Augmented reality (AR)
Variable dimensions
2019
Richard Humann • Sirenic Cauldron installed over Hudson Yards, New York City • 2019
Sirenic Cauldron by Richard Humann extends the mythology of his Ascension augmented reality series, exploring New York City as a convergence of languages, cultures, and nationalities. For generations, people have crossed oceans, traveled by air, and journeyed overland in search of opportunity, freedom, and a new beginning in America. Their arrivals have continually reshaped the city, creating a cultural landscape defined by diversity, exchange, and reinvention.
At the center of this idea is the Statue of Liberty, one of the most recognizable symbols of immigration and the promise of a new life. Standing at the entrance to New York Harbor, the statue has served as a beacon for generations of arrivals, representing the hope of finding a place to belong. In Sirenic Cauldron, Humann introduces another dimension to this familiar symbol by connecting it to the mythological sirens, whose voices lured sailors away from their intended courses and toward unfamiliar shores.
The title combines the idea of a sirenic call with the cauldron as a vessel in which different elements come together and transform. New York becomes a metaphorical melting pot, where people bring their languages, traditions, beliefs, and aspirations, contributing to a continually evolving cultural identity. The Statue of Liberty becomes both a beacon of opportunity and a mythological call, drawing people toward a new destination and the possibility of a different future.
Within the universe of Ascension, Sirenic Cauldron transforms the story of immigration into a contemporary mythology. Like the legendary figures who guided or misdirected travelers in ancient tales, the statue occupies a powerful place in the collective imagination, influencing the journeys people undertake and the futures they envision.
Through this convergence of mythology, symbolism, and urban identity, Humann considers New York as a place continually remade by those who arrive. Sirenic Cauldron suggests that the city’s character lies not in a fixed identity, but in the ongoing encounter of cultures and the possibilities that emerge when people from different worlds come together to begin again.
Richard Humann • Sirenic Cauldron installed over Hudson Yards, New York City • 2019
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Photo credits: Richard Humann Studio