La Sirene

For Wanderlust, a zine of reimagined myths.

Mambo La Sirene is a voudou loa of the ocean that was syncretized from the Yoruban orisha Yemaya, the mother of all orishas. Whereas her original incarnation is compassionate, maternal, and violent, La Sirene represents only an aspect of the ocean's many moods. She is most often prayed to for wealth, arcana, and beauty.

For good reason, pop culture has codified tropes that equate space to Earth’s oceans. They share enormity, a sense of mystery and an immutable dominance that humans are at the mercy of. For this reason, I extended La Sirene's reign to this new frontier and like the creatures of her namesake, she exhibits fascination in a lost astronaut when his ship is destroyed. She protects him from the wreckage whilst indulging her own curious nature.