The Love Locks On The Brooklyn Bridge #2
by Dora Sofia Caputo
Title
The Love Locks On The Brooklyn Bridge #2
Artist
Dora Sofia Caputo
Medium
Photograph - Photographs
Description
The Love Locks On The Brooklyn Bridge #2 - Dora Sofia Caputo
Seen everywhere from Rome to Ukraine, to Paris, the tradition of placing padlocks on bridges to symbolize love has finally appeared on New York's Brooklyn Bridge.
Started some time in the 1990s, the tradition of locking engraved padlocks has proliferated around Europe to the point that it has become a serious form of vandalism in certain cities. The symbolic act often sees a couple mark their name on a standard padlock and affix it to a piece of public infrastructure (usually a bridge or fence) and then throw the key away (often into the water under the bridge). The unlockable symbol is now free to represent the couple's love for as long as the public site remains (or until the city sends men out to cut the locks off, which is likely a more accurate representation of a relationship's duration). The ritual is not dissimilar from carving initials into a tree, but when there aren't very many trees, a historic suspension bridge will have to do.
Since the locks are damaging to the bridge, they are regularly removed. However, a group of lock pickers has been active in working to remove them first and preserve them rather than have them discarded.
PADLOCK UPDATE
Since posting this image in September 2016, the Love Locks have been permanently removed from all NYC bridges.
Uploaded
September 15th, 2016
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Comments (55)
Toni Hopper
Congratulations! Your beautiful image was featured in the Women Photographers group for 2/03/2023!
Dora Sofia Caputo
Thank you Arkitekta Art for the feature in your great Group Fesvities and Celebrations.
Dora Sofia Caputo
Thank you Patricia for the feature in your great Group Art and Photography Submissions to PKA.
Dora Sofia Caputo
Thanks so much Carole for your kind words and feature in your great Group FAA Gallery Home For All Artists Who Create.
CAROLE SPANDAU
Your artwork has been featured on the homepage of FAA Gallery Home For All Artists Who Create. Please post your amazing artwork in our` Archive your June Features` discussion.
Dora Sofia Caputo
Thank you Judy for featuring this image in your great Group USA Photographers ONLY.
Pamela Williams
Bravo, your work is featured on the homepage of the aRt diStrIct! You are invited to archive your work in the feature archive discussion
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