ABSTRACT
Wage Islands is a series of data-driven sculptures that visualize the drowning costs of housing for low-wage workers in New York by submerging a topographic map in a water tank based on income data. Each sculpture is composed of a clear topographic map of NYC based on housing costs, in a clear tank with dark water, filled to just below their peaks; the few areas where low-wage workers can afford housing. The editions vary in data sources, map levels, dimensions, and interactive components, allowing viewers to interact with the map by increasing wages and lifting more housing areas from the water.
