The Journey to Heart Island

Heart Island serves as New York City’s Potter's Field, where over a million unclaimed bodies are buried in mass graves. Access to this somber place requires special permission, as visitors must navigate a ferry from an industrial dock in the Bronx, escorted by guards to designated burial sites. The stark environment is marked by simple white posts with numbers, devoid of names, signifying the anonymity and tragedy associated with those interred there. This isolation and oversight underscore a broader societal tendency to overlook the lives of the unrecognized and unclaimed, emphasizing Heart Island's role in handling mortality and loss within the urban landscape.