A living census of the greatest city on earth

NEW YORKERS

The city has been watching you your whole life. It turns out it was taking notes.
THE CENSUS · CHARACTERS PAINTED
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GET COUNTED ENTER THE CENSUS
01 · The thesis

Every New Yorker gets a portrait. Even the villains.

The work has run on more than 5,000 New York City taxis and been shown on the streets of ten cities in ten countries. A portrait of an entire city, one character at a time, painted by a city that is watching back. The eye flowers are the proof: when a flower with a human iris blooms in a frame, this moment was witnessed, this person mattered, somebody was watching with love.

0Works painted
90The Marks, ones of one
6,666The census release
02 · The three marks

The Eye Flower

The city's attention made visible. It blooms wherever a moment is truly witnessed. Its iris is human because the city's eyes are its people.

The Blue Evil Eye

Protection. It watches so you can stop watching your back. It never moves and never blinks in stills. It is MLow's sovereign mark.

The Sigil

Community. The Blossom mark appears where people have built something together. The Sigil Writer paints them at 4am and has never been seen.

03 · The census in fifteen eras

The archive is the story. Each era is a chapter.

04 · The monuments

Every hundredth number is a monument.

0 GRAILS
PRICED AND TREATED ACCORDINGLY
05 · One New Yorker at a time

The census assigns you a character. You do not shop for a New Yorker.

FIND YOUR NEW YORKER
06 · Scenes across the city

Five boroughs. Fifty nine districts. All of it painted.

THE INTERACTIVE ATLAS
OPEN THE MAP
07 · · Now painting

08 · Still Waiting

The corrupted editions. The signal degrades, the city persists.

09 · The city in three dimensions
The props are real. Printable, spinnable, placeable in your room.

Twenty street objects modeled from the collection, from the hydrant to the water tower, plus the sticker pins cast as vinyl, enamel and bronze. AR ready.

water tower
hydrant
fire escape
stoop
lamppost
mailbox
10 · The museum
Walk the city as a gallery. One hundred and eleven rooms, every New Yorker hung where they were counted, the light following the New York clock.

A Three.js museum built room by room: the Bowery after hours, the Guggenheim ramp, the Chrysler lobby under its crown, the Vessel, the Cyclone, the crown of the Statue, Studio 8H, the Met's Great Hall, the whale at Natural History, thirty art museums and institutions across the five boroughs, the nave of St. John the Divine. Every interior comes with its street and its skyline. Each room hangs the characters the census recorded at that place first, then any era, family or set you choose. The light follows the New York clock and the hang reshuffles daily. Any room exports as a GLB. Click a work and the record opens.

111rooms
0works on the walls
WASDto walk, drag to look
ENTER THE MUSEUM✦ SPIN A ROOMSTART ON THE RAMP

Pull the lever and the city picks your room. Press R inside the museum to pull it again.

The BoweryLOWER MANHATTANThe Bowery Below the cityTHE SUBWAYBelow the city Above the parkTHE MET ROOF GARDENAbove the park Across the riverBROOKLYN WATERFRONTAcross the river Electric crossroadsTIMES SQUAREElectric crossroads The harbor crossingSTATEN ISLAND FERRYThe harbor crossing The living cityNEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDENThe living city Arrivals / departuresPENN / MOYNIHAN TRAIN HALLArrivals / departures Under the starsGRAND CENTRAL TERMINALUnder the stars The city, rewildedTHE HIGH LINEThe city, rewilded At the edge of it allCONEY ISLANDAt the edge of it all The painted thresholdBETHESDA ARCADEThe painted threshold White ribs, infinite cityTHE OCULUSWhite ribs, infinite city Endless ascentTHE GUGGENHEIM SPIRALEndless ascent City of storiesNYPL ROSE READING ROOMCity of stories After the applauseTHE APOLLOAfter the applause The boroughs in orbitFLUSHING MEADOWSThe boroughs in orbit Suspended New YorkROOSEVELT ISLAND TRAMSuspended New York The quiet cityTHE CLOISTERSThe quiet city The dry dock cathedralBROOKLYN NAVY YARDThe dry dock cathedral The harbor observatoryGOVERNORS ISLAND HILLSThe harbor observatory The crown and the lobbyTHE CHRYSLER BUILDINGThe crown and the lobby The prowTHE FLATIRONThe prow Bottom of the ninthTHE BRONX BALLPARKBottom of the ninth Take a numberTHE APPETIZING COUNTERTake a number Under the archWASHINGTON SQUAREUnder the arch The LullwaterPROSPECT PARK BOATHOUSEThe Lullwater The colonnadeHALL OF FAME FOR GREAT AMERICANSThe colonnade Departures, 1962TWA FLIGHT CENTERDepartures, 1962 The sailors' restSNUG HARBORThe sailors' rest Ice under the towersWOLLMAN RINKIce under the towers The bendDOYERS STREETThe bend The parlour floorSTRIVERS' ROWThe parlour floor Seventy floors upTOP OF THE ROCKSeventy floors up The garden courtTHE FRICKThe garden court The tall shipSOUTH STREET SEAPORTThe tall ship The climbHUDSON YARDSThe climb The tulipsLITTLE ISLANDThe tulips The unfinished naveST. JOHN THE DIVINEThe unfinished nave The elevatedQUEENSBORO PLAZAThe elevated The roofA BUSHWICK ROOFTOPThe roof The rideTHE CYCLONEThe ride Between the cablesTHE BROOKLYN BRIDGEBetween the cables The city on a tableTHE QUEENS MUSEUMThe city on a table The climb to the crownLIBERTY ISLANDThe climb to the crown Under the tile vaultsGRAND CENTRAL OYSTER BARUnder the tile vaults Three tiers of booksTHE MORGAN LIBRARYThree tiers of books The great stageRADIO CITY MUSIC HALLThe great stage The cathedral of commerceTHE WOOLWORTH BUILDINGThe cathedral of commerce The canyonWALL STREETThe canyon The plaza at eightLINCOLN CENTERThe plaza at eight The castle on the rockBELVEDERE CASTLEThe castle on the rock The aqueduct walkTHE HIGH BRIDGEThe aqueduct walk The market hallARTHUR AVENUEThe market hall The pergola over the riverWAVE HILLThe pergola over the river The gantriesGANTRY PLAZAThe gantries Surf at the end of the AROCKAWAY BEACHSurf at the end of the A The gothic gateGREEN-WOOD CEMETERYThe gothic gate The refineryDOMINO PARKThe refinery The ships in the marshTHE ARTHUR KILLThe ships in the marsh The flight deckTHE INTREPIDThe flight deck Live from New YorkSTUDIO 8HLive from New York The horseshoeCARNEGIE HALLThe horseshoe The wedge downstairsTHE VILLAGE VANGUARDThe wedge downstairs The courtRUCKER PARKThe court The rec room1520 SEDGWICK AVENUEThe rec room The night before the paradeCENTRAL PARK WESTThe night before the parade Christopher StreetSHERIDAN SQUAREChristopher Street The feast on MulberryTHE FEAST OF SAN GENNAROThe feast on Mulberry The lobby of the hotelTHE CHELSEA HOTELThe lobby of the hotel Eighteen miles of booksTHE STRANDEighteen miles of books The courtyard and the mosaicTHE DAKOTAThe courtyard and the mosaic The world's most famous arenaMADISON SQUARE GARDENThe world's most famous arena The temple by the windowTHE TEMPLE OF DENDURThe temple by the window The garden on 54thTHE SCULPTURE GARDENThe garden on 54th The terraces over the High LineTHE WHITNEYThe terraces over the High Line The registry roomELLIS ISLANDThe registry room Mile oneTHE VERRAZZANOMile one Sixth Avenue after darkTHE VILLAGE HALLOWEEN PARADESixth Avenue after dark The parkway on Labor DayGRAND ARMY PLAZAThe parkway on Labor Day The sun down 42ndMANHATTANHENGEThe sun down 42nd The Great HallTHE METThe Great Hall The Engelhard CourtTHE METThe Engelhard Court The skylit suiteTHE METThe skylit suite Under the whaleNATURAL HISTORYUnder the whale The sphere in the cubeTHE ROSE CENTERThe sphere in the cube The atriumMOMAThe atrium The stacked boxesTHE NEW MUSEUMThe stacked boxes The gold roomNEUE GALERIEThe gold room The Carnegie gardenCOOPER HEWITTThe Carnegie garden The inverted zigguratTHE BREUERThe inverted ziggurat The Warburg mansionTHE JEWISH MUSEUMThe Warburg mansion The spiral stairTHE RUBINThe spiral stair The shell rolls outTHE SHEDThe shell rolls out The drill hallPARK AVENUE ARMORYThe drill hall The rotunda at Bowling GreenTHE CUSTOM HOUSEThe rotunda at Bowling Green The lollipop buildingMUSEUM OF ARTS AND DESIGNThe lollipop building The terracotta courtTHE HISPANIC SOCIETYThe terracotta court The new building on 125thTHE STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEMThe new building on 125th The courtyard on FifthEL MUSEO DEL BARRIOThe courtyard on Fifth The city's museumMUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORKThe city's museum The oldest museum in the cityNEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETYThe oldest museum in the city The long lightDIA CHELSEAThe long light Thursday openings on 24thWEST 24TH STREETThursday openings on 24th The mission houseFOTOGRAFISKAThe mission house The old schoolMOMA PS1The old school The stone gardenTHE NOGUCHI MUSEUMThe stone garden Sculpture on the riverSOCRATES SCULPTURE PARKSculpture on the river The Beaux-Arts CourtTHE BROOKLYN MUSEUMThe Beaux-Arts Court The ironworks in Red HookPIONEER WORKSThe ironworks in Red Hook The Concourse museumTHE BRONX MUSEUM OF THE ARTSThe Concourse museum
11 · The releases

Sold in named releases. Each one closed before it opens.

HOW THE RELEASE WORKS
12 · The reading room

New York, on the record. Real history, real sources.

The census paints the city; the reading room explains it. Short histories of the subway, the bridge, the harbor, the blackout, the birth of hip hop and more, every fact tied to an institution you can check. Every museum room has a history page too.

OPEN THE READING ROOM
13 · How the city fills
First THE COUNT.
Then THE CLAIM.

The Census Office opens at NFT.NYC. Get counted, and the city matches you with a character and holds it in your name on a paper Resident Card. When the Claim opens, the hold becomes yours onchain.

THE COUNTDOWN

01 GET COUNTED AT THE OFFICEFREE
02 THE CITY MATCHES YOUR CHARACTERHELD 24H
03 THE PRICE RISES AS THE CITY FILLSTHE LADDER
04 THE ARTIST APPENDS, YOU PINERC-7160
CHAPTERS ARE ERAS. NOTHING IS EVER DELETED. THE ONE THING THIS COLLECTION WILL NEVER BE IS FINISHED.
14 · The open notebook

Every layer shown. Nothing hidden.

The prompts, the style eras V1 through V10.1, the refires, the cost ledgers, the cuts. Almost no AI artist will publish what they threw away. This one does, because curation is the work. Every record in the census carries its own prompt under FROM THE STUDIO.