70 artists painted a 300 meter long message of peace on the road on the closed Rahmedahl motorway bridge on the A45 near Lüdenscheid in a night and fog action.
The artists' collective, whose members, according to the " Come-On.de " page of the Märkisches Zeitungsverlag, probably mostly come from Lüdenscheid, immortalized their action in a professionally made YouTube video. This was published by the Lüdenscheid association "Onkel Willi & Söhne".
Signs against war and division
According to the creators, it should be one of the largest street art campaigns in the world. For this purpose, the 70 actors applied around three tons of white paint to an area of 6,000 square meters - since Sunday, February 27, 2022, the message has been emblazoned: "Let's build bridges. Peace #Bridgeplease" as well as a peace sign and the blue and yellow flag of the Ukraine on the roadway. But the message on the bridge is not only in the context of the Russian attack on Ukraine, it also wants to set an example against the division in society caused by the corona pandemic. In addition, the artists want to draw attention to the effects of the bridge closure in the region.
"There is war in Europe. Millions of people are losing their homes and homes. Too many of them their lives as well. The pandemic is leaving a deeply divided society in its wake, in which the voices of fascists and enemies of democracy are becoming louder. And in our region almost all companies and countless people are threatened in their existence by the closed Rahmedetalbrücke. A 70-strong artist collective is now setting an example and transforming said bridge into a monument of cohesion in times of division and hatred."
Leave the highway cleaner than you found it
Club spokesman Matthias Czech told "Come-On.de" that the campaign had already started in January and that the Putin war had given it a "much larger dimension". He doesn't fear consequences. "As far as I know, nobody has been caught in the act. There was complete silence on the bridge and it was left cleaner than it was found. No, nobody fears the consequences!" Autobahn GmbH has also become aware of the campaign.
Elfriede Sauerwein-Braksiek, head of the Westphalia branch, said to the picture: "The lettering and the message of the artist collective is positive in two ways. 'Let's build bridges' - that's exactly what we want to do. Build bridges to improve the infrastructure preserved, but also bridges to the people. In the present time, this is more important than ever. The action on the Rahmede viaduct is certainly not legally compliant, but it sets the tone."
Conclusion
In a cloak and dagger action, 70 artists painted a huge lettering on the closed motorway bridge near Lüdenscheid (A45). "Let's build bridges. Peace" is emblazoned on the road next to a peace sign and the Ukrainian flag. Originally planned as a sign against the division of society due to the pandemic and an indication of the local threats to existence due to the closed bridge, the action took on a new dimension after the invasion of Russia into Ukraine.
The author of these lines takes off his hat!
