Cold [antikvár]

THE FINNISH IDENTRY by Matti Rinne Darkness and cold are typical of winter in the north. The sun does not appear in Northern Finland for two months during the winter; in the summer It makes up for this by shining day and night. This winter darkness, however, is brightened up by a gleaming blanket of snow, by the Aurora Borealis, and by clear, starry skies. Winter is ver/ graphic. The delicate profile of leafless trees and bushes stands out against the snow. Winter is full of shapes. The wind blows the snow into folds and hills, changing the contours of the land incessantly. The landscape is alive all the time - even the blue tinge of the cold is continually changing its shade. The Finnish summer is green and warm,- thousands of glistening lakes reflect the intense blue of the sky; the trail colours of the wild flowers enrich the landscape. The leaves of autumn are ablaze with variegated hues of red, gold, and yellow. Winter herself, in her own discreet way, is rich in beauty, alive, and protean. It is also a harbinger of changes to come: the cycle of life carries on year after year. The changes and contrasts of the seasons naturally leave a profound impression on people's lives and consciousness. The winter simplifies your sense of form, develops it to the point where you realize how much can grow out of so little. This selfsufficiency was typical of past generations - they produced what they needed from materials which were close at hand. They had few tools, but with skilful hands they created simple and expeidient obiects. This tradition lives on. What has given Finnish design worid recognition is that It stems from the fact that people lived close to nature, they hod the skills to make things with their own hands, and they knew how to use the materials around them. The Influence of the living conditions can be felt in ever/thing, even In the approach to science. Where better, for example, to study the Aurora Borealis than here In the north. The Northern Lights ore a mysterious phenomenum of the starry skies of the north. Great waves of light flame up In the sky, changing shape all the time. The Lapps (Sdmil believed that the Northern Lights were made up of sparks which ignited when a fox swept his tall against the side of a fell. According to modern science, however, the Aurora Borealis :