Our 8th Annual FIGMENT Artist-Designed Minigolf Course represents the concept of transportation, whether across state lines or between states of mind. With the vast choices for getting yourself—or getting "goods"—from one place to another, from "where you are now" to "where you want to be", we are creating an artist-designed, free to the public, minigolf course on Governors Island that captures the multitude of transportation options from the past, present and future; it highlights the positive and/or negative social, economic, or environmental impacts of transportation; and it interprets abstract transportation practices such as meditation. We asked designers to interpret this year's theme with as much diversity of perspective as possible. Below you will find our selection of 11 holes that we are looking to build and maintain on Governors Island in the 2015 summer season—FREE for the public to interact with from June through September 25, seven days a week, when the island is open to the public.
Please help us maintain this minigolf course for our 2015 Season by making a donation to FIGMENT!
Anyone Can Go by Yung Oh Le Page
©2015 Anthony Collins
This minigolf green is designed to be accessible by anyone, regardless of ability. Taking inspiration from a rocket ship, the course is meant to inspire and be enjoyed by children and adults from diverse backgrounds, ready for exploration. We invite you to take this journey with us, an adventure where anyone can go!
This Wheelchair accessible hole is a par 3.
Constructed with help from the children at Pine Street and Battery Park Montessori schools, neighbors and friends in the Wall Street area community, and special thanks to Sam Henriquez.
Do Not Disturb by Hecho/Gray Matters
©2015 Fil Maresca
Do Not Disturb is your "pause button" on the road from "Here to There." Just hang a sign on your door. Study the course. Decide: Take a swing at the shortcut, or play through the long game of life?
Foot Loose and Fancy by Kathy Creutzburg and Kris Enos
©2015 Anthony Collins
Foot Loose and Fancy are two golf hole platforms, connected by a ramp. The two platforms are designed to resemble footprints, with the right foot slightly lower than the left. The feet are stepping forward and walking, leaving behind their impressions. Most New Yorkers walk as a form of transportation, which simultaneously keeps the body, mind, and planet strong and in excellent shape. The two foot-shaped platforms will have a variety of shoes anchored to the platform, serving as bumpers and obstacles for the golf ball. The treacherous catwalk, or ramp, has a tunnel for the ball, under the arch of a series of hgh-heeled shoes—the antithesis of the walking shoe. After the ball rolls down the catwalk ramp, it makes its way toward the hole marked with red flags flying from the toes of upturned men's mannequin legs.
From Here to Tranquility by Tad Philipp and Pam Tucker
©2015 Fil Maresca
Your journey takes you from the hustle and bustle of NYC to the oasis of tranquility that is Governors Island. Putt from the ferry through the dockside gantry that raises and lowers the gangplank. Continue through Liggett Arch to the hole at the top of a small hill. Overlooking the hill is the Statue of Liberty, Governors Island's neighbor since 1886 and a welcome sight to travelers ever since. Stop by for a photo opportunity!
Golfers Digest by Lo Ehrhart
©2015 Anthony Collins
The transportation of food through the body is one of the most common types of transportation—relatable to everyone. Players will have a great time putting from the spaghetti dinner plate into the character’s astroturf-lined mouth. Putt the ball over the dipsy doodle and watch it roll through the esophagus and enter the stomach through the pyloric sphincter. The stomach becomes another putting area and the player must hit the ball into the intestines. After running through a series of fun curves, the ball ends up outside the body, on a bed of blue astroturf: Home to the final hole. (Can you guess what blue represents?!)
Here to (T)here by Gary Dolan
©2015 Bruce Monroe
Here to (T)here: Tea for Two? Tee for You. How do you get from HERE to THERE? You have to add a "T," of course. Tea leaf? Tee shirt? T-Rex? No, silly, a golf tee! (The clue was "of course"—this is a golf course after all, not a class in grainy ice samples*.) You know you're going to end up in a hole in the ground. The only question is: What journey do you take to get there? The high road or the low road? Left or Right? Bouncy, bumpy, or smooth? It's up to you. Choose wisely!
*A coarse cores course.
Making Connections by BPC&Co
©2015 Anthony Collins
So now you've arrived at Hole Number Three.
Place your ball on the turf and get ready to tee.
The path that you choose will determine success:
Express train or local, East Side or West.
Historic Downtown has the new Fulton Center;
Start here to embark on your subway adventure.
Descend to the train tracks, consider your route;
Which uptown line means the fastest commute?
Beware of the obstacles, track breaks and rats,
Service delays and unauthorized cats,
Mechanical problems, late-arriving connections,
Signal misfortunes and changing directions.
Take aim for Grand Central, magnificent goal,
And endeavor to keep that small ball on a roll.
From there you will celebrate and then go forth
To conquer the world, if not this golf course!
Over the Lily Pad Bridge by The Blue School
©2015 Fil Maresca
In a pond not far from here, a group of ducklings played along the water's edge. They spent their days splashing in the pond and watching the frogs jump from one lily pad to the next. One day, after seeing the frogs jump across the pond, the ducklings, too, wanted to try to cross the water. They set out on an adventure, and, following the frogs' lead, they used the lily pads as a bridge. The ducklings were sure to be careful, as they hadn't yet learned how to fly, or have the chance to swim in deep water alone. They were nearing the other side of the pond, when their lily pad began to sink. The ducklings were scared, as they dipped below the water surface. Just then, a school of helpful fish came from below, and buoyed the ducklings above the water. The fish then carried them safely to the other side. The fish had save the ducklings, and the day!
Over the River and Through the Woods by Vanessa Khouri
©2015 Anthony Collins
This is not a fairy tale: it is really happening! Earth's climate is changing and greenhouse gas emissions, derived from the burning of fossil fuels for transportation, heat, and electricity, are the main source of these changes. While climate change is a controversial issue, the impact that the currently operating Keystone Pipeline has had on people, land, and water cannot be disputed. This course visually highlights the environmental impacts from the extraction of oil from the Alberta oil sands and the transporting of oil through the Keystone Pipeline, which runs from Hardisty, Alberta, Canada to various U.S. oil refineries as far south as Texas. Players on this wheelchair-accessible par 3 course will putt their ball "over the rivers and through the woods," following the pipeline through the tar sands, rivers, and woods. This course will beckon players to question their thoughts about climate change and consider the impact that our reliance on fossil fuels has.
Red Wiggler Wormhole by Earth Matter
The Red Wiggler Wormhole is meant to take you on a journey, showing you how food scraps turn into worm castings through the worm's digestive tract. Join us, FROM HERE—taking your food scraps—TO THERE—your neighborhood drop off location, your curbside pick up, your community garden, your backyard compost system, or your red wiggler compost bin... in turning NYC's food scraps into a rich soil amendment for application on tree beds, and growing food, and healthy plants! The Red Wiggler Wormhole is a collaborative project of the NYC Compost Project host sites, including Earth Matter NY on Governors Island. Please visit the Compost Learning Center, off The Oval; open Saturday and Sunday, 12-4:00 pm to learn more!
The NYC Compost Project, created by the NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) in 1993, works to rebuild NYC's soils by providing New Yorkers with the knowledge, skills, and opportunities they need to make and use compost locally. NYC Compost Project programs are implemented by DSNY-funded teams at seven host organizations, including: Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Build it Green!NYC, Earth Matter NY, Lower East Side Ecology Center, Queens Botanical Garden, Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden, and The New York Botanical Garden.
Street Scraper by Carlo Sampietro
©2015 Anthony Collins
For past generations, the street was a place where kids played and grownups socialized. People walked right out their front doors. It was safe, lively, and an extension of the home. The neighbors were an extension of the family, and the street was part of that life. Today, sidewalks are seen as an unsafe place, full of traffic, noise, and crime, and people are afraid of it. In our everyday journey, sidewalk objects are obstacles that affect New Yorkers' emotional and cognitive perception of the city landscape. In this golf hole, instead of separating people, the barricades will connect them. Instead of irritating NYC drivers, the parking regulation sign would bring the joy of victory, because it is the final "hole." Street Scraper brings back something that no longer is. It brings back the notion of the street as a safe social melting pot. All prop elements on this project are donated, fabricated, or purchased.
Please help us maintain this minigolf course for our 2015 Season by making a donation to FIGMENT!