A man Is not an island but a Figment is. Getting it's name from Andy Warhol's quasi self-assigned epitaph, Figment is a free three-day event that began this Friday, June 12th and will run through Sunday June 14th. Officially conceived in 2007 as a small local community art exhibition on Governor's Island, tens of thousands of people are expected to flood the former army base this weekend, artists, New Yorkers and tourists alike. Taking place a ferry boat ride away from Manhattan's shore, Figment is a great alternative to the sometimes high brow, high priced art and performance art shows that boast New York City's roster.
Leslie Koch, President of the Governor’s Island Preservation and Education Corporation says this is her favorite weekend of the year: "People of all ages and sizes come and play… one of the themes of Governor’s Island is that everything here is free, so the ferry’s free, miniature golf is free, Figment’s free all weekend, bike riding's free on Fridays, and we think that’s really important at a time in our economy when we’re all looking for free things to do with our visitors, with our families and that’s really what Governor’s Island is all about. It’s for the people of New York and we hope that more and more people come out and enjoy it."
Installation, visual, performance, multi-media, interactive and reactive art coexist and often times collaborate in Figment's three day festival. But if you want to purchase a work, you can't do that here. "This is a de-commercialized event," says Figment's communications director Julie Ziff-Sint, "There is no transaction of money at figment. So if you like an artist definitely learn their name, find out, go talk to them but at figment itself we are all about the idea that money is not an intermediary for an experience."
Founder and Executive Producer David Koren agrees. "The contribution you make here is a gift and we are all volunteers and we are all giving of ourselves to make this happen as a gift to our community and to the city of new york so we ask that same gift from the artists and all the participants as well... based on that, we build community and build relationships. Koren says he hopes that the event will inspire the community to unleash their inner child and find a playfulness and light-heartedness that is often missing in day to day adult life.
Christine Ritok from Manhattan is attending for the second year in a row. "Figment is the anecdote to the cynicism of the New York City Art Scene. People come here because they can feel comfortable. They’re not going to be judged, it’s not a beauty contest. It’s a great opportunity for people to see the fun side of art, which I think we forget about sometimes, art’s supposed to be fun, art’s supposed to be enjoyable, it’s not supposed to be not something that we should feel fearful or apprehensive about." 
Often times visitors are encouraged to touch, sit on, climb over and draw on artists' works, becoming a part of the artistic process themselves. An eighteen hole miniature golf course lines the main "City of Dreams" section of the island, each hole distinct to the artist that created it. The golf course and some other pieces will remain as a seasonal exhibit on the island once the festival comes to an end.
Almost everything about the
event has an element of transience; artists are encouraged to paint over each other's works and build on top of each other's sculptures. Perhaps the most permanent part of the event, are some of the young artists who have gained exposure from Figment and are quickly becoming a fixture on the New York art scene. One group of artists who call themselves "Animus, " derived from the Latin word meaning "courage," are debuting their new work, "Rhythm and Rest" at Figment this weekend.
Annie Vainchenker, Preston Dane and David Ort got their start at Figment last year and since have become in high demand at music festivals and art shows all over the country. "Through this community and these very humble beginnings were inspired by the participatory arts model," says Dane, "and through this we now have two large public works we are doing with the city of new york, we've been awarded a Greenwell Foundation grant... now we're being approached by the Voo-Doo festival in New Orleans, Burning Man in Nevada and Coachella in L.A... I really believe this is the new wave, a new art movement in New York City." It is exactly the ethos of the famed barter-based Burning Man Music and Arts Festival in Nevada that is the model for Figment and it's principles. David Koren says "de-commodification, immediacy, and the idea of self expression, we're taking that and marrying it with the creativity of New Yorkers."
Figment runs June 12th-June 14th and can be reached via Ferry free of charge to Governor's Island. For more information, go to: http://figmentnyc.org/2009/
For more upcoming events at Governor's Island visit: www.govisland.com or stay tuned to 710 WOR.
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