2022

Installation, photographs, and books
Materials: abandoned objects found in parks, artificial turf

​

裝置、攝影照片、書

​​

I explored different parks in New York City, collecting abandoned objects that offered insights into the city, its people, and their neighborhoods. These objects also resonated with my personal experiences and cultural background. Souvenirs consists of a series of photographs paired with text that serves as titles and contextual information. Each image captures artificial products discarded in New York City parks, placed on artificial turf. The text accompanying each photograph includes a title reflecting my thoughts and perspectives inspired by the object, along with the date and location where I found it.

​

When I first arrived in New York, I was struck by the overwhelming amount of trash on the streets. At first, the sight and smell were difficult to accept, but over time, I became accustomed to them. Now, whenever I return to New York City, the distinct odor of New York immediately reminds me that I’m back. The presence of trash has become an undeniable feature of the city’s landscape. 

Parks, in particular, create an ironic contrast—intended to be clean, green spaces, yet filled with litter. Each park reflects the characteristics of its surrounding neighborhood, revealing both cultural diversity and social issues. For example, in parks near Chinatown, discarded items often feature Asian characters or imagery, while in middle-class and white-collar areas, abandoned tennis balls are common. Tennis, both a leisure activity and a pet toy, hints at a certain economic privilege.

​

Beyond regional differences, some patterns appear citywide. For instance, ketchup packets are a common sight in parks across various neighborhoods, symbolizing a shared cultural habit among Americans. 

​

My process of collecting these objects often triggered personal memories and associations. In two separate parks, I found packaging from the Taiwanese snack—a familiar reminder of home. Another unexpected discovery was a discarded drink seal with an expiration date that matched my mother’s birthday, a small yet intimate connection in an unfamiliar place. 

​

The bright, commercial-style aesthetic of the photographs heightens the contrast between form and content—transforming worthless trash into striking visuals. This contrast reflects the duality of New York: a globally celebrated, glittering metropolis that also harbors deep social and environmental issues, including wealth disparity, racial discrimination, homelessness, rising crime rates, public health concerns, and drug crises—problems often unseen by outsiders.

​

《Souvenirs》包括一系列攝影和文字作為影像的訊息，藉由紐約公園裡的垃圾，了 解與發現紐約文化的特殊性與多元性、美國社會潛藏的問題和隱憂、以及以我作為外來者的角度 發現文化之間的差異性。每張攝影都有搭配的照片標題和文字，標題反映了我受到這些廢棄物所啟發的觀點和想法，文字為我發現這些物品的日期和地點。

​

當我第一次到達紐約市時，我對街道上的垃圾數量感到驚訝。一開始，我很難接受垃圾帶來的場 景和氣味，逐漸習慣後，每當我從其他城市或國家回到紐約市，聞到城市的氣味時，我就知道我 回來了。這座城市的獨特氣味和景象給我很深的印象，我認為有垃圾的街景是紐約市的一大特 色，因此開始關注城市中的廢棄物。

​

我到紐約市的各個公園撿拾廢棄的物品(垃圾)，這些物品為我提供了有關這座城市的資訊、幫 助我想像和發現生活在不同區域的人們的習慣和特質，並與我的個人經歷和文化背景進行聯想。 選擇公園場域是與垃圾的印象作爲一個矛盾的對比，公園應該是一個舒適、乾淨、充滿植物的場 域，但在紐約的公園中，卻也充滿垃圾，而公園是人們頻繁活動的場所，不同的公園因為鄰近的 區域有不同的特色，除了反映出紐約文化的多元性，像是在中國城附近的公園中，有許多帶有亞洲文字或圖像的廢棄物​；也揭露了美國社會的問題，例如：在中產和白領階級區域的公園裡，可以頻繁地看到地上有被遺留的網球，網球除了是作為一種休閒運動，也是和寵物互動的玩具，而網球運動和飼養寵物都是必須有一定經濟水準，才能擁有和享受的活動。除了地域性的特色，也能夠發覺美國文化中共同的特點，像是在紐約各個區域的公園中，都能夠撿拾到番茄醬的包裝， 它們來自不同的店家，但都同樣出售番茄醬，美國人們似乎熱愛的液態的番茄。

​

在撿拾的過程中，也多次讓我聯想到個人自身的經驗和文化背景。我在兩個不同的公園中，都撿到臺灣零食旺旺仙貝的包裝袋子，對一般路人來說可能只是一個異國零食的垃圾，但對於來自台灣的我，更是感到格外的驚喜與熟悉。與自身連結的另一個巧遇，是我撿到一個像是飲料封口的小垃圾， 仔細看了看之後，發現上面的有效日期剛好是我媽媽的生日。雖然處在異國的環境中，這些與家 鄉連結的小小偶遇都讓我倍感溫馨。

​

攝影呈現出像是商業廣告般色彩繽紛的視覺效果，是為了呈現影像內容與形式上的極端反差，視覺上光鮮亮麗，但內容卻是毫無價值的垃圾，藉此反映紐約的形象，看似繁華、現代、閃閃發光 的國際聞名都市，卻存在許多社會環境的問題是外人難以看見的，像是貧富差距極大、種族歧 視、流浪漢問題、犯罪率不斷升高、環境衛生問題、毒品猖獗等等，或許這些問題也是文化多元 之下的結果。

​

​