On the 18th of October in 1988, the artist Johannes Cladders hoisted a white flag on the demarcation line between Eastern and Western Jerusalem. In respect of this unique action, which didn't necessarily find the agreement of the local administration and population, Akademie Schloss Solitude supports the initiative of Johannes Cladders. 20 years later, on the 18th of October 2008, Akademie Schloss Solitude launched the »international day of the white flag«. Also this year, we are inviting people from all over the world to hang a white flag, a symbolic language which can be understood by everyone, from their house or window on this day.
The participants are asked to inform us about their participation and send us a documentation of their action on the DAY OF THE WHITE FLAG to the following email address: whiteflag@akademie-solitude.de. The positive feedback we received last year has been documented on our website and gives an impression of the great international response to this action.
Finally, also this year the Akademie will hoist a white flag on October 18th on the cupola of the baroque castle Solitude in Stuttgart.
Johannes Cladders described the white flag as follows:
»It consists of a piece of fabric or of any other comparable material. Its dimension and shape can be objectively described. Beside the white color it doesn't contain any further information. For this reason it is open to any art of individual and corporative interpretation: From the symbolic of the color to the endless meanings in the context of politics, war and peace, religion, philosophy, sciences, moral, history of culture and art. The white flag means freedom. Who is hoisting it on the 18th of October gives a sign for it.«
The artist Johannes Cladders (*September 1924 in Krefeld, † February 2009 in Krefeld) was the director of the Museum Abteiberg in Moenchengladbach and was awarded the German Prize for Architecture (together with Hans Hollein) for the new museum building in 1984. He was also well known under his artistic name © like »Caesar«.