New York 2044

New York 2044 is a speculative social sculpture in the form of an online and print newspaper conceived of by the artist, writer, and organizer Noah Fischer. Commissioned by More Art, Fischer’s research-based artwork will take the form of a newspaper that proposes the city we want to inhabit in 2044, and how to get there. 

Issues report on how the gap between rich and poor is radically narrowing, green housing is plentiful and affordable, and life is healthier and more equitable in New York City, 20 years in the future, without avoiding the familiar challenges and paradoxes. Each headline is shaped by interviews with someone deeply committed to that particular aspect of city life in the present, and a snippet of their personal journey is told in graphic novel format by clicking their author picture on the article. Three playful, aspirational, retro-futuristic, visually stunning printed and online issues will be produced over 2024, joining in concert with More Art’s other public programs, events, and projects for the year.

To create each issue of New York 2044, Noah begins by conducting speculative interviews with people working on the front lines of issues that are key to life in NYC including housing, immigration, health, and the environment. Fischer’s interlocutors – organizers, activists, artists, and culture-makers – are invited to step outside of their day-to-day work, and to dream up future scenarios for 2044. The resulting newspapers capture speculative headlines that reveal a more just and equitable city, while the interviews themselves form the basis for accompanying zines that detail the personal stories behind this work. The two publication formats and overlapping timeframes (past, present, and future) point to the complex ways that grassroots organizing, personal narrative, and policymaking are interwoven. Together, the project presents a birds-eye view of the systems and people involved in shaping the future of New York.

Issues of the newspaper will be distributed to New Yorkers throughout the year at a series of workshops and activations in public spaces and online.

Noah and More Art thank contributors to the NY2044 project. These are the New Yorkers who informed Noah’s process and research. Each of these participants in the project contributed a headline that they felt could reflect the issue in 2044, and helped us imagine how to get there:

Issue 1: Alicia Boyd, Miguel Robles Duran, Marquis Jenkins, Monxo Lopez, Anonymous, Ramona Ferreyra, Alex Strada, Emily Gallagher, Betty Yu, Felice Kirby, Samuel Stein, Anonymous.

Issue 2: Alex Beria, Jeehae Fischer, Brenda Loya, Jordon Rogore, Kate Poor, Lee-Sean Huang, Maya Lunes, Merrill Zack, and Yasira Nun.

Color assistance by Katherine Domínguez.

Supporters

New York 2044 is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.