Park Wonder
Park Wonder, the exhibition and book, are the result of lengthy research and explorations of four New Jersey landscapes: Sandy Hook, the Great Swamp, the Passaic River and Watchung Reservation. Over the course of 18 months I walked the length of the Passaic River from Newark Bay to the headwaters and many miles of roads and trails in and around all the landscapes. Each of the landscapes has a unique connection to destruction despite being recreational today. The Passaic River was legendary for its serene beauty and because of the Great Falls in Paterson, until industry polluted the river and diverted water from the falls to run factories. Watchung Reservation and Sandy Hook housed Nike missiles during the Cold War. The Great Swamp was farmland before returning to wild space, but not before it was proposed as a site for an international airport. During my walks I was looking for wonderful things. In fact, it was a thing I wondered about that began the entire project. The remains of pre-colonial stone fishing weirs can be found at several points along the Passaic River. They are ancient utilitarian earthworks forgotten in the shadows of Home Depots and highways. In the end, the experience of walking in each landscape was the true wonder. The final exhibition, book and maps are all derived from these investigations.
