensembles, puppeteers, artists, Vikings,
pirates, whirling dervishes, marching bands, dancers, roller derby teams,
mermaids, clowns, Buddhist monks, belly dancers, bag pipers, baton twirlers,
hula hoopers, park rangers, leaders, followers and all positive peace makers
are invited to march around the 2.2 mile perimeter of Governors Island with
banners, flags, puppets, props, costumes, instruments and creations of all
kinds to celebrate the power of art and community as peace building tools and
to support the vision of Governors Island as a peaceful and public space for
all.
Spiderettes, baby spider plants that originated from a mama plant atop a mobile installation from FIGMENT 2010, will be gifted to participants in little biodegradable pots. This extension of the original project reveals the underlying Truth that growth is limitless, that we are connected at the Source by our participation in creative community, and that Life underlies the transience of art, like all moments. Pa’lante means “go forward, onward, upward” in Spanish. “En plena luz,” the title of the original project, means “surrounded by light.”
Joey Kilrain is bringing his socks back for you to paint on. Watch as he paints his various whimsical characters and collaborates with all that attend. Once a sock is completed, it will be hung to dry. Participants are encouraged to keep their socks once they've dried. A fun experiences for all ages. No socks required to paint!
"The Palm Authority Project" is a large-scale inflatable sculpture of five giant hands, with an accompanying soundtrack recounting the rules of palm reading. The audio segment is read by children from Jamaica, St. Lucia, Haiti or El Salvador speaking English, Spanish and French. The piece is part of a larger body of work, “The Future is In Your Hand,” in which palm reading is a metaphor to represent the way society shapes the individual: that lines and creases of the hand supposedly foretell an individual’s personality and future mirrors how society dictates the lifestyle or social nature of an individual.
Bronx-based artist and long-time recycling enthusiast has been teaching papermaking as an art form in Bronx parks and subway stations for the last three years and now brings the project to FIGMENT. Please stop by to pulp, pull, and decorate your own piece of handmade paper, make and take a greeting card made with handmade paper, or just stop by to explore all the various art projects that can be made with discarded, recycled and repurposed objects. See and sample Metrocard origami, juice pouch coin purses, recycled wrapping paper, fused plastic billfolds, paper beads and other items!
Step into the spotlight at our interactive and original photo booth! Let our photographer give you the star treatment after you costume up and Get Ready for Your Close-up. With "Photo Adventure Trading Company" you are the art... in a one of a kind photo masterpiece!
Treë has been fascinated by FIGMENT for years, and in wonderment of how it comes together. The artist has been photographing FIGMENT meetings, and listening. These photos will be hanging from a tree, including her personal narrative, along with objects illustrating the culmination of FIGMENT. Visitors’ drawings, photographs and artifacts will accompany what she has hung. There will be blankets surrounding a tree, and all are welcome to relax, or play with roaming toy horses and games and kinetic sculpture. Meanwhile, Treë will be photographing this entire process of people contributing to the tree as well as other goings on at FIGMENT.
Step 1: Pick your adventure; Temple looting, Super heroes, or Evil Dictators
Step 2: Pick your powers, weapons, and costume
Step 3: Enter your adventure, and battle the villain, or if you are the villain, battle the good guy
Step 4: Conquer or save your world, or move on to save or conquer another world.
"Picture Book of Paintings" is a frame of pvc tubes supporting oil paintings, which are the pages of a large Picture Book. Viewers can turn 4 or 5 pages and read the colorful images as they would a book, or a story. This enormous book of paintings may inspire a story or thoughts. Participants will have an area and materials to sit and write out their ideas. The collective of stories will be displayed along a line, so other viewers can share. The best stories will get published on the artist's blog: www.artinnyc.
Participants collectively help build an immersive
environment as they raise a dome with water bottles collected at Governors
Island. Once the “Plastic Fantastic” dome is covered in water bottles it
becomes an immersive environment for play. Visitors can jump in and help apply
the bottles to the dome. Play is of the utmost importance at “Plastic Fantastic”,
from the building of the dome to the playtime and – alas – the deconstruction.
Beyond the tales of terror! On a tabletop lies the quaint and curious work of Edgar Allan Poe: Newspaperman. Playwright. Critic. Humorist. An itty-bitty puppet repertoire of obscure curios, marginalia, and even a couple popular classics from America’s most versatile writer.
A group of men and women dressed in turn-of-century summer
garb – bloomers, parasols, petticoats –enjoy a casual garden party. Poets will
spontaneously get up and read poems to the group, and the Madame is outside
inviting passersby to join them, explaining the concept of “The Poetry Brothel”.
Passersby can get private one-on-one readings with any of the poets available right
there, or they can find a secluded part of the island to go and enjoy a poetry
reading. The Poetry Brothel is a place of uninhibited creative expression in
which the poets and audience can be themselves in private.
Christian Marche unveils the pony sculpture and DJ fizixs spins electro music along with guests from TE entertainment.
A kinetic, chaotic, creative performance artist wearing a woman's bathing suit, a pink bra on his head and another over his chest, invites visitors to take part in a daunting display of delirious delusion. An ongoing performance, he interacts with whatever comes about.
These overlapping benches are meant to resemble a herd of messy and
unkempt animals needing to be groomed. You are encouraged to play games,
braid hair or take a nap as you ride on their backs. The mosaic animal
faces on the different benches were designed with the assistance of
children at Manhattan East Middle School, during after school art making
sessions.
Be a part of collaborative art history! Tell your own story or express yourself creatively on a large puzzle piece as part of a world-wide art project. Puzzle pieces and art supplies will be provided. All you need to do is bring your good ideas. "The Puzzle Art Installation and Collaborative Project" consists of thousands of 24"x 24" puzzle pieces assembled together into a three-dimensional installation. There are currently more than 4,500 pieces that have been created in over 21 states and 11 countries. There are no rules, just make what is meaningful to you. It’s a simple way to express yourself through art.
"Que Sera Que Sera" is a standing installation resembling an abstracted birdhouse. It is meant to complement the theme of Benjamin Jones’ "TreeHouse",
while enhancing its interactivity. This piece is made of found
furniture and wood with varied functions. The viewer is able to
manipulate actions from the outside. You can peer inside glass windows,
observing a multitude of “worlds”.
This roving performance celebrates Quetzalcoatl, the year 2012
and the artist's vision for the future with a parade of puppets, music, ceremony, dance
and a Vision Circle. Centerpiece is the puppet Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered
Serpent, which represents the shifting consciousness, the good and the bad, the
Earth and the Sky. Quetzalcoatl will roam throughout the Island with drummers
and dancers. FIGMENT visitors may gather within the artist’s Vision Circle where
they will share their collective hopes and visions for the future through a
visual art piece as well as collective consciousness through meditation,
ceremony, music and dance.
A Buick steering wheel and old shoes hit with sticks are the main controllers for computer processing of live FM radio in New York composer Joshua Fried's RADIO WONDERLAND. All the sound comes from live radio. RADIO WONDERLAND turns commercial corporate culture into recombinant techno, designed to make you feel sexy and smart by turning the material itself into tasty grooves – turning mass media poison into medicine. When you start dancing, you'll feel the empowerment of twisting mass media to your own ends.
Five different dancers, five different mirrors, five different shades of lipstick. From a young age what it means for a woman to be beautiful, feminine, sexy and desirable is written into our consciousness. We know how to live within these closely drawn lines and know the repercussions for living outside of them. These cultural narratives manifest themselves in our movements, speech, actions and interactions and yet none of us will ever achieve the "ideal." Explore this space of in-between with "Reflect/Refract" and share with us what binds you and what sets you free as a woman in the 21st century.
The "Responsible Consumption Mandala of Plastic Bags" was created through community action at the Union Square Greenmarket. Market goers were given the chance to exchange an old single-use plastic bag, for a new, re-usable bag. Over 600 people set an intention to reduce plastic consumption by signing a pledge to bring the re-usable bag to the market. The finished mandala serves as a template for continued action, and an embodied aspiration for a plastic-bag-free future. FIGMENT attendees are welcome to pray, meditate, chant, take pictures in front of the Mandala and to sign the pledge.
This is a worship-show. Rev Billy and The Stop Shopping Church are post-religious but employ many performance forms that come from religions, starting with gospel and pentecostal tropes. They are political, anti-consumerist, but have been earth radicals since Katrina in 2005. The group often features saints, guests who speak, like Justin Bond, Douglas Rushkoff, Guillermo Gomez-Pena, Bertha Lewis, Yes Men to name the most recent examples. Lately performing in bank lobbies of CO2 emitter investors like Chase. These "actions" become part of the service as for songs and sermons.
Composed of the open wood framing from three attic dormers, this
architectural structure creates an intimate gathering space, provides
shelter from the sun, frames views of Governors Island’s beauty, and,
through an interior collage of mirrors, reflects both the landscape and
viewers.
Rock accordion! Rob the accordionMan has been performing at Burning Man for the last 12 years at Center Camp, camps and on the streets of the playa playing almost every kind of music on the planet except for polkas and "Lady of Spain". Come hear Rob play Classic rock, Doo-wop, Motown, old time standards, kids music, Zydeco, gypsy punk, The Who, Doors... All high energy.
"The Roeblingagon" is the NYC C.O.R.E installation for the 2012 Burning Man Festival. Designed to mimic the Brooklyn Bridge, it is a semi-sphere resting on the ground with an assortment of intertwined cables and arches. The cables and arches of the sculpture cast their own unique shadows around the installation. The true meaning of "The Roeblingagon" lies not in the structure itself, but in the community that surrounds the installation throughout the event. A small part of the instillation will be present at FIGMENT.
“The Roving Scroll Theater” is a wheeled "theater"
into which hand-printed fabric scrolls are threaded and hand-cranked through
the stage. The Scrollmaster rolls the theater from place to place and reads to
willing audiences. Texts include the first paragraph of “On The Road” by Jack
Kerouac, and Lincoln’s complete Gettysburg Address. The performances are followed
by a lively discussion of the art, the texts, and cultural aspects of the text.
The 1957 published version of Kerouac is read, but the 1951 autobiographical
text displayed – discuss the differences! The Gettysburg Address leads to
discussion of that war, and war in general.
"SMASH TYPE" is a social sculpture, a collection of performing objects, which invite the audience to create cooperative public poetry, letter-by-letter. Each participant takes on the role of a letter of the alphabet, a number, or a punctuation mark, tagging their individual character onto sheets of banner paper using large, custom-made stamps. The living typewriter will experiment with graffiti, poetry and propaganda using teamwork, improvisation and nonverbal communication.
"SPARKY the Transparent Juvenile Roundbelly Cowfish" is a delightful inflatable sculpture. Nearly transparent, one can almost see the story of what he had for dinner and how it gave him indigestion.
Structured as a series of vignettes, "STAKE" looks into the ways in which we rearrange our circumstances to better suit our lives. Our new arrangements can be revealing, shedding light on what we truly value. Inspired additionally by the physical architecture of fences and gates as barriers and openings, the six dancers encounter scenarios they must compromise around and weave through. This work exists in a place both ethereal and grounded, involving continuously changing moments of comfort, unease, humor, loss, surprise, monotony and beauty.
A memelogical crowd-sourced creative enterprise predicated on the ongoing instantiation of the semi-nonsensical phrase "STFU Katielady." The project exists as a collection of instances of the meme throughout the world, across various media, and at various points in time (ongoing). For FIGMENT 2012, “STFU Katielady” manifests itself as a roving outpost borne on bicycles, carts, and on foot at which the public is invited to don various “STFU Katielady” apparel and props (t-shirts, signs, etc.) and be photographed for addition to various galleries. Patrons may keep the apparel/props upon committing to wear/display them for at least the remainder of the day.
"Seeking Wonderland" (Chess Set) is an absurd take on the traditional chess game. While the layout and rules of the game have not changed, our visual relationship has. Each of the 32 pieces are the same color. The game starts simply enough, but as various pieces advance, the strategy becomes more complicated. The challenge is to remain aware of your own pieces as they intermingle and blend with the other team.
New York’ s premier experimental Shakespeare company the Dark Lady Players offers a "Shakespeare Flashmob." They present key scenes from well known plays and turn them on their head, allowing the audience to explore the true meaning of these scenes, provoking conversation and intrigue. This will be a truly immersive experience for the audience as they participate in scenes, explore characters and soak up the language, fabric and history of these texts.
A fabulous showcase of some of Shakespeare's most beloved scenes and sonnets, as performed by Shakespeare Anywhere actors. Personal sonnet performances will be available at stations around Governors Island following the showcase performance – find a Sonneteer and ask them to perform a sonnet just for you!
Visitors are welcome to share a re-performance of Marina
Abramovic's “The Artist is Present” using various toys. Viewers can select from
other toys to represent themselves interacting with the other toys in the
installation. Take photos!
The Nomads cosmic musical connection is best described as Modern Soul with a Global Groove, with Sierra's earthy and soulful voice to guide the journey. From Gypsy to funk, hiphop to rock, reggae to blues, the six-foot tall Amazon Queen captivates and empowers her audience with a dancer's grace and fabulous style. Inspiring songs in French and English are uplifted by the colorful band of Nomads in intimate performances. Their array of unique sounds will make you laugh, give you goosebumps, and have you singing on the subway! The result of this coalition is a universal groove of powerful energy that will take each listener on a musical journey across the map… with Sierra & the Nomads.
Use the two signal lights of "Signal" to communicate with visual
Morse Code. Send a Morse message using the “Morse It” App on the iPod at
the back of the light. Click ENCODE and type a message that the app
then translates into light pulses that signal the other station. Once
you see the light flashing from the other station across the way, click
DECODE to receive a message and translate it back to text. Signal
reflects upon the maritime history of Governors Island while commenting
on the interplay between evolving communication technology and methods
for human interaction.
“Silk Sensations” is an interactive workshop − inspired, choreographed and surrounded by nature − to produce a dynamic, outdoor exhibition. FIGMENT visitors are invited to draw and paint on silk banners suspended to create a maze-like ambience of color and movement, an interactive outdoor installation, to waft and shimmer amongst trees. As they are completed, new banners made by this year's FIGMENT visitors are added to the three-dimensional labyrinth of flowing color begun at FIGMENT 2011.
"Smellscapes" is an exercise in environmental fragrancing. It is an alteration of the landscape of smell on Governors Island with the goal to draw attention to non-visual aspects of the environment. All the odors used in "Smellscapes" are natural oils that will be encountered out of their normal context in a city harbor.
Joshua Tennent is a Brooklyn-based guitarist and composer who has played at Carnegie Hall and various music events and shows throughout the U.S., Canada and at Burning Man. His music is an eclectic mix of original compositions, Spanish Classical, South American and Jazz styles that paints a colorful musical landscape that transports the listener to far off lands. His repertoire includes original compositions, unique arrangements of popular Brazilian Bossa Nova songs, as well as selections from Classical composers such as Heitor Villa-Lobos, Agustin Barrios, Dilermando Reis, and Jorge Morel.
Acoustic rock originals and covers on 12-string guitar. Frank Giallombard's style is an affinity for Progressive Rock. He also love humor in music; not the type to go on stage and bear his soul with some slow finger-picked "sensitive" song. Giallombard strives to be exciting and interesting. He has written music to poems by J.R.R. Tolkien. Influences include Pink Floyd, Genesis, The Who, Grateful Dead, Kinks, Peter Hammill, Allman Brothers, Rush,Yes, Led Zeppelin, Renaissance, Gentle Giant, ELP, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Frank Zappa, Canterbury jazz, English folk, Irish music...
“Standing
Girl" is an interactive installation. The Girl’s skirt is a giant tent, or
the curtains of a theatre. She invites you to peek under her skirt, where it is dark. If you look up you can
see the sky. The experience resonates with our ancient instinct of creating our
own little home to feel safe and hide. The look and size of this giant female
sculpture, symbolizing the spirit of the Planet and Mother Earth, adds to the
experience.
Star '69 is a local NYC band that pays tribute to the music of Jerry Garcia and The Grateful Dead.
In Malaysia they call mud ball throws "One Million Apologies for Mother Earth". Beneficial Bioremediating mud balls are placed along the water’s edge. People are invited to throw them in the water. The mud balls are activated with EM-1, a solution of 8 most dominant beneficial microbes such as yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and 4 types of Lactobacillus that are found in foods like yogurt, cheese and a Phototrophic Bacteria (Rhodopseudomonas palustris). When thrown in the water the activated microbes eat the waste and reduce the pollution leaving behind proteins, enzymes, vitamins, minerals to name a few.
"The Sustainability Lab" is a small temporary mobile outpost for creative experimentation and pop-up discussions about sustainable urban practices and lifestyles. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about sustainable urban studies (such as participatory culture and urban gardening) via micro-lectures and discussions lead by GreenspaceNYC (a collective of sustainability-centric artists, designers, researchers, and urban thinkers). GreenspaceNYC teaching artists will lead weekend-long workshops in collaborative art making from found and repurposed objects, life drawing as community building exercises, and participatory mapping experiments.
“TREE ARMY: The CCC Project” explores the lives of the young
men employed by The Civilian Conservation Corps between 1933-1942 in a
performance on Governors Island, the actual location of the Second Corps Area
Head Quarters of the CCC. Combining historical CCC documents, articles,
personal letters and journals from the young men involved in what was known as
“Roosevelt’s Tree Army,” "TREE ARMY" explores what it meant to rebuild a country.
Through recreating some of the stories of the 2.5 million men who served, it
recreates a little of the enthusiasm, camaraderie and discipline that was Tree
Army life.
"Take Flight" is an installation of 5 rustic looking swings with wings attached to them on the grounds of FIGMENT. Each swing is made of recycled and reclaimed wood in colorful shapes and sizes. "Take Flight" invites visitors to slip on a pair of beautiful handmade wings and take flight. Spread your wings and fly!
Look for a teacher with a story about adventure; collect their story and add it to "Tapestry." Look for a cyclist who can tell you about love. Add them too. Look for a child with a story about home. Collect their stories in the form of haiku, drawings, comic strips, or dance and add them to your team's Tapestry; an enduring community artwork with a permanent online home you can visit after the event. This game requires teamwork not only with your team but with the community. This is a game that is all about gratitude for others’ participation.
Inspired by the Tibetan prayer wheel, a hand-held meditation device, at the interactive "Circle of Intention"
all religion is left out and all “intention of positive thought” is
welcomed in. The interior walls of this highly decorated hollow globe
are inscribed with a “Statement of Intention” translated into 30
languages spoken in NYC. You are encouraged to enter, reflect on the
statement, then create and record your own “Statement of Intention” via
video cameras embedded on the exterior surface of the globe. The artist
is collecting these videos to stream on the web.
"The Invisible Orchestrion" is what appears to be an empty space, but when participants move around in it they create music. The tempo, complexity, and intensity of the music being generated is completely derived from the motions and gestures of those inside. The more you dance, the more danceable the music becomes; the more sweeping and gentle your motions, the more lyrical and ambient the music. The more people inside "The Invisible Orchestrion", the more layered and rich the sound.
Visitors are invited to be tickled in front of a high-speed video
camera, capturing them in close-up going from straight-faced to chaos, at 500
frames per second. Have you ever seen yourself in this way? Participants become
part of a community portrait that they all help create. These slow motion portraits
will be made available online for visitors to interact with and share. Through “The
Ticklish Subject” we get to see each other on the level of uncontrolled
biological reflex, the beauty and chaos of our physio-anatomy in untamed
expression. Bring a friend and be part of “The Ticklish Subject”!
TouchLights are a series of participatory public street installations initiated by paperJAM. Formations of TouchLights are adhered as temporary sites of interaction along public walkways, activating and illuminating paths otherwise obstructed, dormant, or poorly lit. "Touch (Off The Grid)" consists of a large grid of TouchLights, mounted on board and wired to solar batteries – effectively "off the grid" – engaging the FIGMENT principles of participation, self-expression, civic responsibility, leave no trace, and immediacy. The piece is open for activating play and constant change at the hands visitors. Participants press the lights, turning them on and off to create patterns of illumination.
The ghost of "Touching You" is your friendly neighborhood provocateur, who strives to destroy the moat that divides audiences and entertainer-artists! To heck with that moat! "Touching You" is infamous for, well, touching audiences, who always welcome the personal, um, touch, in a world that is cold and lonely. He is the first rock star that truly cares about the consumer and he will prove it with a gentle caress as he sings deep into your eyes, while frequently singing into your fist as if it were a microphone! Alright!
“Tree of Hope and Dress Like a Tulip” is an installation made of very carefully hung painted
canvas stripes, with details of light fabrics specially tulle and others. The
artist builds pattern atmospheres based on geometry, lines, and vivid colors and textiles. These elements connect her with shapes which are
inspired by nature, architecture, urban planning, aerials topographies, fashion
and bold colors portraying her past in Mexico to her present in New York. All
these elements express her emotions and capture her interests and thoughts as a
woman, person and artist. Visuals form deeper messages about the
emotional back-story referencing the world.
Returning to the island for its second year, "TreeHouse" is part
nostalgic playground, part classroom. Encouraging the viewers to play,
it is also meant to serve as an educational tool for sustainability
issues. The project brings together both kids and adults through
hands-on activities and is exemplary for the use of reclaimed materials
both on a small and large scale level. "TreeHouse" and its
surrounding playground activities are created entirely from reclaimed
materials from the streets of Brooklyn and project partner Build It
Green! NYC, a non-profit retail outlet for salvaged and surplus building
materials. Wind and solar energy are used to power the activities
surrounding it.
The idea for the work is a collage of belief and science. In
India, where the artist is from, trees are venerated. They are painted with
colored pigments to represent sacredness. In this project, trees are “tagged”
with bright colored rings of vinyl tape. This celebrates environmentalism and
multiculturalism and turns into a visual representation of the diversity in New
York. As you walk down the paths around Governor’s Island, the colored rings
will beckon like colored birds on trees. A “symphony” of sound/color arrayed in
perspectives of near and far.
Imagine a cluster or line of trees with their uniquely
shaped and aged trunks tightly wrapped in Lycra Skins of vivid colors – Pinks,
Blues, Gold – revealing the hidden and stranger inner beauty of their natural
forms. The construction can be considered a "Paradox Box" of form and
function with the “Trees of Life” revealed through the simple and amazingly
versatile coat of Sculptural Skin. Organic fashion for children and parents to
paint, draw or write upon and create original overall artwork: to be stretched
and exhibited as part of the “Trees of Life”.
Camp Tsunami Bass Experience is bringing a little bit of playa to FIGMENT NYC with a banging two day line-up of bass culture talent to challenge your perceptions at "The ~WaVe~ 2.0"! Visit our 20ft. tsunami wave-shaped interactive installation, powered by the Tsunami Bass sound system, and wobble your booty on our low frequency transducing dance platforms designed to enable participants to feel the bass! A combined audio, visual & kinesthetic experience that enables proper appreciation of the bass culture talent that will be coming from all over to wobble it well. Say! See, hear, FEEL the ~WaVe~!
"United We Sock" is an interdisciplinary performance that includes dance and poetry. The performance highlights the emotional numbness that is a result of the unrealistic social, political, and economical expectations that American society places on individuals despite their circumstances. "United We Sock" is part three of a three-part-project. Part One required the performer to wear the same socks for thirty days without washing them. Part Two became a commemoration of the journey, writing and performing a poem in thirty different sites.
Vernous started in 2009 as the solo project of instrumentalist, songwriter and producer Elana Belle Carroll. Now a three-piece, their crunchy snares, soaring vocals, distorted guitars and incessant kick drums pump out dark electroclash-pop. Infused with guitar feedback and arpeggiated synths they create a raw, fun environment.
Most bands write out a set list before a performance. They can direct the ebb and flow of emotions by carefully placing songs in a particular order. The Vigilante approaches a concert with a figurative blank canvass. Their concerts are entirely improvised and evolve organically. The audience decides the emotional swings, the peaks and troughs. They feel the set list. The show is entirely collaborative. The lead singer, and an occasional band member, talks to the audience to garner words, phrases, interactions, stories, and even musical requests from the audience to create an entire set list of completely original songs.
WE RECYCLE MEMORY. "Voci nel Deserto (Voices in the Desert)" is a theatre collective born in Italy with focus on memory. As society tends to forget the past, “Voices” brings back quotes from writers and thinkers from yesterday that fits perfectly today. You can pick your voice and read it with the actors, you can listen and discover how much has already been said, or you can just enjoy a performance pretending that these are just voices. "Voci" is a dialogue between the audience and the performers to regain our past to hopefully better understand the present.
"Void Simulacrum" begins as a 50-foot long wall of fabric enveloping two performers. Over 3 hours, the sculpture incorporates willing spectators and passers-by, who become full participants and owners of the piece. As each performer makes aesthetic decisions, the originally static sculptural mass shifts and breaks. Thus, each spectator bears responsibility for the artwork, eliminating the stage, which usually alienates and assigns a static role for the audience, in favor of collective choice and emergent behavior. In "Void Simulacrum" the audience is the performance.
Waiting is frustrating. We have no control over it, forced
to waste time. “Waiting Time: RED” explores the experience of “empty” time,
devoid of all destructions we use to “fill” time. The installation resembles a
waiting area where the purpose and duration of waiting are unclear. A surreal
situation, an allegory for an intimate psychological state; self-sabotage,
creating destructions, employing hope and denial to postpone action. The artist
sits on one of the chairs and waits; the performance takes place several times
each day. Visitors are welcome to join in and are encouraged to share their
ideas and experiences online.
Join this collaborative, interactive, social art
installation. Hear people singing songs, making statements, injecting an
unpredictable human quality into the art. Using Augmented Reality this
installation exists in virtual space as a wall across Manhattan at Wall
Street and across Governors Island. It can be accessed using Layar, a free smartphone
application. Load Layar, search for Aequitas and choose Wall at FIGMENT. Call (800)
950-6583 and leave a brief message stating what side of the wall you are on and
why. Your contribution influences the direction of the piece, creating the “Wall
on Wall Street” as an organic collaborative work.
For "The Wall" the artist created bricks made out of papier-mâché and recycled brown paper. The bricks are left on the floor so the public is free to construct/deconstruct the wall as they wish. Pencils are provided to the public so people can write/draw messages onto the bricks. The artist intends this installation to be built and destroyed as often as possible, like a chain reaction activated by the public.
"Welcome: Reflection" by SAME.(,)DIFFERENCE is a multi-part participatory performance/installation. At the exact moment of the Saturday opening of FIGMENT, a hot pink runner leaves a trail of decorative welcome mats in a ritual “glittering” of the ferry entrance pathway.
Over the course of Saturday, FIGMENT visitors are photographed using their bodies to form a letter in the word 'Welcome'.
On Sunday, a 7’ WELCOME sign is displayed at the entrance, composed of the previous day’s photographs.
Referencing “Leave No Trace”, visitors help form the word 'Welcome' using small found objects affixed to a reflective surface.
When Airport Seven starts to play it takes off without a flight plan. Improvisatory exploration from the abstract to the psychedelic – post punk noise rock to waves of ambient bliss – anything is possible: even a song or two if it feels right. Welcome aboard!
ANIMUS returns with a large-scale participatory sculpture called "Wheel." The circle has been a powerful symbol since the beginning of all cultures. This artistic etude is the begins a series of grandiose, color-filled, wheels, and will offer a place to sit, to climb, to socialize, and to think.
Participants are welcomed into a box truck emblazoned with the words "WikiLeaks Mobile Information Collection Unit". The back of the truck is open, acting as a stage, gallery, and workshop space. The goal of the project is to raise awareness about WikiLeaks and Bradley Manning. Between performances attendees will be invited to join the conversation about topics like Bradley Manning, WikiLeaks, and internet security with information workshops.
"Wind Chime" is a recycle project of mostly found materials, some modified and some used as is to create a colorful, musical and whimsical hanging wind chime. Su Polo has designed and built stage sets for poetry events and installations for toy stores. With this project she hopes to bring awareness to the public about reusing so much that we throw away. The artist will have materials there for participants to create some of their own elements or draw on pieces or sign their names in solidarity of the recycling of stuff.
Driftwood and beach glass collected in the New York harbor will be transformed into sculptures and drawings by FIGMENT goers. When the pieces are finished they will be documented with pictures and descriptions and set adrift in the harbor where they can be found by someone else. Each one will carry the address of an interactive website so that the person finding it can contact the original artist.
The iParty is a political organization without a dogma,
policy stances, tenets, members, or traditions; rather, in complete contrast to
the current party choices available to the American public, it is a
self-centered and customizable political platform. Each participant will create
their own platform utilizing simple and fun campaigning tools. These tools will
include campaign speech “Mad-libs,” personality quizzes and a specially
designed politician photo booth. The resulting media from these activities will
be uploaded to the iParty website, which will function both as the face of the
political party and all participants’ campaign headquarters.
"Yaponcha Chime" is a 9 foot high memorial wind chime, tuned to the notes of "Christmas Time is Here" (From "A Charlie Brown Christmas") by Vince Guaraldi. Yaponcha is the Hopi wind god. The goal of the project is to create a serene environment of soothing tones, where participants can take refuge and reflect on those they love, whether in this world or another.
"You" is an experiment in social interaction. Participants will see a man with a camera and a box of props – the artist – who will photograph them using these props. Effectively turning each participant into a work of art, "You" is a new and different performance with each new visitor.
Sitting at a table surrounded by vacant chairs, a young man in old-fashioned formal wear struggles to maintain the slippery mantle of a prophet. Will you live dangerously and take a seat? Experience this highly tactile journey of poetry, movement, and artifact, based on the writings of Nietzsche. Together you’ll wrestle life’s great mysteries. Literally. This isn’t your dusty old philosophy; this is collaborative art-making, shadow-chasing, and even constructing human tables. Your world may never be the same again! … Maybe. Bring your hammer-wit and determine where your story will go.
Why are zombies so pervasive in culture today? Take for instance the holographic reincarnation of the late Tupac Shakur. It seems you can’t go anywhere these days without seeing some attempt to bring back what once was. Well, "Zombi Jazz" is no different. Jazz died long ago, but what now gruesomely hobbles out of the mausoleum is a being animated by the spirit of the jazzman past. It will stop at nothing to put on a good show. Zombi Jazz will entertain in its first ever fully portable revue. Join us in bringing about the Zombi Jazz apocalypse.
FIGMENT is a free, family-friendly participatory arts event held in multiple cities and attracting tens of thousands of participants each year. FIGMENT is an explosion of creative energy, a celebration of participatory art and culture where everything is possible. Become a part of 2012 events in NYC, Boston, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Cedar Rapids, IA, Washington, DC, and Jackson, MS, as well as interactive exhibits on NYC's Governors Island from June through September. For more information, visit http://figmentproject.org.
FIGMENT is completely free to artists and participants thanks to grants and donations. If you enjoy FIGMENT, and share our belief in the importance of free cultural experiences for everyone, please make a tax deductible donation at http://figmentproject.org, or by put a donation in a donation box at the event. Or, if you have a credit card, ask anyone in a FIGMENT T-shirt where you can make a credit card donations. FIGMENT only exists because of individual donations from people like you. No amount is too small.
FIGMENT is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, and is created and produced by a coalition of volunteers. FIGMENT is entirely funded by grants and individual donations, and accepts no corporate sponsorship of any kind. FIGMENT is supported by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, as well as by the Fund for Creative Communities, supported by New York State Council on the Arts and administered by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. FIGMENT Boston is produced with support from the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, the designated stewards of the Rose Kennedy Greenway and site of FIGMENT Boston. FIGMENT Jackson is supported by the Greater Jackson Arts Council.