Quoting Central Park



During the summer of 2010, I spent three weeks in New York City. I conducted lots of research before my departure from San Francisco – I read fictional novels and I collected all quotes I could find concerning Central Park. On a map I marked all spots that the quotes referred to. My next step was to visit all the markings and make drawings. The specific quote became part of the drawing. If a quote referenced a bench west of the Reservoir, I would sit on a bench in that area and make a drawing. By the use of a transfer paper I had one original drawing as well as one copy. I cut out and folded the copy into a geometrical, sculptural shape. Drawings with the same geometrical shape meant the quotes came from the same novel.I documented and left the drawing in the park. On the back of the drawing I wrote the address: http://quotingcentralpark.blogspot.com. During my time in Central Park the blog was of a secret kind – only people who found a drawing in the park would find it. Some of my drawings ended up in the trashcan (I’m quite sure of it), but some found its way to curious observers (that I’m definitely sure of). All and all I made 71 different drawings based on 71 quotes from 12 different novels. Since I got back to San Francisco I’ve been working on an installation format of the project. I’m also planning on creating a book, which will partly function as a guidebook. This book will be my final thesis at California College of the Arts.

During the summer of 2010, I spent three weeks in New York City. I conducted lots of research before my departure from San Francisco – I read fictional novels and I collected all quotes I could find concerning Central Park. On a map I marked all spots that the quotes referred to. My next step was to visit all the markings and make drawings. The specific quote became part of the drawing. If a quote referenced a bench west of the Reservoir, I would sit on a bench in that area and make a drawing. By the use of a transfer paper I had one original drawing as well as one copy. I cut out and folded the copy into a geometrical, sculptural shape. Drawings with the same geometrical shape meant the quotes came from the same novel.I documented and left the drawing in the park. On the back of the drawing I wrote the address: http://quotingcentralpark.blogspot.com.
During my time in Central Park the blog was of a secret kind – only people who found a drawing in the park would find it. Some of my drawings ended up in the trashcan (I’m quite sure of it), but some found its way to curious observers (that I’m definitely sure of). All and all I made 71 different drawings based on 71 quotes from 12 different novels. Since I got back to San Francisco I’ve been working on an installation format of the project. I’m also planning on creating a book, which will partly function as a guidebook. This book will be my final thesis at California College of the Arts.