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NEW HUES & NEW ATTITUDES: THE PURSUIT OF LIGHT IN THE TIME OF DARKNESS AS WE FIGHT FOR THE SUN TO RISE AGAIN

This period in history might very well be known as the contemporary Dark Ages, where hope had been stripped away in a series of events as tragedy after tragedy struck. In this issue of The Feed, however, we look at mankind's adept ability to capture light through the smallest of cracks, and what it really means to embody Pantone's colors of the year, 17-5104 Ultimate Gray + 13-0647 Illuminating, this summer season.

PAULINE NACAR / 19 April 2021

Picture this: A summer break away from the heavy requirements of school, where your only concern is what snack to have for merienda in front of the TV, or which beach to relax in and explore with friends and family. Plus, afternoons spent either lounging around at home with your worries so far and seemingly untouchable, or entire days lost in sand as you bask in the glory of the ocean and the blinding sun.

This was the standard picture of what summer break entailed. But the picture seems fainter and fainter these days.

Today’s supposed “beach season,” however, finds us glued to our seats catching up on school requirements to make up for the academic calendar’s lost time, and unexciting trips from bedroom to dining room, to bathroom, and back again. The TV is constantly tuned in to the daily news, with report after report detailing the rising COVID-19 cases, and the grave injustices happening around the world. Despite the sun’s blazing heat, light is almost wiped out—washing out our days with gray hopelessness and bleak colors of desolation.

 

Sure, the sun shines. But not in the way that it matters. Not in the way we need it to. At least, not enough to wake us up from our depressive and repressive stupor, brought about by this seemingly never-ending pandemic.

The question, then, is this: How can we possibly celebrate summer when everything else seems devoid of light, energy, and hope? Perhaps the answer lies in the same way we’ve clawed our way through every season and holiday thus far, and then some.

To persevere amidst despair, after all, has always been a trademark human trait. One that we might need now more than ever as we yearn for justice, freedom, and normalcy in overwhelming desperation. It’s going to take a lot more effort from us, but it’s always worth a try.

 

 

As it is, summer means more than just colorful fashion statements, long days under the sun, and the lack of immediate responsibilities. At its core, summer is all about the vibrant youthful energy of something else. Something different from our daily routines, and something novel added to our schedules to make the season a little more special. A vacation, perhaps. Or a shiny new gadget to play with. Whatever it is, summer is all about the radiant energy of the new, the fresh, and the illuminated.

But in a time as dark as this, how can we even find it?

Pantone’s Colors of the Year for 2021 is 17-5104 Ultimate Gray + 13-0647 Illuminating—a crucial union between stability and positivity, or hopefulness founded on practicality. Two themes that we are in dire need of right now. In fact, if we have any hopes of finding illumination amidst the bleakness of today, we must turn to each other for strength and support. Only then can we truly emulate the spirit of summer from previous years.

 

 

More than that, the true spirit of summer in the time of Corona lies on us reaching inward to find the light within our own existence, and offering it as support so others might find their own source of illumination too. That although the sun’s true warmth is lost on us, we can still be each other’s reason to smile, hope, and fight. That is, to fight for each other’s safety, for justice and equality in our country to prevail, and for those moments when we can’t fight for ourselves any longer.

As we enter our second summer spent in quarantine, there is an even greater need to initiate that “something different” as one of the crucial ingredients of the season. In this time, let it be a different way of treating one another, showing support for the community, and living outside of ourselves with the light of what’s within. We are seeing this in the mushrooming of community pantries all over the country, where one small act of kindness snowballed into something even more contagious than the virus. And let this not be the last that we are going to hear and see oneness and unity in a time of so much social divide and a culture of “kanya-kanya“.

Eventually, as we continue to wait out this darkness with only ourselves as makeshift beacons of light, we might one day fight enough to crack the starless shadow that surrounds us. Beyond that, we might finally be able to see and feel the sun’s blinding brilliance once again as it smiles down on us–marking the end of the Dark Ages, and the wake of a new morning full of hopeful promises.

Creative supervision by Leo Balante

Cover photography by Rxandy Capinpin

Styling by Mila Renaldi

Hair and Make-up by Nadynne Esguerra