2014 in review: Artists embrace crowdfunding

SINGAPORE — When its inflatable theatre space GoLi finally came up during its test-run at Toa Payoh Central last month, Drama Box had you to thank. After all, it probably would not have been possible without crowdfunding — thanks to the Indiegogo site they had set up, the company was able to raise S$6,264, while others donated directly. “It was an experiment for us as it’s not a sponsorship platform we were familiar with… but we learnt a lot from this process and I would be keen to try it again in the future,” said Koh Hui Ling, the company’s associate artistic director.

And they weren’t the only ones. From books to films to albums to events and spaces, artists and arts groups turned to crowdfunding. Musicians like Gareth Fernandez and MONSTER CAT, fashion designer Gnome & Bow, Kenny Gee’s short film The Body, Han Yew Kwang’s Rubbers tapped into it. Ditto for organisers of the Singapore Literature Festival in New York, the Singapore International Photography Festival’s movable DECK space, The Substation’s efforts to spruce up its gallery and indie cinema The Projector at Golden Mile Tower.

The recently-screened The Obs: A Singapore Story, the much-awaited documentary on indie band The Observatory, was also fuelled by crowdfunding.

“We had no funding support from the outset and we were also denied grant money from the government. We then took to using the crowdfunding platform to raise money,” said director Yeo Siew Hua, who said the financial support they received was “way above our expectations”.

He added: “The process of crowdfunding allowed us to tap into a community of support. It was very encouraging that we were approached by so many people who volunteered their time and services after our call through crowdfunding.”