The art of QR scanning

QRArt, a project by GOFY, was born after the team realised that contact tracing posters could be turned into mini art pieces.

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Supporting Creativity

GOFY

“The overarching theme of QRArt is to spread positive messages and to brighten people's day – and art could be an important tool of communication. It is something that can bring us together and can remind all of us that we can keep on moving forward,” says Tiffany.

GOFY: a collective for creatives by creatives

What started as a passion project quickly turned out to be a mini renaissance of art, culture and beauty. In 2019, Tiffany and Jason, along with their team of creatives, decided to form the platform, GOFY – where creators come together and create art to express our rich and diverse Asian culture.

But when COVID-19 hit, Tiffany and Jason were quick in recognising the role art could play.

An unconventional ‘art gallery’ for the streets

Safe Entry QR codes were transformed into mini art pieces that resonated with Asian culture, making the process a much more enjoyable one.

“We wanted to use this as an opportunity to brighten up the days of frontline workers as they ‘check in’ to work. And as for kids, since the pandemic situation can be quite confusing for them, we wanted to create bright, cheerful and positive art that could brighten up their day as well. Even though the kids may not be the ones scanning the QR codes, they can still admire the art pieces,” shares Tiffany.

ProjectQRArt.com and its impact on the community

The website offers free art pieces for businesses to download and create their own unique Safe Entry experiences. Some of the businesses that have been part of the QRArt movement thus far include Zairyo, a Japanese market; Trattoria Nonna Lina, an Italian restaurant; and Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre.

The responses have been positive from businesses and the community. “A lot of people would reach out to us on social media and tell us that QRArt is a really great idea.”

With over 3,000 followers on their Instagram “art gallery” after just a year, this new wave of social art has made arts appreciation a lot more accessible and definitely more enjoyable.

Hopes for the future

Together with Our Singapore Fund, GOFY has managed to go from strength to strength. “They supported us with online marketing, which helped to grow the community by getting more people aware about what we did with QRArt,” added Tiffany.

From just an Instagram page to a bustling online community, the team is looking forward with enthusiasm as GOFY continues to grow the arts scene in Southeast Asia, because “art can really enrich [our] lives”. Their upcoming projects focus on further making Southeast Asian urban arts more accessible to everyone around the world.

Visit ProjectQRArt.com to see how they have transformed Safe Entry QR codes then follow them on Instagram @gof_y to experience unique cultural art anywhere, anytime.

And if you have a project of your own, learn how Our Singapore Fund can help at www.sg/oursingaporefund