Figment Detroit

Fairy Girl with Chalk (Credit: Lindsay Buckley)

Perhaps it's directly or indirectly due to the state of the world today, but art events all over the globe are becoming noticeably less structured and a lot more fun. They're also more apt to take advantage of summer weather and the availability of outdoor venues or locations. Most importantly, however, they're being produced BY artists who are eager to see a stronger bond of engagement between the participants and the audiences that show up.

That, in a nutshell, is a pretty good description for Figment Detroit 2011 - a one-day event that will take place August 6 on Belle Isle. Take place? Frankly, the whole island will be taken over - and no one we know of is complaining about the invading army.

It would be nice to claim this jamboree of joy as a homegrown product like Theatre Bizarre or the Dally, but the Big Apple started the ball rolling back in 2007. Other cities, however, quickly followed suit and today there are independent/interactive art festivals like this all over the nation. This year marks Detroit's first foray into Figment - and in typical Detroit fashion, we're putting our own personal stamp on it.

Essentially, this is what you can expect. Members of that invading army we mentioned will enjoy specific bivouacs across Belle Isle and each artist will set up a work, a creation, a performance or just a pure episode of momentum that is in sync with his or her personal talent and with the collective goal of the entire enterprise. And the overall goal is simple - they want to blur that invisible line or wall that has hitherto kept everyone at a distance. They want you to experience the art as personally as possible and to enjoy an accessibility that (perhaps) you've never enjoyed before.

So prepare yourself for Autonomous Behavior Modification from Kristine Diven and Micho Detronik ... get a boost from Sean Hages and his Bolster Project ... join in the movement supplied by Studio 8 Dance Arts Studio ... follow the Foot Steps made by Linda Allen (and make a few of your own!) ... enjoy the eclectic notes played by The Found Object Orchestra Internationale ... and PLEASE have a map of Belle Isle on you at all times!

And please don't go until you've read the following exchange between Metromix and Danielle Kaltz, who has been the Project Lead for Figment Detroit from the start.

How does Figment differ (if it differs at all) from other Detroit art events?
Figment is about engaging art AND the artist, either through collaborating in making the art or participating in playing with the art. It's meant to bring the viewer closer to everything and to give him or her a more intimate degree of experience. For as long as I can remember, I've  been told NOT to touch the art in galleries and museums. Everyone is told that, of course. Figment is meant to turn that rule upside down.

Is that why the event is only for one day? Because the element of engagement you've just described makes the art more experiential than permanent?
Not necessarily. This is a one day event because when we initially proposed it to Belle Isle, we did so thinking it would happen NEXT summer. But then they generously and unexpectedly gave us the green light for right now - and who am I am to say no to Belle Isle?! So we have our dates for next year, and Figment 2012 will be a two day event on June 16 and 17. 2011 is a chance to get our feet wet and an opportunity to get people excited and interested in what we hope to accomplish in 2012.

A mighty impressive lineup of participants. Who should we keep an especially sharp eye out for?
All of them! Seriously, this is about stepping out of your comfort zone on some level. I plan to walk up to every artist and play and engage in every single one of their projects. And I hope everyone else who shows up does so as well. That's the chief reason we're committed to this event - to be a community in every sense of that word. We have 30 artists and projects and I'm excited about all of them because each is so different from the others. There is no overall theme; some are art installations, some are workshops. They all touch a different sense in one way or another.

Metromix encourages you to experience Figment Detroit's website: detroit.figmentproject.org. Get yourself a schedule... AND that map we previously mentioned!