The Pulse Of New York

By Siena Sujitno

Art by Adetutu Ayodele

New York is a city that moves—breathes—pulses with an urgency that is neither forced nor fabricated. I have moved through New York, watching it shift with the seasons, the skyline adjusting like the warp and weft of an unfinished weaving. I asked a handful of New Yorkers how they see this city. What colour is it? Is it thick or thin? Short or long? Still or alive? With their words, I began to weave. The strongest unyielding threads, chosen from conversations with those who have called this city home for generations, or simply just moved here, are dyed in the greys of concrete and steel, deep browns of brick, green of its mulch that grow in the subway. New York is a city in constant motion, yet its history remains embedded in its streets, resisting the constant pull of time. 

The weft, crossing threads, bring movement, embodying every fleeting and shifting nature of those who come and go; the breath of the city itself. Threads of differing textures, weights, and elasticity, mirroring the ways in which people navigate New York. Some are fine and quick to tangle, mimicking the hurried steps of Midtown workers weaving through traffic. Others are thick, almost stubborn, similar to the slow, steady rhythm of those who have built their lives in its boroughs. The colours range from electric yellow,  a cab caught in peripheral vision, to deep navy, the endless stretch of the East River at night. Others blend seamlessly, forming a symbiotic weave of cultures, languages, and histories that meet without breaking. 

The final weave is unfinished. It must be. To capture New York fully is to leave space for change,  allow for frayed edges that promise new additions. The city I have woven is layered with voices of those who see it from different angles. It is not mine alone—it is theirs, it is ours, just as New York belongs to no one and everyone at once. To touch the tapestry is to touch New York. Rough and soft, dense and open, I am alive with the energy of those who have shaped it. It will continue to unravel and reform, never still, never finished.