German artists said they were the ones responsible for the mysterious swap of the American flag with two all-white flags on top of the Brooklyn last month.
Mischa Leinkauf and Matthias Wermke are the artists who admitted to be behind the swap, providing photographs and short videos as evidence.
"This was not an anti-American statement," Wermke said.
The purpose behind the white flag swap was not an act of terrorism, but rather a way to celebrate "the beauty of public space," the German artists said.
They chose the Brooklyn Bridge because of its symbol of freedom and creative opportunity and were inspired by the life of the bridge's German engineer, John Roebling. Roebling died in 1996 on July 22, the same day the artists decided to put the white flags up. They used two flags to honor Roebling and his son who took over the bridge's construction.
"We saw the bridge, which was designed by a German, trained in Berlin, who came to America because it was the place to fulfill his dreams, as the most beautiful expression of a great public space," said Leinkauf. "That beauty was what we were trying to capture."
While the white flags were a form of artistic expression, New York Police Department (NYPD) took the stunt seriously. Manhattan district attorney's office subpoenaed Twitter to uncover the culprit's identity.
"From our Berlin background, we were a little surprised that it got the reaction it did. We really didn't intend to embarrass the police," Leinkauf said. "Few people would care if we did the same thing in Berlin. Of course, we did not have the same problems with terrorism."
The stunt resulted in mocking tweets and further embarrassed the NYPD regarding security measures. New York Post featured the headline "Hipsters Surrender" on their July 23 front page.
Gordon Matta-Clark, who climbed Lower Manhattan's Clocktower Building in 1974, inspired the German artists. It took Wermke, 35, and Leinkauf, 37, more than a week to hand-sew the 10 by 19 feet white flags. They cut out holes for the stars from one fabric and alternated two kinds of white fabric to make stripes.
On July 22 between 3 and 5 a.m., the pair of artists carried the white flags in backpacks and climbed up cables used for workers. They said they followed the "Unites States flag code" when removing the American flag and promise to return it.
Video surveillance shows the lights that illuminate the flag went out after 3:30 a.m. on the Brooklyn side. Around 3:42 a.m., Manhattan's light went out. The artists reported they did not see security cameras.
"We always face the consequences," Leinkauf said. "This is part of the work, to have an open discussion. We just needed a little time to decide how to respond to the reaction."
In 2007, the artists placed a "bundle of balloon" on steel cables on the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. Their other works show them climbing other buildings throughout the world.
It is not yet known how the police or district attorney will hold the artists responsible.
