Figment Co-Living: Creator Residency for artists to live and work together
With its bold initiative, co-living brand Figment offers promising artists a temporary paradise where they can practise their art without the distractions of everyday life.
By Home & Decor Team -
Figment, a home-grown co-living company known for its beautiful homes and art by local artists, takes another step to champion the Singapore arts scene with its Creator Residency Programme.
In a designated Artist Village on an Indonesian island just off the coast of Singapore, the residential programme will offer local artists, writers, and craftspeople the opportunity to focus on their art and work with others in a temporary home away from home for three months starting from June. The Figment team will also assist them in navigating the emerging Non-Fungible Token (NFT) scene and converting their creations.
We speak with Fang Low, the founder of Figment, to learn more about this initiative.
What inspired the Creator Residency Programme?
We were inspired by Singapore’s first artist colony, The Artist Village, after learning about its offshore residency in Pulau Ubin a couple of years ago. As it just completed their last show in January, we felt compelled to do our part to continue their legacy.
What is the selection process for artists?
Jen Quinn Choo, our in-house curator, shortlists the most promising applications first. The broader Figment community then votes on admissions using our membership tokens on the blockchain. We want to decentralise Figment’s curatorial authority. Since the Creators-in-Residence and their works will form part of our members’ living environment, we wanted them to feel a sense of ownership and have a say in how their surroundings develop.
What else can you tell us about the Artist Village?
It is located just off the coast of our city-state, and is an ideal escape from Singapore’s concrete jungle. It even has a rustic feel similar to that of the old Temasek. To avoid creating a cookie-cutter compound, we have kept the exact location a secret.
Can non-artists stay in or near the Artist Village as well?
Definitely! Various members of the Figment community will have the opportunity to spend time in the village and meet the creators they have hand-picked.
Do the artists stay in batches, or can they leave or arrive as they please?
We will run the programme on a rolling basis instead of batches to keep the conversation flowing among a broader range of creators. Figment members will also have the opportunity to learn about these creators and their works during workshops and fireside chats that will take place regularly.
How do you support artists who are new to the NFT world?
Since the NFT scene is also new, we are all learning as we go. Networking and community building are critical for the growth and cultivation of the scene, and we believe Figment’s Residency will eventually reach a self-sustaining, critical mass of Creators-in-Residence and alumni. A selection of Figment Residences will be converted into physical salon spaces at the end of the residency to display selected NFT items.
It gives exposure to Figment members and their friends who may become potential NFT collectors. As Figment’s curator, Jen is compiling a collection of NFTs and offering advice on how to produce them. Additionally, we have released our own NFT Collection with the help of Foreign Policy Design. The Figment team will help mentor and coach the Creators-in-Residence.
What studio facilities are provided in the village?
Various types of workspaces are available – from standard desks to high-ceilinged studios, and shaded pavilions for Plein air painting, which involves painting or drawing outdoors. NFT marketing and production are also made easy with free high-speed Internet. Additionally, we always have art materials on hand, so everyone can experiment.
Having access to a wide variety of design books and being right by the beach are also benefits. Nothing sparks creativity like a lazy afternoon of reading by the beach.
What do you hope to achieve with the residency programme?
As a continuation of our ‘Case Study’ programme, we are looking at issuing NFTs as an additional revenue stream to support emerging artists. What will be groundbreaking for them
is when they start earning 10 per cent in royalties on all future NFT works. A direct relationship with their patrons that bypasses all middlemen is similarly empowering.
Although there is no physical NFT residency yet, Figment hopes to be the first to welcome emerging creators into the NFT space through our Residency Programme. We need to champion our creators, since they infuse personality and soul into increasingly cookie-cutter environments.
For more information, visit www.figment.live.