Hands-On Artwork on Olympic Island Was No Mere “Figment”

FIGMENT—an annual festival of strange, participatory art—made its debut appearance in Toronto.

By Steve Kupferman • Photos by Corbin Smith

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<em>Interactive Sculpture, Sphinx</em>, by artist Geordie Lishman, is a life-sized mechanical horse-like thing that comes to life with the help of festivalgoers.

© Corbin Smith

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From <em>Warning! Signs!</em>, by artist Gary MacLeod.

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© Corbin Smith

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Participants playing David Hynes's <em>The Conundrum</em>.

© Corbin Smith

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© Corbin Smith

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Introductions over a megaphone at the beginning of the first <em>Aqua Attack!</em> battle on Sunday.

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Mark Zupan, of The Pearl Palace Puppet Sweatshop, performing with Emma, as she meets Bernard the Mule for the first time.

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<em>Ininitom-Tom</em>, by Dian Carlo/SoDi Designs.

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A kiss painting by artist Pearl Van Geest. It was created with smooches from festival participants.

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<em>Ganesh</em>, a papier mâché sculpture by Frank Perna.

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© Corbin Smith

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A sign from Gary MacLeod's <em>Warning! Signs!</em> lets you know how much it costs to attend FIGMENT.

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A FIGMENT sign, with signatures and messages from festival participants.

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The FIGMENT sound stage.

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A mechanical horse-like sculpture, a giant papier mâché elephant head, and a 55-gallon-drum orchestra were just a few of the installations on display at this year’s FIGMENT art festival, which took place on Toronto’s Olympic Island on August 17 and 18.

The annual festival originated in New York in 2007 and has since spread to other cities. This year was the first Toronto edition.

The event prides itself upon being participatory (the organizers have referred to it as “Nuit Blanche in the sun”), and as a result, much of the artwork was hands-on. Attendees got to participate in an imaginary Japanese gameshow, battle one another with bubble-blowing guns, and even collaboratively create a landscape painting out of lipstick kisses.

If you weren’t there (or even if you were), be sure to check out this image gallery full of highlights.