Your machine helps with the Grieving

The coins are thrown, the buttons pressed. The robotic arm moves upwards. Out of the holder, in the usual Kägifret or Capri-sun are classified, he takes a cellophane paper wrapped Bag forget-me-not seeds. It says: "reminder to sow".

grief machine: the Selecta machine at the entrance of the Zurich cemetery Sihlfeld, the transformed Lea Hofer for the bachelor thesis of their studies in Style and Design at the ZHDK means. The grief in the public space of more time and space, was His fundamental idea behind the work which she developed two years ago.

time to Lea Hofer these days, is missing. Some of the rows in your vending machines are empty. You need to shopping, cutting, gluing, packaging. And the vending machine maintenance. In addition to studies and Job, she commutes regularly between the home and the cemetery, and forth. "Around all saints day the machine is in continuous use," says the 25-year-old native Arbonerin, "because everything must be perfectly prepared."

music box and paper ship

Hofer understands your 20 machines products, as the placement of objects to promote the common exchange around the theme of death. It's all things that we need usually in a different context, are up on the grave candle. "I play consciously with the Decontextualization and give with the Heading my thought for the new use." So the wonderful help of candles during a joint Recall; a paper boat to let the grief drive; soap-bubbles to fly high and let go. Music boxes and olive branches are mostly sold out.

"the New Death" means the one-year compulsory module at the ZHDK, in the framework of Hofer's work is created. The theme of death fascinated Hofer and was not foreign. Raised a Catholic, they are referred to even today as a religious. She visited cemeteries, talked with Undertakers, Krematoren and theologians.

sample lie in coffins

"I brought up the topic at times in an emotional boundary, which challenged me to find a artistic access." Hofer conducted research in the area of Trends and wanted to give the appropriate work. Then she traveled to a funeral fair in the Dutch city of Groningen and was immediately re-inspired.

"Because the people face fears of death with less contact than with us." Hofer told from the sample lie in coffins and crematoriums, which are furnished as the living room. On the same evening, the idea of the vending machine was born, a week later, they had designed the machine already.

"With the machine, I too, have my criticisms of the everyday, of our society," says Hofer. We have become accustomed to the permanent availability of the things that the vending machine show. Round-the-clock he had for almost every need of something in stock, even pregnancy tests. "Only the area around the death is excluded," says Hofer. On the arm and white is black: "Death is a part of life."

For the supervising Professor to Ask Stetter to the machine a major impetus, the type of mourning in our society. "We have forgotten how to Mourn. Private grief is taboo, and hardly admitted. The classic mourning places are not in accordance with for many more time." The fact that many workers receive in the event of death, a maximum of three days, from say a lot about the handling. Mourning is but for mental well-being is hugely important. You need to have in everyday time and space, visible. "That is precisely the quality of this machine is. He creates the offer for new rituals and sadness makes visible."

There was to place critical votes

your message even more clearly, would have Lea Hofer vending machines are welcome in the parade-ground, or below the hard bridge set up. As she was looking for in the summer of 2018, a place that offered her the graveyard forum, and the Burial Board of the city of Zurich, a location now. The media also beat waves. Some cemetery visitors found out of place in the vending machine, cursing him "irreverent".

Meanwhile, Lea reached Hofer, the majority of positive reactions. Often, they will be addressed at the time of filling. "Many thank me for the courage, the openness and readability of the art object." In addition, your machine was already a theme in German and Dutch Newspapers, at universities, and he was even taken up in a philosophical publication. This shows for Hofer the importance of the topic.

at the end of November the contract with the Funeral service to be running. For Professor Stetter would be the moment to rein in the vending machines in the city centre. "We need places to remind us of the Dead." This would also salute Hofer. But they fear additional maintenance work. For the time being she concentrated on the tomorrow's day. A Defect, like last year, wants to avoid. Hofer is tomorrow to visit the cemetery, instead of spending the day with your family in Eastern Switzerland. And perhaps the sadness machine is purchased, once again, empty as on a Sunday in mid-June after the woman strike, and the Pride.

Created: 30.10.2019, 21:34 PM