Ghosts Don’t Walk in Straight Lines is a book and film collaboration with photographer and filmmaker Vincent van de Wijngaard. It follows a journey through the streets of New York City on foot from North to South Manhattan in one full day. This slow, 20-hour walk along Manhattan’s old Broadway was documented, capturing stories and encounters from the West 225th Street/Broadway Bridge down to Battery Park.

Not only did this walk take us through different neighborhoods in Manhattan, sparking meetings, observations, thoughts, and memories, but it was also an attempt to slow down time, contrasting the hectic pace of life in New York City with my slow, conscious steps.

Fashion designer Haider Ackermann created a unique garment for the walk on May 21, 2015. Ackermann chose to use leftover pieces of fabric. With these leftovers, a large patchwork was made that reflects the passage of time. It is the cloth of a traveler on her way, bearing traces of her long journey.

The earliest Dutch settlers of New York arrived at the southernmost point of Manhattan. Our journey traces Manhattan's history in reverse, following the heartbeat of life as it unfolds and is experienced on the streets of New York today. The book and the film capture New York at a very specific moment in time, where remnants of the past are still visible but on the brink of disappearing.