Die Sehnsucht nach Ebene 2 - A bridge in the German Ruhr Basin

A bridge runs through the medium-sized town of Hagen, in the Ruhr Basin, Germany. It does not cross water, but channels traffic - 40,000 cars per day, also a lot of pedestrians use it as an underpass, not a very pleasant experience - through a grey neighbourhood beset by problems, where people from 82 nationalities live in close proximity. In 2003, two artists - Milica Reinhart (from Croatia, now living in Germany) and Marjan Verkerk (Holland) - conceived a plan to transform the road bridge from a soulless feature into a multicoloured beacon. They decided to base their design on 'human resources' that were abundantly available in the area: The inhabitants, and their memories. They named the project Die Sehnsucht nach Ebene 2, which translates as 'longing for the second layer'. (The bridge is officially called 'Ebene 2' = Level 2). People from migrant backgrounds tend to carry scenes in their heads that hark back to faraway places. Reinhart and Verkerk wanted to provide a visible link between this variegated source of information and the neighbourhood - vibrant and uplifting to motorists racing by, but with a deeper meaning to those who encounter this 'traffic monster' (the design spans 450 m) in their everyday lives. To gather the source material for their project, somewhat controversially, the artists asked women and girls from a range of nationalities about the colours associated with their memories. "Why did we only interview only women? We tried to ask men about personal memories, but they usually came up with the colours of the shirts of their local soccer team. We also found that women are often the storytellers, and conduits to the next generation. Mothers strongly seemed to influence the way their children integrated with an alien society." In a women-only context, many interviews became very emotional affairs. Hidden feelings came to the surface - homesickness, distress at lost dreams, traumatic memories. Some women led very difficult lives, and experienced real hardship. 81-year old Margarethe from Germany run before the Russians in World War II, 26-year old Thuy fled her country during the Vietnam War. Many interviewees said this was the first time they had shared their feelings with outsiders. They all picked the exact colours that they remembered from a very detailed chart, selecting between 10 and 20 colours each. Using the selected hues, the artists created an individual artwork relating to the women, their countries, and their stories. These colour compositions, in a specific order, make up the overall design for the bridge. The women were also invited to write the word for 'bridge' in their own language and hand, for instance bridge, most, puente, köpru, etc. These words will appear in white neon letters in front of the finished design so that it lights up at night.

All in all a huge and complicated job, but simple compared to the struggle that was required to realize the project in real terms. Money was a major issue. Including a structural renovation the costs of applying the design were ± €1 million. The artists themselves, backed up by Exile-Kulturkoordination and the department of Culture of the municipality of Hagen, were instrumental in raising that sum. In addition to goodwill created by earlier projects, over four years they used their persuasive powers and their gift for communication to convince architects, managers, residents, planners, politicians to embrace the concept of Die Sehnsucht nach Ebene 2. Corporate sponsors were found through fundraising events. Eventually, the budget balanced, but a final hurdle remained. In October 2007 Hagen's town council needed to approve the execution of the project in 2008. Not so much financially (most funds were found elsewhere) but politically. In the run-up to the meeting a lot of feelings were stirred up. A stream of articles, interviews and readers' letters appeared in the local papers. Some fervently supportive, others profoundly opposed to the project. People argued that money should be spent on dustbins and crèches, not art What also rankled was that German memories only played a modest part in a design that drew on 'roots' in distant corners of the earth. Whereas to the artists, this egalitarian approach is essential. "In many countries - not just Germany - people pay lip service to diversity but they are often reluctant to interact with 'aliens' on a more personal level, let alone treat them on an equal footing."

In the end, the enthusiasm generated by the project - which also inspired various side projects, such as a theatre performance, a choreography, a rap podium, a novel - won the day. After a vote on knife's edge, the council gave the thumbs up to the make-over of a bridge - and an area - that reflects the hopeful, positive side of a multifaced reality.

For more information see

An art-historical classification of the project "Sehnsucht nach Ebene 2" (Longing for level 2)

An Interview with Marjan Verkerk, one of the Artists - "Die Sehnsucht nach Ebene 2 - A bridge in the German Ruhr Basin"