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How to Experience Talking Statues in New York City

History is alive, and in New York City, it’s talking. On July 12, New York’s Talking Statues Project will be up and running all around the city. Statues of important figures from around the world will be on the streets and in city parks to tell you about the influence they had in the creation and culture of NYC. What better way to learn about the people that shaped this diverse place than from their perspectives? And the best part is that it’s completely freeall you need is your smartphone.


How it Works

Each of the 35 statues will have a QR code that can be scanned with your smartphone, and if you don’t have the scanner app, you can download it for free. A recording about 90 seconds long will play, telling the story of the statue from his or her perspective. World-renowned authors and actors will be voicing the statues, including European voicers for maximum authenticity. Each recording will be available in English as well as the native language of the statue’s real-life counterpart, be it Danish, Italian, German, Swedish, Spanish, Norwegian, Greek, or Hindi.

Project History

The first Talking Statues series was started in Copenhagen in 2013 by David Peter Fox, a Danish documentary filmmaker. He got the idea when he visited the King’s Garden with his children and wondered how he could best communicate the stories of the statues. A statue of Hans Christian Andersen in the King’s Garden. The project was adored, and it didn’t take long for Talking Statues to make its way to Helsinki, London, San Diego, Berlin, Chicago, and now New York City.

At the Launch

The launch of Talking Statues in New York will take place at the New-York Historical Society’s West 77th Street entrance at 11am on Wednesday, July 12. There will be live performances by William Shakespeare, Gertrude Stein, and Giovanni da Verrazzano, in addition to a special performance by Frederick Douglass’ statue. Project creator David Peter Fox will also be there to speak along with Vice President and Museum Director at the New-York Historical Society, Margi Hofer, and Jonathan Kuhn, Director of Art and Antiquities at NYC Parks.

Who You’ll See

The carefully selected 35 statues were chosen to represent people who inspired the culture of the city, whether by exploring, leading, or creating. Among the possibilities are the following statues: Annie Moore, Christopher Columbus, Antonín Dvorák, Giovanni da Verrazzano, Pieter Stuyvesant, The Immigrants by Sculptor Luis Sanguino, Joan of Arc, Abraham Lincoln, John Ericsson, George Washington, Benito Juarez, Ludwig van Beethoven, Robert Burns, Lajos Kossuth, Alexander Hamilton, George Washington Federal Hall, Frederick Douglass, H. C. Andersen, Harriet Tubman, Balto / Gunnar Kaasen, Willian Shakespeare, Gertrude Stein, José Martí, Confucius, Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Simón Bolívar, Jackie Robinson, and Pee Wee Reese.

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