Exhibition: CLEARINGS in Wasserkirche opened in Zurich.

December 2025 | Following a year-long installation in the Dietikon forest, a central element of the land-art project CLEARING has been reimagined within the sacred geometry of the Wasserkirche Zurich. This twelve-meter tree trunk, sheathed in fine copper foil aa sacred vessel where silence and divinity converge.

The intervention explores the cycles of "becoming, being, and decay." By placing this copper-wrapped remnant of the Limmattal forest within the Gothic arches of the church, the project creates a powerful juxtaposition between the permanence of stone and the fragile nutrient cycles of the forest. The copper skin acts as a sensory conduit, reflecting the shifting light of the sanctuary while protecting the organic memory of the wood beneath. Over time, the subtle oxidation of the metal will mirror the natural aging of the church itself, marking the slow passage of time through a changing patina.

For kodai and associates, this collaboration with artist Michel Comte represents a deepening of our architectural mission: to create spaces that prompt mindful awareness and reconsider our profound connection to nature. By bringing the "clearing"—the Lichtung—into the urban and sacred heart of Zurich, we invite a moment of pause in the vertical rhythm of the city. This installation functions not merely as an object to be viewed, but as a spatial threshold that recalibrates the visitor's perception of interior and exterior landscapes.

→ View the full Project Sheet: CLEARING