AMI-E-S
C’est dans une tristesse plus profonde que l’Océan
Et une Espérance de transcendance plus élevée que le Ciel étoilé
que je vous annonce l’Envol de Markus vers la Lumière…
Merci de toute votre présence et de vos cérémonies d’Assistance pour l’accompagner sur l’Autre Rive.
It was with these touching words from my dear friend Claudie, Markus’s partner, that I woke up this morning at the Study Center of the Punta de Vacas Study and Reflection Park in Argentina.
Markus Garin and I met in Zurich in 1987. He was one of the first activists in the Humanist Party, which, at that time, was launching one initiative after another and organizing demonstrations and rallies in both Zurich and Bern.
Markus was not a man of many words. From the very beginning, he expressed his nature through his actions: through his unconditional commitment to nonviolence and the world he constantly dreamed of—but also through the many tangible works he created. Wherever we humanists needed a skilled craftsman, Markus was there to lend a hand.
Later, our paths diverged for a few years, until we met again in 2008 at the Attigliano Study and Reflection Park in Italy. I can still see you today, dear Markus, asking: “Do you think I can build the benches for the hall here? ”
I believe that was when Markus began a new chapter in his life. With inexhaustible energy and dedication, he worked as an extremely talented carpenter in his workshop in Switzerland on these benches, eventually transporting them himself to Attigliano in his van.
From that moment on, Markus seemed to lose himself entirely in his work. As if intoxicated, he devoted himself to creating his works for various Parks of Study and Reflection, forgetting everything else around him. It was the same with his last project, the construction plans for the hall at the Parc de La Belle Idée in France. He visualized every detail of this hall down to the smallest detail and transposed this mental image onto paper (or into the computer).
Dear Markus! You are present in your works, you are present in the places you helped shape—and also in your gaze, which I will never forget—in that unfathomable, silent, and profound bond that unites us, you and all those who were close to you.
Thank you for your tremendous contribution to our shared work!
Daniel Horowitz
