Under the bridge

Cultural Affairs Office, City of Flörsheim
Rathausplatz 2
65439 Flörsheim
Phone: 06145 955162 (opens in a new tab)
Email: kulturfloersheim-mainde

Bridges serve to connect. Developed architecturally and historically as far back as antiquity, the bridge—as a series of round arches—typically spanned waterways or valleys. Built of stone in antiquity and more often of wood in the Middle Ages, the bridge underwent a transformation as a transportation element in the late 19th century. Although ensuring passability over water and the like remained the primary purpose, the bridge’s appearance came increasingly into focus. Regardless of the era—whenever the term “bridge” was mentioned, one immediately envisioned the appearance and interplay of piers and supporting structures, though rarely the architectural context beneath the bridge. In the 20th century, this place “under the bridge” was associated with people on the margins of society who were in social decline. Homeless people and criminals lived “under the bridge.”

With the emergence of street art in the 1980s, particularly in the U.S., the perception of this space gradually shifted. Members of this “subculture,” such as Keith Haring, found creative canvas not only on the walls of the bridge abutments but also on the foundations of the bridge piers.

In Flörsheim, such a (non)place has been revitalized through street art. Eight piers of the Opel Bridge have been repainted as part of a collaborative project between the city and a mobile youth counseling service. In workshops held under the bridge, young people learned the techniques of spray art and gained insight into the working methods of professional artists. 

July 6–10. The closing celebration will take place on Friday, July 10, at 6 p.m. under the Opel Bridge.

Opel Bridge, Liebigstraße 2, 65439 Flörsheim

Street art, open-air, workshop