Central Park — roingchen

roing chen

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Wandering in Central Park

Type: Personal exploration
Year: 2024

Central Park was the first place I visited after arriving in New York. I walked through countless winding paths—guided by signposts, fallen leaves, stones, and passing strangers. Along the way, I noticed benches with names in memory of loved ones. The park felt both intimate and vast, full of quiet whispers and the order of a city—yet still a place to get lost.

In this project, I explored the concept of wandering through a series of visual and spatial experiments. I traced my movements and impressions in the park, using my body to experience space—and then to create space. Through walking, pausing, and drifting, I recorded traces that belong to me alone.

To wander in Central Park is to wander in the city itself—following no fixed direction, but forming a rhythm of presence, reflection, and becoming.

Using the elements in Central Park to collage some visual possibilities.

O1. WALLPAPERS

These are a pair of wallpapers centered around the theme of wandering. The one on the right feels like me getting lost along the paths of Central Park—starting from the entrance at the bottom, roaming within, encountering various objects and people, and leaving my footprints behind. If that represents a physical form of wandering, then the other one illustrates a psychological form. When we lose our way, we look up at the sky to find our bearings, observing how the interplay of leaves and open sky creates ever-changing shapes.

O2. BOOKLET

Reading this booklet is also a way of experiencing wandering. When the book is fully opened, the blue sqaure in the middle, just like the sky we see when we look up during wandering.

O3. TIME-BASED PIECE

After visiting Central Park several times, I began to wonder: Was I searching for something during these journeys, or merely observing others without purpose? And how do others see me? Does direction matter, or is it the destination that counts?
Could you be lost in a familiar place for a lifetime? Maybe all our overlapping footprints form a kind of temporal pattern. What is going through everyone’s minds? Or am I the one who’s imagining depth and complexity in their thoughts? What role do I play as I sit here? Is it because everything is so new to me that I magnify every discovery? And when will I grow accustomed to all this? Is habit a form of blending in, or is it a kind of numbness?

I return to the bench, looking at the scene before me. It’s as if there are layers upon layers of tracks extending from far away to right before my eyes. People pass by in straight, horizontal lines, none of them suddenly enlarging or shrinking, together forming a stage-like tableau.

Perhaps it’s all just my own illusion—different groups of people combining in my mind to piece together my personal map of Central Park.

O4. EVENT - Where’s Waldo

Extending the concept of wandering and finding, I wanted to hold an event in Central Park. Inspired by the book Where’s Waldo, invite at least 300 people to dress in red-striped clothing (just like Waldo) and gather on a large lawn. A group photo is a must, of course! After that, each participant will be given clues about Waldo's whereabouts, and the goal is to see who can find him first.

The invitation card is designed using a transparent, red-tinted card to obscure certain information. By overlaying it, the details become visible within the small squre framed area. (If you’re not inclined to search, you can simply use a large solid-red card. :P )

O5. Dimentional Object - Arrow Slipers

I also created a pair of playful arrow slippers. When we wear them as we walk, they leave arrow-shaped prints along our path. It’s like returning to the very first wallpaper design—wandering while leaving traces behind. Accompanied by a set of small cards below, you can decide what your journey will entail. What are you searching for?