Movers & Shakers

Charlotte Colbert, Artist of Dreamland Sirens

Mar 25, 2026

Meet Charlotte Colbert, award-winning multimedia artist and creator of Dreamland Sirens, the large-scale public art installation on view at the Flatiron South Plaza through May 27th.

1. Congratulations on your art installation, Dreamland Sirens, making its New York City debut in Flatiron & NoMad, major hubs for arts and culture. What was your reaction when you heard that Dreamland Sirens was coming to New York?

It’s an incredible honour to present my work in such a defining, iconic location like the Flatiron Building. My immediate reaction was pure joy and excitement. There’s something deeply meaningful for me about entering into dialogue with New York, a city whose poets, musicians, writers, filmmakers, thinkers and artists I grew up on. A city that has inspired so many dreams, so much creativity, and thought.

2. Can you tell us more about Dreamland Sirens, the inspiration behind the name and the installation?

Dreamland Sirens takes the form of a large-scale eye—one side blue, one side brown—resting on sculptural tears. It draws its inspiration from Alice in Wonderland, she discovers a surreal world where everything is turned on its head. This reminds us that the systems we live in are conventions we agree upon, and that everything could be reimagined differently.

The work is really an invitation to question, to dream, and to rethink what we take for granted. It asks us to reconsider our systems, our truths, and the conventions we live by, and to remember that they can always be reinvented. At its core, it’s about embracing a creative approach to being human and refusing to accept the status quo.

3. What do you hope the public’s takeaway will be from engaging with your art?

Showing in New York—a city of possibility, dreams, and serendipity—is a dream. Works in public spaces are wonderful, as they act as small parentheses within the daily routine and hopefully create opportunities for connection.

I love the idea that someone might stop, pause, and speak to a stranger. When two strangers meet, something unpredictable, imaginative, and full of possibility happens; an entirely new world opens up.

In a time when so much of our interaction is controlled or filtered, choosing to engage with randomness, to talk to someone you don’t know, can be an act of defiance, and a form of freedom.

4. You are both an accomplished multi-media artist and filmmaker, with your work being shown at the V&A, Montpellier Contemporain, Frieze, and Art Basel. What inspired you to pursue a career in the arts? For aspiring artists and entrepreneurs, what professional advice can you share?

I guess often people who end up in the arts do so because they never quite fit anywhere else.

For me, everything begins with storytelling — the stories we tell ourselves as a society, the ones we tell ourselves, and the stories we tell our children. They shape how we understand, relate to, and imagine the world. As such, I’m fascinated by psychology, psychoanalysis, fairy tales, and the archetypes that connect us.

I love working across different mediums and collaborating with experts such as the amazing team at Flatiron Nomad, Meatpacking District and DOT; talent; and cities.

Every piece is a new way to explore questions that are complex or confusing to me from multiple perspectives.

5. Flatiron & NoMad are known for their distinctively designed buildings and public spaces. Do you have a favorite architectural element in the area?

They are architectural prowesses.—so iconic and inspiring. There is such a vibrant juxtaposition of people, purposes, and feelings. It’s incredibly compelling.

It’s been magical meeting all the wonderful characters who have paused by the piece and shared their stories.

Hopefully, Dreamland Sirens can create a pause, a moment of respite from purpose, where something new can emerge: a different kind of connection, a reassessment, or simply a shift in perspective. It’s that openness and randomness that I find most inspiring.

6. When you’re in New York City and visiting Flatiron & NoMad, how do you like to spend your time in the neighborhood? Do any favorites come to mind?

It’s so central, the beating heart of NYC. And being in New York, there is always a great sense of possibility, of chance encounters, almost carried in the wind.

I love spending time browsing places like Rizzoli Bookshop, or popping by my friend Francesco Clemente’s Bar at Eleven Madison Park. There’s also always new coffee shops and restaurants to discover, alongside some of the best independent cinemas in the world.

Being in Flatiron and NoMad, you’re constantly moving between moments of intimacy and scale; quiet reflection and the city’s momentum. Having work here feels like entering into a dialogue with that openness and unpredictability.

7. Finally, choose three words to describe having an art installation in Flatiron & NoMad.

I’m so excited and grateful to have a piece in this most iconic location, in the streets of a city that has fashioned my imagination through its wonderful creative spirit—the heart of possibility and serendipity.

Three Words: