service: a perspective from the soil and time.
Terrific Views Design Campus Project
2024
I am the land, the soil that carries all. I am time, the space that sees all. Together, we are the silent stewards of Schloss Hubertusburg—its foundation and its rhythm.
This project reflects on the intertwined ‘service’ of soil and bell: the former, a workhorse of agriculture, marked by repetition and labour; the latter, a timekeeper, ringing out the merciless passage of hours. Through this dual perspective, I speak of scars left by farming, of history echoed through sound, and of the tension between the natural landscape and the artificial forms imposed upon it. What was once a place for the hunted is now a terrain to be chased—terrific in its entanglement of control, beauty, and perception. I am both observer and transporter, revealing the true nature of a place shaped not just by what is built upon it, but by what lies beneath and beyond it.
“I am the land, the soil that carries all. I am the essence beneath your feet, the silent witness to every step, every breath, every echo of history. My story is one of service, of unyielding dedication to those who work upon my surface to the rhythm that bells above me, marking the relentless march for others. However, today, I speak for myself.”
“I have been here for centuries, a steadfast observer of this Schloss. In the bell tower above I have rung out the hours, the days, and the years, each constant hammering marking another moment. I am a merciless force, I do not slow, nor do I stop, I carve this path with precision and indifference, much like the Plow that has scarred the soil again and again, century through century. Scars are our history, our service, etched deep into our being.”
“As I have said, service is what defines me, and it to defines the bell that towers above. As the bell serves to keep life moving, I serve to sustain life. I am the workhorse beneath the grandeur, toiling in silence, nurturing growth and providing sustenance. The bell rings out, a command to this landscape, while I, the soil, quietly fulfil the needs of those who work on me. We are both entangled in this service, one of sound and one of substance, each indispensable.”
“From the moment the first stone of the castle was laid, I have been beaten through the years, shaping the location as it shapes me. I am the rhythm that controls the chase, but also a chaos felt by those who have lived and died here. I have been both the observer and the transporter, moving all things forward, yet remaining constant and unchanging.”
“There is a terrific beauty in our entanglement of the natural and artificial forces here. The Schloss, an artificial construct, sits proudly upon my surface, a symbol of human ambition and control. Yet beneath it, I, the soil, do I carry its true nature? There is a disconnection between the landscape and the location within it. The castle and bell, while grand, are but fleeting expressions of power and control. I, the soil, am the true essence of this place, the authentic carrier of its history. While time may change the face of me, I remain the constant, however unlike the bell I am always changing, the one who bears the weight of this indulgence.”
I am the land, the soil that carries all. I am time, the rhythm that locates all. Together, we are, two forces that shape both landscape and location. Summer may be over, and our scars left behind, but our service is eternal, our rhythm unbroken, our presence entangled. As you stand here, remember that while the bell may ring and the castle may stand, it is the soil beneath and the time that surrounds that truly define this place. We are the landscape, and we are the location, and we are the true nature of a terrific view.
