"The Sinking City" is an NYSCA-supported project. The project analyzes the gradual sinking of Lower Manhattan as the result of intersecting human, geological, and environmental forces. Through photography, collage, and archival fragments, my project weaves together geological record, urban development, and speculative future to ask how sea-level rise and subsidence may reshape the city. Rather than documenting change directly, the work foregrounds material transformation to capture the instability and vulnerability embedded in the city's architecture.

New York City’s future is threatened by sinking at an average rate of approximately 1.6 millimeters (0.06 inches) per year. Several factors contribute to the city's sinking, including long-term land settlement since the last ice age, groundwater extraction, and instability in landfill construction. Another contributor to New York City's sinking is the weight of its skyscrapers. New York City’s 1,084,954 buildings weigh approximately 1.68 trillion pounds. Depending on the soil type, bedrock, and other factors, buildings could potentially sink as much as 600 millimeters, or nearly 2 feet. Manhattan is particularly at risk because of its numerous skyscrapers, especially in areas where landfill was used. Additionally, rising temperatures from global warming have major implications for infrastructure. Warming soil can compress or expand, causing minor cracks in buildings that can jeopardize their long-term stability. Using a large-format camera, I will focus on neighborhoods south of 23rd Street—Lower Manhattan, Chelsea, and Stuyvesant Town–Peter Cooper Village—areas partially built on landfill and especially at risk.