Assignment 2 (Final) - Kilcherg Kirche

Changes to original

I shot this assignment when I lived in Switzerland. Since I have moved back to the UK, it would be difficult to shoot additional images to strengthen the essay. Nevertheless, I have found an image from the original shoot that responds to my tutor's comment: include an image of the church with evidence of agriculture surrounding it (#1).

Images

 

My ‘One Acre’ is the Swiss Reform church at Kilchberg, 
a small lakeside suburb of Zurich, a window into
the values of its residents.

 

The church building, like much of Swiss architecture, is bland, reflecting
a preference for substance over style, function over form.

 

Time matters in Switzerland. The church clock
tower is commonplace, as are the chimes every
quarter of an hour, day and night. The Swiss prize
being on time for commitments and their watch
industry is a world leader. 

The needs of the collective are more important than those of the individual.
Most headstones are a uniform rectangular shape and inscribed
in a standard way - name of deceased, year of birth and death. Just so for 
Thomas Mann, the German novelist, the cemetery's most famous resident. 

Orderliness is cherished in Swiss life. So, in death as in life.
Most of the graves in the cemetery are laid out in a rectangular
formation, like a soldier on the parade ground

 

 

Nevertheless, despite the Swiss reluctance to stand out from the crowd,
some headstones are exceptions to this rule. This one is dedicated to a military
commander. The military plays a significant part in male society in Switzerland, even though the country is known for its neutrality in conflict.

Another exception to the rule of uniformity is this headstone
honouring the life of a 13 year old child, Walter Strauss who died in 1923.
The inscription 'his life of an edelweiss' suggests that he died in  a mountain accident.
Although Walter died 90 years ago, the gravestone has been maintained
immaculately. The Swiss sense of hygiene.

 

 

The church employs a team of
gardeners paid by public taxes. So, 40 years later this grave is bursting
with flowers, as if the funeral was only yesterday
 

Other than the gardeners maintaining the cemetery,
it is rare to see people, these two in conversation
being an exception

Tulips are allowed to stand tall, even if poppies
are not.

Water flows through Switzerland from its mountains to
numerous lakes and rivers. Its engineers pride themselves
on controlling these flows. So, no garden of rest
would be without its calming pool. 

Into Gods hands we commend our souls...