An alphorn and a cow, both miniatures and carved from wood. Cow bells. And the definitive symbol of Switzerland - the crossbow. A view into the office of the 2013 President.
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Thomas Kern was born in Switzerland in 1965. Trained as a photographer in Zürich, he started working as a photojournalist in 1989. He was a founder of the Swiss photographers agency Lookat Photos in 1990. Thomas Kern has won twice a World Press Award and has been awarded several Swiss national scholarships. His work has been widely exhibited and it is represented in various collections.
Defence minister Ueli Maurer, who takes over the largely ceremonial role of Swiss president, is surrounded by memorabilia and symbols of a rural Switzerland while he works. swissinfo photographer Thomas Kern captures Maurer in his office in Bern.
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