Spanning the World

Bridges can symbolize man's desire to span the world, to bring people closer together and to access further territories.

This series looks at the significance of bridges as icons, as a means of connecting communities - or delineating separateness.

Part One - Brooklyn Bridge

Brooklyn Bridge is a "blank canvas upon which people project their ideas", and this programme creates a portrait of this iconic structure through the experiences, thoughts and imaginations of its visitors.

We hear from a carpenter responsible for the maintenance of the boardwalk whose childhood memories are wrapped up in the bridge's cables and a homeless veteran contemplating his future as he sits on the bridge.

Italian artist Joseph Stella depicted the bridge as a metaphor for the immigrant experience in America.

What does the bridge mean to people who cross it today?

First broadcast 26 February 2010