The song „Where Have All The Flowers Gone?“ by Pete Seeger from 1955 became world famous through Marlene Dietrich, who sang it in several languages – including German, English and French, and even on a USO front tour in front of soldiers.

Her interpretation made the ballad a universal appeal for peace, carried by immense tenderness. In her version, which was deeply emotional and compassionate, Dietrich succeeded in establishing the song as a hymn of peace and remembrance over the decades. But other important artists also interpreted the song in their own way. Joan Baez used it as a hymn of the anti-war movement, Dalida gave it a French elegance and melancholy, Nana Mouskouri became a global voice for peace, and Peter, Paul & Mary shaped it with their typical protest folk style. The lines of the song combine world history, memory, and pain and develop a poetic word structure in Goldman’s hands.

In his installation, the artist uses a strong visual metaphor by placing two vertically mounted rockets on the facade of a black brick building. On their surfaces, central lines of the anti-war anthem „Sag mir, wo die Blumen sind, wo sind sie geblieben?“ and „Sag mir, wo die Soldaten sind, über Gräbern weht der Wind?“ are each emblazoned. These lines are deliberately projected onto objects that stand for destructive power and violence.

The rockets themselves, rigid and silent, form a confrontation between the poetic fragility of the song lyrics and the harsh, destructive reality of war. The work reflects the perpetual cycle of life, loss, and return, as expressed in the ballad, and links these themes with real military violence.

The rockets stand as silent witnesses to a violence that, like a never-ending cycle, leaves its traces in many parts of the world. However, the words etched on their surfaces give them an additional dimension: they become warning signs that point to humanity’s inability to break free from the cycle of war. A tension arises between the buildings, the sky, and the urban space, which inevitably prompts the viewer to reflect on the meaning of the work. The everyday place where this installation can be found stands in stark contrast to the universal message it conveys.

The combination of rockets and a plea for peace makes the viewer pause and think about the inevitability of human suffering. Marlene Dietrich, who became famous in the 1930 film adaptation of Heinrich Mann’s Der blaue Engel as the „brave Lola“, found her second home in the USA. Despite lucrative offers from the German film industry, she remained in Hollywood. In 1939, she became an American citizen and supported the US troops during the Second World War. In 1962, she made the German version of Pete Seeger’s anti-war song famous. The origin of the song is actually a Don Cossak song, which shows that the message is universal and does not fit into national boundaries. „Sag mir, wo die Blumen sind“ is a cyclical narrative that illustrates the consequences of war in recurring questions and answers. It begins with the question of where the flowers have remained, and the answer is that girls picked them. This question about the girls leads to further questions until finally the topic of war and graves is reached. The text version by Pete Seeger and Max Colpet shows an unstoppable chain of events that arise from loss and suffering.

The work brings the anti-war song into the public sphere and directs the gaze upwards – to where both threat and hope can be found. The missiles are frozen testimonies of a violence that leaves its traces worldwide. But the text on them transforms them into warning signs that address the cycle of nature, humans, war, and death described in the ballad. Thus, the work becomes a silent but penetrating question to every viewer: When will we ever understand?