Collaborating with my sister, Sarah Choo Jing, on A Walk in the Park has been an exciting opportunity to push the boundaries of storytelling and presentation. Created for NTU’s group exhibition, Construction in Every Corner, this video installation explores fragmented realities through the lens of six characters navigating a park. Presented on irregular LED screens, the work challenges conventional narrative structures, visual composition, and technical execution.
The Concept: Capturing Fleeting Moments
The idea for A Walk in the Park stemmed from our shared fascination with the poetic, often-overlooked moments of everyday life. We sought to create a meditative experience—one that invites viewers to slow down and observe the subtle interactions and emotions unfolding within a park.
The beachside setting was a deliberate choice: a liminal space, ever-changing with the tides, mirroring the transient and fragmented nature of the installation. At its heart are six characters, each navigating the park in their own way. The installation consists of 11 videos, with most characters appearing in two, except for the final "character"—a presence felt only through the objects left behind. These objects, carefully arranged and filmed, act as silent witnesses to human movement, inviting contemplation on presence and absence.
Pre-Production: Scouting Spaces, Finding Stories
Before filming began, we spent time walking through the park, scouting locations that could best capture the themes of transience and quiet observation. We looked for spaces that felt both intimate and expansive—settings where small human interactions could unfold naturally against the ever-changing backdrop of the environment.
Casting was an organic process, blending both intention and serendipity. The characters in A Walk in the Park are a mix of people we know, including fellow artists like Ezzam Rahman, as well as individuals we encountered by chance. One particularly meaningful moment came when we met a construction worker during our recce. We struck up a conversation and, with his interest and consent, incorporated him into the project. His presence added an unplanned but deeply resonant layer to the piece—his workplace, a construction site, stood in the backdrop of his segment, subtly tying back to the exhibition’s overarching theme of construction and transformation.
The Shooting Process: Harnessing the Blue Hour
To achieve the project’s dreamlike atmosphere, we filmed during the blue hour—the brief window after sunset when natural light is soft and diffused. This fleeting period imbued each scene with an ethereal quality, reinforcing the introspective nature of the piece.
However, working within the constraints of the blue hour posed challenges. With only a short time to capture each shot, meticulous planning and precision were required. We kept lighting minimal, using just enough artificial support to subtly highlight the characters while preserving the organic ambiance. Every movement within the park was choreographed to feel both spontaneous and deliberate, striking a balance between realism and cinematic expression.
Editing for Irregular LED Screens
One of the most compelling challenges in post-production was designing for the non-rectangular LED screens—scattered and asymmetrically placed throughout the installation space. Each video was crafted as a dual-perspective narrative, where two characters’ stories unfold within the same frame, reflecting their fragmented yet intertwined experiences.
The asymmetry of the screens introduced an intentional dissonance, allowing viewers to engage with both halves simultaneously or shift focus between them. This unconventional structure invites active participation—viewers must construct their own understanding of the narrative as they move through the space.
Reflections on the Process
A Walk in the Park was a labor of love—shaped by hours of exploration, filming, and reimagining how video art interacts with space. Collaborating with Sarah brought together our distinct artistic sensibilities, merging experimental storytelling with immersive installation techniques.
Ultimately, A Walk in the Park is not just about the characters within it—it is about the audience’s journey through the installation. By inviting viewers to navigate fragmented narratives at their own pace, we hope to create a space for reflection, discovery, and connection—where every perspective is unique.
Experience A Walk in the Park
For more details about the installation, visit here.
You can experience A Walk in the Park as part of NTU’s Construction in Every Corner exhibition, running 14th January 2025 – 17th April 2025 at The Art Gallery at NIE NTU, Singapore.
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