Figment NYC setup
Sunglasses photo by Glenn Grant
In New York City today to set up for
, the annual New York participatory art festival.
"FIGMENT is an explosion of creative energy. It's a free, annual celebration of participatory art and culture where everything is possible. For one weekend each summer, it transforms Governors Island into a large-scale collaborative artwork - and then it's gone." -
I'm here helping
set up their art installation,
The Shade Archipelago,
as well as setting up the 5th rendition of
.
The Shade Archipelago
is an oasis on the sun-drenched lawn of Governor’s Island. Four domes ranging in size and color provide shade and shelter for scheduled events, impromptu gatherings, and moments of well-earned rest. We will be partnering with other FIGMENT contributors who value these modest enclosures as a way of focusing attention inward. One of the domes will be dedicated to an interactive art piece called
Chromodome
, that will gradually fill the interior with scrap fabric from production of
The Shade Archipelago
and related projects. Another dome will house
The Prayer Flag Project
, an interactive community piece that will promote engagement.
Today was setup day, a grey and mildly rainy one, with only a few other people on the island. Most of those there where setting up their own installations for the thousands of visitors who will come out to the island over the weekend.
Compared to other's installations that took all day, our setup was pretty easy. It's amazing that these domes pack down into just a few boxes and bundles, and that they go up in almost no time at all.
And it's pretty great that just three of us can build something so big, without using a single tool.
The first themed dome is a soccer ball. Placed a between two goal posts and in front of the Manhattan skyline, it looks pretty amazing. It's not fully completed yet in this picture, but you get the idea.
The second dome is a small green dome with a tent inside where the prayer flags will go.
And the smallest dome will be the Chromodome, which we have put up as a bare frame, and will get covered in fabric by the pubic as the weekend goes on.
The
Prayer Flag Project
went up under the tent, and again it looks so pretty under the hazy light inside the dome.
Photo by Toby Vann
And already today I had my first participant of the weekend, getting ready for the thousands to come!
So we head back to Brooklyn to finish up our last minute tasks, preparing to come back early tomorrow to set up the fourth dome and enjoy some awesome participatory art. If you're in our area, please do come and be a part of this amazing event!