Palliative Care – Images of a Reality

Description

Palliative Care means making every day as livable as possible. The photos presented by Palliaviva in the Wasserkirche show moments of closeness in the awareness that life is finite. Under the title "Palliative Care – Images of a Reality," Palliaviva and photographer Gaëtan Bally address a topic many prefer to ignore: the finiteness of life and how we ourselves deal with it. With his camera, the photographer accompanies the Palliaviva team, which cares for people with incurable illnesses at home. Authentic and touching images are created as part of the photo project, depicting the everyday reality in palliative care. The photos radiate the calm of many people who have accepted that their lives are predictably finite. Many affected individuals wish to show what it is really like. They want the images to have an impact beyond their own death. Therefore, Palliaviva's photo project resonates with sick people and their relatives. The images capture how it is possible, even in the face of incurable illness, to feel closeness and connection and to have the best possible quality of life in the remaining time. Ideally, Palliative Care is implemented early — not just weeks or days before death. Participants and additional information: Gaëtan Bally (born 1973) is from Valais and lives in Zurich. Since 2002, he has worked as a thematic photographer for the Keystone-SDA news agency and freelance for various magazines and companies. His specialties are portraits and reports. He has received multiple awards, most recently winning the Swiss Press Award 2022 for his work.