Berlin artists claim responsibility for Brooklyn Bridge flag swap stunt

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It’s a really cool stunt. Clearly an artistic statement without malice, and well done, in my opinion. Hand-sewn flags, nice!

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The NYPD should have been investigating their own failures instead of trying to figure out who perpetrated this victimless prank. What a waste of resources.

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What a day. Berlin artists shocked at how fascist American cops are.

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Agreed. I’d like to see a shift in thinking where police forces stop pretending it is their job to prevent absolutely anything from happening, and focus on investigating actual crimes that have victims other than whoever in the organization got a bruised ego.

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Oh come now, where are you going to find crime in New York?

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Oh come now, where are you going to find crime in New York?

Right? At least this “crime” came to them and they didn’t have to go looking for it outside of their jurisdiction:

http://www.nycpolicefoundation.org/programs/international-liaison-program/

No wonder nobody saw them – they were probably dressed like ninja…

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Are you kidding? They have rigorously investigated their own failures and determined they were successes. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

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Well, now that they’ve owned up to it we’ll have to prosecute because, ah, terrorists?

Mr. Wermke pointed out that Roebling “moved to the States because he couldn’t realize his dreams here in Germany, and the bridge for us is a symbol of freedom and creative opportunity.”

So, to the extent that there was a definite meaning to the stunt, it was an artistic tribute to American freedom and openness to creativity, and the recognition of the benefits this brought both to the American people and the bridge’s German-born engineer. Well this is awkward…

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Maybe the artists didn’t intend it as a political statement, but the audience certainly saw many different political themes in it, from gentrification to patriotism to civil liberties.

Not to mention the reaction of the security apparatus, which added a whole layer of unintended political context to the piece: spontaneity and creativity vs. predictability and control. Art vs. the state.

This is the mark of good art - it provokes varied and complex reactions which prompt reflection.

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