Martina’s Costume Design

Yesterday evening there was a small party to launch a costume design 

of my friend Martina Trottmann in Soho, London.

Martina studied costume design at St. Martins and working for stage,

art event etc. hence, time to time I’ve been bumping her in many occasions.

And this time she is displaying her design on the Biddle Sawyer’s 

Silk Shop’s front window and this one is also a kinetic sculpture.

= She is breading !

But don’t expect her boobs up and down —– not such obvious move.

Pretty subtle. 😀

—– (Though, to create this effect, somebody said to have devised an air-pump

for 20 second on-off cycle using a computer — what ?   only to activate a pump on-off

in 20 second cycle, needed to use a computer ? —– It could be done with a 

30 pence 555 chip and few more components, all together about £1 :-D) = 

does the person knows electronics ??? )

These days, performance, stage play has been pushing its frontier 

to the limit, or becoming limitless, accordingly, the design of 

costume becoming pretty extravagant or rather bizarre.   

Typically like Ninagawa, regardless whether it is ancient Greek Tragedy or

Victorian play, actor, actress could appear in shiny Futuristic Si-fi gear.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Queen of Siva appeared on the stage 

wearing this Martina’s costume. 😀 

(So, I didn’t ask any question to her = Answer would be Why not  🙂 ).

It is a funny phenomena, supposed to be the most specific, definitive signal = 

visual signal can be freely improvised though the verbal signal = language has

to stay within a comprehensible context.

Costume could be any style, any design as long as it stays on a body, 

it works as a costume. Though, if it was a Victorian story, it got to be

in Victorian time and has to stay likewise a Victorian story.

—– yet still, Oliver Twist who is wearing kinky string costume could

appear with his Gandam look-a-like master. 😀

(Of cause, it’s depend on the director’s taste.  🙂 )

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Wayne’s world in [Misuse Exhibition]

 

After year of absence, I went to see my friend artist Wayne Chisnall on the opening

of an exhibition titled [Misuse : Creating Alternatives] at the Cass Bank Gallery

in Whitechapel. London.

In fact Wayne has been very busy exhibiting his work all over the country and I’ve been

receiving his invitation quite often though, he gave me the notice month ahead —– after

a while, I forgot. —– But this time, he gave me a reminder on the day.

“Oh, yah yah, it’s today in deed” = So, I went.

—– May be I’m getting lazier or may be busy with burning issue of “somebody else’s

burning bottom” = It’s a bad tendency of “If I were asked, just help it” Zennist’s policy.

[]

What so ever the excuse, to see the old friend and catch-up with what we been

doing, or get the news of other friends, is a pleasure.   So, we can find the

consistent core of the person, even under the changing situation of the life.

——– (Incidentally,  Right photo left is Dan, who created a coincidence of  me to start this Blog ! )

The exhibition was loosely themed in a context of how the artists interpret the existing object.

= some were converted the object to other use or made a thing with different material.

—– So, if I may bluntly say, many of them were a kind of boring second-class work.

= On a process of creation or design something new, the approach of [If Not] is

the easiest way, which in most of the case end up “Just a reverse of the same thing”

(others are well made — “So, I messed it up = this is my art”  kind of rubbish)

—– one of exhibit, a common concrete-mixer was churning sun cream. = Yah, obviously it is

doing something different from it was intended = So what ?   It’s a sign of a poor brain, not

mention rack of artistic inspiration. (Creativity tests, how freely, how far you can go 🙂 )

Or, [boring] was an ironical message to the people expecting to see good art ?  😀

If it was not sun cream but, say something a lots of empty bottles of cosmetic, manicure bottles

etc. the artist could made-up a brah, brah “Signify the waste and vanity of the consumerism etc”

—– (Though, could it mean sexism ? —– but now, even a man using cosmetics. 😀 )

Other work showing some fancy modification of alarm-clock, such as the one got many

additional hands, or heavily dented and broken. —– ? ? ? — where is a creativity ?

Unlike those, Wayne’s work consistently intrigued me as his imagination

always gone such far and his process of creation stays completely in enigma.

Utterly out of context, or I wonder, is there so-called context ever in his mind ?

Such as his old piece, [Nails ball] = Yes I can see they are old nails and they were hit and

nailed in.     Though, the story ends here = our rational brain can see nothing other than

bunch of nails, but the piece appealing direct to our emotion (or hit straight to our fear ? )

I have no idea how this artist reached to here —– was that obsessive endless action, more

akin to a kind of neurological symptom ? —– as a mater of fact, most of the real artist is this

kind of maniac. = even without conscious and often without control, just keep doing it.

May be his love toward old nails started like a small child collecting the objects while believing

a kind of magic spell. 🙂 —– From there to create nail ball, is utterly out of normal

imagination, out of normal function or usage, still as it was driven by dark deep

urge, it started to show its own micro-cosmos, which strikes our emotion and

boggles our mind. —– Hence, it made a piece as an Art.

Above all, the end product is a piece worth keeping, and looks beautiful enough.

Wayne’s other and new work is on the same trail hence there are no explanation why it got such

shape or structure.  Surely it was made out of small wooden boxes etc. which showed his skill to

be an accomplished craftsman. —– yet again almost obsessive endless work with

perfect accuracy, has created totally new micro-cosmos, it’s quite a demonic.

—– In the small cavities or windows, a kind of object of magic spell   🙂

I wonder, whether the magic spell is in the objects or in his mind —– or in my mind ?

[]

—– Incidentally, after knowing him over ten years, I found from his lines on the palm, how

he is an emotional man, which he admitted it. = Despite his soft, smiley face, this artist

completely hiding his heavily emotional up and down of which most of his friends even noticed

(of cause, I haven’t interrogated his girl friend yet 🙂 )  still, able to keep himself away from

such as alcoholism or drug addiction is remarkable. (It’s an indication of good discipline in his

youth = good family back ground) 

Like the emotion in his dark chasm, his creativity and its source of inspiration

came from deep bottom of his subconscious though, something peculiar was

that he is letting the material to express its own soul or spell, not his emotion.

This is the Zen situation, the maker Wayne created the Piece, but in his selfless

state. —– Selfless ?  If so, who created this = The resonance of the universe did.

So, that is why, it was a micro-cosmos.  You need to hear this very Resonance.

He is a man born to be an artist, and he is communicating it in subconscious

channel, direct to your subconscious, not to your rational thinking brain.

(Your brain would only say “What a hell of this. I can’t make sens at all”—– Your brain is

too noisy to hear this almost inaudible resonance.

= Hence, you need to hear it, in your heart or in your subconsciousness.)

[]

—- As the exhibition goes on till 22^nd March, I recommend you to pay a visit to

the gallery and see and feel Resonance or the Spell of Wayne’s work by yourself.

The Gallery information = www.thecass.com 

The details of  Wayne Chisnall’s work.

[]

PS :

While talking with him, I just asked “When you conceived the Idea on the very

beginning, was that an image or a text ?” —– He explained me that it was

always a vague image and not necessary a final image.

– ( This is the sketch / Doodl of Wayne’s Orifice piece when he got the idea in very first instance

– —– it’s shows the stage of development and on the end, it came to the stage, rationally

– figure-out and listing up the material etc. = just an image alone couldn’t be built —– technical

– skill and good management of project is essential)

There are two kind of brain and the personalities.

The one, handling the information in the brain in Graphical way, the other

handle them in written notion or say, in text.

The former is good in remembering the face but not the name. The later can remember the

name well, but not the face.    (You know this very well   😀 )

My eldest brother was extremely good to remember the names, the words, its meanings etc.

anything written, though, utterly useless for the face. (So, he became a professor of linguistics,

teaching German, French and English)    I was born opposite.  Name will gone in two minuets

and spelling is hopeless, still even a face I had one glance, may stay after 30, 40 years  (able to

guess its ageing !)  and I still remember a scene of me looking up the temple

when I was 2 years old, like a photograph !

[]

I met many art students some of whom I gave photographic training.

Then, I noticed that a person who is good in drawing and has good graphical memory was

having trouble to compile their project-report explaining how it was conceived and developed.

But, the other who can explain well, how original idea came and then developed with other

reference etc. was very bad to draw sketch. (obviously no talent for art)

And, I realized that, this is the case again, it was a matter of the brain type.

A person who got artistic talent is not necessary good to explain it in text.

The other, who try to approach art from textual understanding has no skill

for graphical expression = Hence, become a so-called conceptual artists.

—– or may be Conceptual art was created for those people, in order to save a skin of

Art school. (at least they can grant a degree and justify hugely expensive tuition fee. 😀 )

Very interesting and very very funny.

[]

ZEN Practice ?

Following the discovery of my old climbing boots, I found something amazing (to you)

out of packed up boxes I’ve stashed, may be 25 years ago.  🙂

Some of  readers, even a keen Zen practitioner may be horrified to see this 😀

Then, some might ask, What this to do with Zen.   Or, to be a Zennist, does it necessary to do it

in this extent ? —– There is no rules or requirement.   All up to the person. —– Some might

be taking easy to sitting or could be walking, even cutting a lemon.   Why not stitching.  🙂

But, I didn’t do this thinking of Zen.  (It was long before I even become aware of

the meaning and the effects of repeating practice in the Buddhism) = I just did it

as I got too much time in a winter mountain shelter or in a tent while imprisoned by the snow

blizzard.   What else to do then ?   (Other than this, I curved fire log into such as a spoon.)  

Still, it was only me doing like this and I never seen anybody else

did the same, then and ever since.

(And many years later, I realized that it WAS effectively a Zen practice.)

[] []

Mountain woolly socks couldn’t last for ever, of cause.   Soon or later, thread would be getting

thinner and break.  But if we threading it with another woolen thread to reinforce

the part, it extend the life = pretty obvious = So, I did. 😀

(The socks photographed here had been worn, I think more than 8 years or more while using

it about 100 days a year.   The heel part seemed to have ^3rd ~ 4^th generation of the

thread, and 40 years later, it is still usable !)

—– If you don’t know how to do the same, just look at how knitted thread runs.

Then just follow the existing thread, go through the loop alongside.  And keep doing it to cover

all the part necessary to reinforce.  (Use the thread partly doubled to make it even stronger.)

(My mother was very good making Kimono (of cause by hand stitching) hence by watching

her to do the work, I learned some sewing technique though, when my mother and sister saw

my re-threaded socks,  it frightened them = so, it was not a common practice, and out of

imagination even to the Zen monk’s family.  🙂 )

[]

If this is a practice for Zen, provably this is the most humble yet easy to do

practice you ever heard of,  still not such a labour than to sweep the street.

And on top of it,  it would save some expense on your pocket too.

= You must be very grateful.  So, have a try, when you are not too busy. 😀

[]

The kernel of the Buddhism is to do and to live unconditionally.

(So, if there is a thinning hole appeared on a heel of socks,  just mend it.

= simple and straight.  No need to think at all.  🙂 )

Therefore, Buddhism is not to search or ask something but just live.

Anyway there isn’t any answer. —– Hence,

Lord Buddha ignored the question, on this reason.

Since living and doing unconditionally in the first place, there couldn’t be

any hindrance or doubt.  (Doubt was CREATED in the mind)

Hence, even going through the sufferings, it will be passing away without

causing any mind to buckle, even without taking notice.  Therefore, even

when the death is arriving, there couldn’t be any stir in the mind. 

This is the Nirvana.  And this is what

Lord Buddha has taught.

___/\___

[]

Orchids Photos of Sing Lee

I received beautiful photos of Orchids from my friend,  Sing Lee of China.

Sing Lee  used to be a quite unique Chinese Blogger who showed impressive photos of

their Shang-tang mountain and many beautiful flowers there until his blog/ WordPress

altogether were blocked by their authority.

So, on behalf of him,  I put his photos here,  for the people of the world to see.

As he wrote before, those Orchids were found deep in the Shang-tang mountain,  and

brought to the city,  they could be very rare  new variety or even new species though, 

I don’t have the eyes to tell its name.  —– So,  just enjoy its beauty ! 

And I hope his well-being away from the suffocating air pollution. 

[]

Perpetual Cherry Flowers / Ultra Close-up by Fisheye Lens

—————- (In fact,  this photo is the same one = last in this post,  only cropped a bit. 

—————- And in here, the flower petals were actuary touching the lens surface.

—————  Fish-eye Lens isn’t too bad for Close-up.  We only need to extend the Lens for

—————  2~3 mm though, there is no way to do it but to loose it from the mount  🙂 )

If you’ve been reading this blog, you may rightly say  “Oh no, yet again Cherry flower ?”

I know, in fact I was rather bemused.  This Cherry tree is the same tree appeared here before,

and again in a post in the last Autumn as it showed the flower utterly out of season.

Since when I’ve put a post last November when the tree had orange colored Autumn leaves,

I’ve been visiting her time to time as she always having flowers.   = Hence, I came to a

conclusion that it was not caused by a confusing weather pattern but this tree is a new

variety who has the character, flowering all year round (well, half-year round at least  🙂 )

—  (Photo by Canon 5D MkIII / Zoom Fish-eye 8~15mm   at 15mm / Lens held off the Mount)

Without having macro lens with me, to take

close-up pictures,  I resorted to use my Fish-eye

Lens lifted up from the body (not fully mounted

= Lens was held not fully inserted to the body

leaving about 2mm gap !  😀 ) —– As the lens has

no connection to the camera’s electronics,

aperture is fully open and no focus indicator —–  seeing the focus and using

the same shutter speed (only + 1/3) still, picture can be taken.  (as you can see the result  😀 )

But, when the eye was concentrating the focus, the finger holding the lens couldn’t keep

the lens exactly in the center, the edge of  the image-circle got into the picture =

I needed to click few times  😀

[]

Photography is a very critical operation though, in the same time, it is a very loose

flexible funny art,  such as even pinhole photos are also the photos.  

When I was young,  before I got Macro-lens ,  lifting the lens,  even the lens was held

in an angle (hence giving pan-focus effect) or held reversed,  such technique was my

favorite improvisation.  (No close-up lens or extension ring = hence, cost nothing, 

still able to create more or less the same,  or even better results.  😀  )

The matter is not the equipment but the Mind = Just try,  just DO it. 

It could be successful —— if not = keep mouth shut  😀 )

[]

My old and last Mountain Boots

The building where I live in a flat having renovation work and to vacate the space,

I’ve been sorting my possessions in the boxes of which some of them I haven’t

opened it more than 20 years. — In one of the box, I found my old mountain boots.

The reason why I didn’t throw this away straight and put it into a box was, I thought

I should take picture of this before let it go. —– was that because of its

sentimental value ? —– I guess not.  

But because of it got rather funny history.

(Without a photo, nobody would believe the story. 😀 😀 )

[]

I bought this boots from charity shop priced £5.   In order to make the bots fit to my

foot, I soaked it in the warm water then put it on and had a long walk —– as I did all

of my previous boots. —– unfortunately, this looks decent mountain boots was a

fraud.  = Despite it having looks proper construction and the good leather with

Vibram Sole, the sole was not been stitched = simply glued to the upper.

Hence, while walking, the boots was disintegrated. (It was a hell) 😀 😀

[]

Then a crazy story began. = After it was completely dry, I’ve stitched and

glued the sole using the shoe making thread from shoe repair shop and a thick

nylon thread for industrial use. —– As a sort of experiment, I did to the Right

boot using a shoe repair glue and the thread.  And to the Left, I used a tie-up

thread for electric construction and glued the sole with Araldite epoxy.

—– If one method found to be better, apply it to the both side.

(You may think, if a shoes disintegrating, it is THE END though, as a

shoe-maker is making a shoes step by step, a sole can be attached in a

way they are doing. If somebody a same human can do, why not to try.

= It is an opportunity to try and learn.

(And save a money £5 !  😀 — If it is to save £1,000 it is a greed ) 

And the stitch by stitch kind of work is a good Zen Practice.

————- (Left is the Mid-Sole with yellowish industrial thread I used for stitching )

Since when I have repaired, the boots lasted over 3 years while used

everyday, without showing any difference between Left and Right.

Then one day, when I went to a hill walking and had a heavy rain, when I slipped

and tumbled, the water drenched boots was split open outside-toe. While later,

a gap opened to the other boot as well, and the foot were swimming inside.

—– days later I found, it happened because of the upper leather itself was tear-off

not by the broken stitch = leather was aged and rotten inside.

(I remember, somewhere I got a film photo of the boots under stitching work )

—– After that, I’ve been forced to buy a kind of shoes I hate. (though, I didn’t buy

another mountain boots, or so far, I haven’t found another £5 boots yet) 😀

[]

Nothing last for ever still, second-hand £5 boots lasted over 3 years

wasn’t too bad. 

Believe or not, I was wearing this boots even in a club and dancing.

People judges others with its looks = hence the best of all, nobody seek a trouble

with a man wearing heavy boots.    And may be because of this, the cloud in the

Fridge Club has mistook me as a kind of special security man with martial art. =

nobody want to be kicked by this kind of boots. 😀

—– (during 5 and half years, while I was a regular, there wasn’t a single violence

ever occurred in the Club. = it might be the another reason why the manager

gave me free entry :-))

[]

People may not like to ware heavy boots, still once it was well fitted,

it is surprisingly comfortable and give a feeling of quite solid stance

especially on a slippery ground.  One day you may try  🙂

[]

Folded Bag

I got notoriously bad (or very good = depend on how you see it) habit to picking-up something

interesting on the street or from a rubbish-dump.   It could be a discarded electric device or a

part of machine of which I’ve been looking for years, or something useful in my future projects.

(Sculpture featured in this blog, [Buddha 2009] was made by the discarded aluminum pipes,

kinetic piece [Cupidon] in my Youtube (kinetorori) is powered by a motor from a cooling-fan

I found road side and the motors rotating [Virtual Woman] came from Micro-wave Cooker, not

to mention a nude figure [Suppon-pon]  😀  😀

Virtually everything, but few exceptions were such as Chinese Toys I bought for £1  :-))

In order to carry it back, I always have some spare bag stashed in my pocket or

in my back-pack. —– may be three bags in the back-pack, one or two in my jacket’s pocket.

It’s the same idea to a motto of the Boy Scout “ Be Prepared” 😀

[]

To stash a plastic bag, they got to be neatly folded like the one in the photo.

In one occasion, when we Japanese friends went to a park and try sitting there, we noticed that

the ground was a bit wet.   So I handed my bags to those friends to sit on it.

Among those friends there were young women and one of them screamed

“Oh dear, it’s folded”.

[]

—– Now-a-day, statistics showed that about 20% of male population in Japan chooses not to

marry. —– Everything become very easy to carry-out the daily life without having a wife.

Just heat-up a pack of pre-cooked meal using a microwave-cooker in a Convenient-store.

—– Even a convenient Sex is available everywhere whether it was paid or not.

Those kind of conveniences may be more expensive though, on the end, the total cost would

be less than to have a wife, not mention able to avoid the troubles comes with marriage, hence

in average, the number of kids is less than two = reducing the population further.  (Of cause,

the life is not just a matter of cost. —– but this is the situation there.   Which caused the

other is a point of argument though, I don’t think Packed food was the cause of single man  :-D)

= in obvious consequence, the counter-part, women had to face this situation.

—– So that, there are lots of Magazine articles, Net advices, how to find a man to get marry

and what point to look at. = Good sign and the sign of the man, better avoid.

—– A kind of Psychological profile said, better not to chose a man who fuss about principles,

tidiness, cleanness etc. = “He would make your life in Hell while complaining your laziness”.

—– So that, a young woman cried (implying, I can’t take care of this sort) 😀

(So does, some can fold an umbrella neatly but others not, saying “Anyway it has to be open on

the next rain, why bother” = If this is the rhetoric, we don’t need to bother the life

or happiness because anyhow we will die soon or later. = it’s a choice)

[]

To folding a bag may not takes more than a minute and not much skill is needed

though, it need to have a certain mind-set. 

It’s a mind-set aiming it better or ultimately a perfection.

[]

A bag photographed here came from a Chinese Food-shop when I bought a bag of rice, may

be 6 months ago.   It’s mean this bag has been used to carry a shopping repeatedly 6 months

(and folded again.)   And it is an essential item needed to do a shopping such as in the Lidl who

doesn’t give a free bag. —– Financially, I may not be much rewarded to have own bag

though, the matter is not to save a couple of pounds in total but, I don’t like to carry their bag

which is showing too conspicuous logo 😀   Anyhow, we are getting too many bags on shopping

such as when we buy loose vegetables etc.   Too much already, and the situation is bad enough.

[]

To fold a bag is a way of  Zen.   Whether it has any merit or not, leave a bag in a

messy state is messy. Why not to make it a bit tidy.

Why spend a minutes ? —– if not, could we ever utilize that minute for

anything more productive in the life ? —– I quite doubt it.

A person, even wouldn’t bother to fold a bag couldn’t pay enough attention to the life.

(But, don’t ask me, “By folding the bag, why I didn’t become a millionaire or Prim-minister ?”

= it’s a matter of another mind-set.  Aiming to become millionaire need to take care of million

more factors, not just for one bag.   Folding a bag is only a start.  😀 )

[]

Zen only deals with its moment. = When see an empty bag => Do something = the best

is to fold and put it in a pocket. — When a moment which need to use a bag comes, just use it.

But not to walk on a street expecting to find something to pick-up.  When it comes, it has come.

—– though, no fixed obligation to pick it up. 

(But if you interested in, pick up at once = When you go back next day,  it’s gone already   🙂 )

= Zen decision has to be made on its each moment. (On its moment, the existence of

spare-bag was known to subconscious, hence to conceive [pick it up] was a viable choice. 

And why you were interested in was, because your subconscious knew that you need it.

= no need to dither like “I want to pick it up, but how to carry this back or not to pick up ?”

= ( having a bag increased the flexibility of this decision making  😀 )

[]

After awhile, the accumulated “Folded bags” became bag-full, and got to go for recycle =

recycling people might think “What a waste of the time. Why this guy didn’t just put them

straight to the bag ? Otherwise, he could have used the time more productively” 😀

—– It comes down to a mind-set of the Life. = To live tidy life is a life, still

live in a mess is also a life. = We can chose as we like. The matter is,

to know, which ever we chose, the consequence do comes accordingly.

(The troubled consequence of my habit is, the junk I’ve picked-up became a mountain =

“one day I’ll create something out of this junk” might be a wish-full thinking or

delusion = a curse to live as a kinetic sculptor.   Ha ha ha 😀 )

___/\___

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Growing Ideas Exhibition

There is a small exhibition titled  [Growing Ideas]  at  272 High Holborn WC1V , LONDON

(it’s  UAL building) which will run until 4th April.

It is a nice place to pop in and take a rest  🙂    And PV will be 14th Feb’ evening = to have a

drink or two served in a edible sugar Glass (or Cup ?)

(I guess, the slower you drink, it’s taste becoming the sweeter  🙂 )

Exhibited works are mostly salable Product Designs and “Make things” video, ETC and

“Interactive Communicative Telephone” (I think this was what Telephone designed for  🙂 )

(I modified the Phone to work with computer system for the artist Francesco Pastori )

(I suppose to download their flier and post here but what was copied was only those two lines)                                                         

“The evening includes free cocktails served in Sugar Glasses by exhibitor Fernando Laposse

and music by exhibitor BeatWoven.”

—– So, come and have a fun on their party.  🙂

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Happy New Year 2013

Happy New Year to all those who is visiting and supported my blog. 

I hope it would inspire and cause more active and fulfilling life

on the 2013 and ahead for you. 🙂 

Yoshizen  aka  Kinetorori

___/\___

Apocalypse ? —– What Apocalypse ?

According to a kind of interpretation of Mayan Calendar, last Saturday, 21st of December suppose

to be the end of the world !  —– How exciting !    If it happens, the most spectacular scene must be

seen  on the landscape of sky-scrapers = so, I went to the City.  In fact, I went there together with

another video artist,  Funki Porcini and Tallbastard. —– Funki needed to shoot the night building

whether it is in ruin or collapsing on front of the eyes, otherwise just standing as usual  😀 

And while he was shooting, I cricked few pictures.

The top photo,  Snowdrops was the kind,  I least expected to find here.  —– But, expecting only to

see them in a kind of nature, might be just an arrogance of the mankind = for them,  like a rocky

mountain and the thin soil on the rock = city-scape can be just another nature for them. 

As I didn’t expected,  likewise, people may not noticed this flower = hence never disturbed her =

being left her own,  Snowdrops could thrive !!!  ( This is what the Nature is. = It’s the Dharma )

—– It seems,  the world has survived intact and the Xmas is coming yet again  😀  

So, to everybody who is going to celebrate it,  “Merry Xmas”  🙂

—– For me though,  a matter, winter solstice has past,  was  much more significant,  as

the sun is coming back !  = It’s getting brighter  🙂

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