Department of New Yorker Verification: How It Works
An unofficial project called the Department of New Yorker Verification allows residents to apply for a tongue-in-cheek status based on their local experiences. The project, created by artist Franz Aliquo, uses a point-based system to measure 'hardship' and residency to determine one's authenticity as a New Yorker.
Why it matters
It highlights the cultural obsession with urban identity and the social gatekeeping often associated with major metropolitan cities.
An unofficial verification project wants proof of your NYC upbringing—or enough hardship points to earn your bragging rights.
Share Copy Link Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email WhatsApp Photograph: Courtesy HBO | Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw in 'Sex and the City' Advertising You've survived bedbugs , moved your car for alternate-side parking and developed strong opinions about subway etiquette . But can you prove you're a New Yorker? A new "department" would like to see your paperwork.
The Department of New Yorker Verification is accepting applications to settle one of the city's favorite arguments: who gets to claim the coveted title. Despite its convincingly municipal website, this is an unofficial project run by creative director and artist Franz Aliquo, with no city-government authority. Your actual residency remains safe from the identity police.
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