A monumental 33-foot pneumatic golden snake sculpture has transformed the High Line in New York’s Meatpacking District. Titled auruBOROS—Urban Memory and Collective Dream, the free public installation by Plastique Fantastique remains on view above Little West 12th Street through September 20.
New York’s elevated parkland has previously hosted forests, billboards, and giant pigeons, but its newest resident marks a striking departure into fashion-backed monumental art. Bulgari has unveiled auruBOROS—Urban Memory and Collective Dream, a 33-foot pneumatic sculpture designed by Berlin-based art and architecture duo Plastique Fantastique. The free public installation is now open above Little West 12th Street, near The Standard, High Line, and will remain accessible to the public through September 20.
Design and Architectural Form of the Serpent Sculpture
The installation resembles a gleaming serpent or double helix, featuring massive coils that rise from beneath the elevated park to wrap around its concrete supports. Visitors can walk directly among and through the reflective forms, which constantly shift in appearance as sunlight, shadows, and passing pedestrians bounce off the metallic surface.
The sculpture’s name combines aurum, the Latin word for gold, with ouroboros, the ancient image of a serpent eating its own tail. Its location on the High Line reinforces the installation’s core themes of memory and transformation, echoing how the park itself turned an abandoned freight railway into one of the city’s most popular public spaces.
Plastique Fantastique and Bulgari Serpenti Infinito Series
Created by artists Marco Canevacci and Yena Young, auruBOROS marks Bulgari’s first public art installation in the United States. The Berlin-based duo is widely known for large-scale inflatable environments, including a giant ring that encircled a Paris footbridge during Nuit Blanche in 2023 and an immersive installation at the 2019 Venice Biennale. The work is the latest stop in Bulgari’s Serpenti Infinito series, which has previously traveled to Shanghai, Seoul, and Mumbai. The ongoing project explores how the luxury house’s snake motif—first introduced into Bulgari jewelry back in the 1940s—can be reinterpreted by contemporary artists in different international cities.
Celebrity Launch Event and Public Access Details
The New York debut received a sparkly send-off when Anne Hathaway, Dua Lipa, Lisa, Joey King, and Hudson Williams gathered around the golden sculpture. The opening celebration later migrated upstairs to Boom at The Standard for DJ sets by Kaytranada, Mona Matsuoka, and Gjin Lipa, alongside a live performance by Andra Day.
While everyday visitors will not experience the celebrity-packed reception, the golden serpent itself is open to everyone free of charge. The public can view and walk through the installation above Little West 12th Street until it leaves the High Line on September 20.
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