AMI-E-S

Cest dans une tristesse plus profonde que lOcan

Et une Esprance de transcendance plus leve que le Ciel toil

que je vous annonce lEnvol de Markus vers la Lumire

Merci de toute votre prsence et de vos crmonies dAssistance pour laccompagner sur lAutre Rive.

It was with these touching words from my dear friend Claudie, Markuss 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 ofbut 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 Ide 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 shapeand also in your gaze, which I will never forgetin 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

Pressenza IPA