By Jennifer Kohlhepp, Managing Editor
When two white American flags mysteriously appeared on the flagpoles atop the Brooklyn Bridge a month ago, no one suspected it was a giant public history lesson.
The stunt drew speculation from around the world, with some deeming it anti-American and others a threat to American security. However, the German artists that switched the flags said it was neither a political statement nor commentary on the New York Police Department but a project that addresses questions of historical legacy and art in the public sphere.
”We always hope that a piece raises questions and fosters a public discourse so others engage in a dialog and every comment — from ‘They should be honored’ to ‘These guys need to be taught the lesson of freedom with a trip to Gitmo’ — is a statement by the recipients,” Matthias Wermke said. “We consider this very important.”
On the night between July 21 and July 22 Mr. Wermke and Mischa Leinkauf hoisted two hand-sewn white American flags on the towers of Brooklyn Bridge. They were careful to treat the bridge and the flags with respect and followed the U.S. Flag Code.
”The first thing that struck me was the light,” Mr. Leinkauf said. “The sun came up and bathed the bridge in its warm light. It was the first time that I really saw the work, the image — the majestic bridge with the two white flags waving in a soft breeze against the blue sky. It was heartbreakingly beautiful.”
Like an empty canvas, “White American Flags” invites many readings, multiple interpretations and projections but the art installation also refers to the German-born American architect of the Brooklyn Bridge, John August Roebling, who left his Thuringian hometown Mühlhausen in 1831 in search of a better future in the land of freedom and opportunity, according to the artists.
Mr. Roebling was a pioneer in the field of suspension bridges and his creations have become landmarks and unique architectural pieces of American history. Tragically, he did not live to see the completion of his greatest work, the Brooklyn Bridge. On July 22, 1869 he was standing at the edge of a dock, working on fixing the location where the bridge would be built, when his foot was crushed by an arriving ferry. His injured toes were amputated. He refused further medical treatment and wanted to cure his foot by “water therapy” (continuous pouring of water over the wound). His condition deteriorated. He succumbed to tetanus 24 days after the accident. His son, Washington August Roebling, completed the masterpiece 14 years later. He died on July 21, 1926, according to the Roebling Museum in Roebling.
When contacted about “White American Flags,” John Seitter, executive director of the Roebling Museum, said, “We know that July 22 is the anniversary of the death of John Roebling. We respect what they’re trying to say.”
”Naturally, we are huge Roebling fans,” Mr. Wermke said. “Once the bridge had captured our imagination we could not escape its fascination. As always, we did intense research on the background, e.g. its history. We learned about Roebling’s descent, his studies in Berlin (where we live and grew up), the immigration and the very personal story and implications around eventually building the bridge. We felt very close to his idea of following his visions.”
In the course of their research the artists also visited the town of Roebling to get a better understanding of his ideas.
”We also hoped to find out more about the history of the flagpoles and if Roebling himself planned them as they have not been installed on the towers continuously,” Mr. Leinkauf said. “Maybe even your readers have details on this? It was a great and very important experience to see the historical sites and to breathe their history.”
It is not clear whether Mr. Roebling intended to include flagpoles: at any rate, the display of flags has been subject to some controversy and flagpoles have not always been a feature of the towers.
The neo-gothic towers of the bridge were inspired by Mr. Roebling’s baptistery, the Divi Blasii in Mühlhausen. Before coming to the U.S., Mr. Wermke and Mr. Leinkauf attended a church service at Divi Blasii with the two white American flags in their possession.
Mr. Wermke said “White American Flags” has to be seen in the context of their body of work, although the piece is “very special due to the complex history of the bridge, the manifold meanings of the piece and the strong reactions.”
”We received some angry emails but mainly comments we appreciated,” Mr. Leinkauf said. “Some were really heart touching statements of people who wrote us that they were amazed and moved by the piece. I am also very happy about…the statements by Roebling’s descendant, Kristian Roebling.”
Mr. Wermke said, “We work in public space, so we are immediately dealing with reality and leave the safe shelter of the studio or the white cube. No action is plannable or repeatable. You stand only one chance and it is hard to speculate about the outcome or even to be sure whether the realization of the piece will be successful. Failing always is an option and would be part of the piece as well.”
When asked if they got in trouble for switching the flags, Mr. Leinkauf said, “We don’t want to speculate on this. It is up to New York to decide about the case and we have sought legal advice.”
Mr. Leinkauf said they have worked in urban spaces throughout the world — in Berlin, of course, but also in Tokyo, Prague, Istanbul and smaller towns.
”Every city has its own history, its own mood and also its own problems and restrictions,” Mr. Leinkauf said. “They are organisms, like palimpsests of histories, images, symbols and customs. We approach the complex situations of these spaces and their borders in our pieces.”
Mr. Wermke added, “We have certain topics like history and public space but we are mainly creating images and the interpretation is up to every single spectator. We are very happy that with our statement we could reveal the Roebling connection, which nobody did see before and that we got positive reactions. We hope that there will be a possibility to meet all these Roebling enthusiasts in the future.”
Mr. Leinkauf added, “And isn’t it great that for a little while — even here in Germany — the press is full of articles about Roebling? He seemed forgotten sometimes and now we heard his name even in the German media. It feels like a giant public history lesson to me.”
Mr. Roebling moved his business and family to Trenton in 1848, and he became famous in 1855 for building a railroad suspension bridge over the Niagara Gorge. When he proposed building the Brooklyn Bridge, he predicted that it would be “the “greatest engineering work of the continent and of the age,” according to the Roebling Museum.
Mr. Roebling’s three sons, Washington, Ferdinand and Charles, built their father’s company into the world’s leading producer of wire rope, with four factories and nearly 8,000 employees at its peak, inspiring the motto: “Trenton Makes, the World Takes.” When competition pushed the Roeblings to start making their own steel, they bought farmland in what’s now Roebling 1904 and built the Kinkora Works and the adjacent “industrial village” for their workers. “Roebling’s” was a family business, with a multi-generational ownership and workforce.
After World War II, the Roeblings faced massive costs for upgrading their plants to remain competitive, but they were unwilling to take on debt to pay for the upgrades. In 1953, the family sold the business to the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company, which operated it until 1974.
The Roebling Museum, located at 100 Second Avenue in Roebling, documents, preserves and exhibits the history of John A. Roebling’s sons Company, the Roebling family and the village of Roebling. Its focus is not only on the industrial and technological achievements of the company but on the unique social history of its workforce and the town it created.
A former gateway to the Roebling mill, the main gate museum building once served as the passage point for thousands of workers on their way to the steel mill each day. The 7,000-square-foot building was meticulously restored by the Environmental Protection Agency and was turned over to Florence Township and the Roebling Museum in June 2009.
The museum is open by appointment for groups over 10 and for researchers; is open to the public April through August from Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; September through December from Thursday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission costs $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and children 6-12, and is free for members and children under 6.
For more information about the Roebling Museum and its events, visit http://roeblingmuseum.org/. For more information about Matthias Wermke and Mischa Leinkauf, visit http://www.wermke-leinkauf.com/en/The return of the original flags is in progress.

