Just beneath New York’s High Line lies auruBOROS: a ten-day public installation commissioned by BVLGARI. Inspired by Serpenti’s “transformative spirit” and designed by Plastique Fantastique — a prolific art and architecture duo based in Berlin, Germany — the pneumatic structure measures ten metres in total. It’s metallic and monumental.
Snakelike in shape, the auruBOROS curls and coils across the park. Dipped in a glimmering gold, the structure mimics the reflective sheen of a Serpenti watch. At this scale, the structure casts a warm, golden light over the concrete jungle. Meanwhile, its fluid form transforms the straight lines of the city; when New Yorkers walk by, they’re treated to dazzling distortions.
Under the High Line, BVLGARI’s Golden Serpent Stirs
AURUBOROS. PHOTO COURTESY OF BVLGARI.
Under the High Line, BVLGARI’s Golden Serpent Stirs
AURUBOROS. PHOTO COURTESY OF BVLGARI.
Under the High Line, BVLGARI’s Golden Serpent Stirs
AURUBOROS. PHOTO COURTESY OF BVLGARI.
Under the High Line, BVLGARI’s Golden Serpent Stirs
AURUBOROS. PHOTO COURTESY OF BVLGARI.
auruBOROS, of course, is a nod to ‘ouroboros’ — an ancient symbol that shows a snake eating its tail — used to evoke rebirth, eternity, and cyclical transformation. This influence shows up in the structure’s lustrous gold loops, which seem to stretch into the horizon.
Yet shape isn’t the only way for the structure to honour its namesake. Integrating light, movement, and sound, auruBOROS shifts with every second. No two moments look alike. The novelty has paid off: on social media, a search for “auruBOROS” yields hundreds of clips. Virtual tours capture the curly form at all hours of the day. By appealing to creators, auruBOROS initiates rebirth. Every post transforms a physical structure into a photo or video. While the installation lives for just ten days, its whimsical curves are frozen in amber.
So, like the ever-glamorous Serpenti, it seems that BVLGARI’s latest project will live on.
