Tauwetter

During the spring thaw, when the hills in Appenze11 are clad in a patchwork of green and white, buckets filled with water glide slowly up and down the slope. The gentle movement ultimately becomes a tumultuous cadence. Shots are fired, riddling the buckets with bullet holes. The water gradually begins to flow. This is the climax of a ritual, whose beginnings lie deep within the mountain. As the water is propelled through the air to the melting slopes, the water begins to gush forth, until the fountain in the valley almost overflows.

When the snow melts and the hills of Appenzell are dotted with green and white, buckets of water slowly make their way up and down the slope. After a time, the gentle movement turns into violent swaying. Shots ring through the air, the buckets are punctured. Slowly the water begins to flow. This is the high point of a ritual that begins deep within the bowels of the mountain. Then trails of water spurt through the air to the thawing slopes and the water begins to gush, nearly causing the well in the valley to overflow...