On Wednesday the Department of Transportation installed a temporary art installation at the intersection of Smith and Bergen streets, called “Battle Pass – Revolution II.” It’s by the artist Sasha Chavchavadze. The mast and weather vane commemorates the Battle of Brooklyn. The Trader Joe’s site nearby was actually the hill where it was said Washington surveyed the arriving British troops. The hill was razed by the British because it was an important look-out spot. As the sign on site says: “This installation was inspired by the ‘Liberty Pole,’ a ship’s mast planted by Revolutionaries as a symbol of protest, and by Walt Whitman’s poem about the battle, ‘The Centenarian’s Story.'” Of course, this isn’t the first time Whitman’s poetry made an appearance in public art. Click through for a close-up photo of the weather vane.

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