Solarpunk is both a lifestyle movement and a relatively new eco-futurist, mixed genre speculative fictional subgenre focused on envisioning a positive future beyond scarcity and hierarchy, in which humanity is reintegrated with nature, and technology is used for human-centric and ecocentric purposes.[1] The term "solarpunk" is generally credited to the user missolivialouise on the popular social blogging platform Tumblr in August 2014;[2][3] though it appears to have also been coined by several different people independently in the early 2010s.
Lifestyle
Some people consider it to be a lifestyle or political movement, and are interested in learning how to create the solarpunk futures they imagine. Multiple communities across multiple social media and internet platforms have been created to share, discuss, and debate everything from aesthetics and philosophy, to learning hands-on practical skills like gardening or repairing clothing or dumpster diving. Others are focused more on activism, which including everything from helping to organize protests to trying to help unionize their workplaces or forming cooperatives. Politics, a source of some debate, usually leans on the left side of the spectrum. Many aspects of the environmental movement would be considered solarpunk, however solarpunk does embrace the thoughtful use of science and technology. The use of nuclear energy is debated within the community, as are issues surrounding the mining of materials used to create photovoltaic solar panels, among other difficult topics.
Permaculture and ecovillages are very popular within the solarpunk community, and are considered by many to be ideal forms of living in community with the earth and other people.
Fiction
Solarpunk fiction arose within the larger movement of cyberpunk, steampunk, biopunk, and related subgenres.[4] It distinguishes itself from these other movements by being more optimistic. In particular it contrasts greatly with postcyberpunk, which accepts the world we have and the systems that support it like globalization, industrialization, and exploiting resources in slightly-less-bad ways. Solarpunk aims to subvert those systems and replace them with ones that work better in the long-term through local communities, supporting artisans, and living sustainably.
Solarpunk fiction is usually set in a semi-utopian future, either near-term or long-term or more rarely the far past. As in other genres of speculative fiction fantastical elements are common; for example: solar-sail-powered, bio-plastic flying ships or organisms reminiscent of mythical creatures, probably genetic engineered.
Art, music, and fashion are also considered by many to be important aspects of solarpunk, equally important as future technology.
Solarpunk has a distinct set of aesthetics. Heavily influenced by Art Nouveau in shapes and colors; greens, earth tones, and bright yellows, golds, whites, silvers and blues predominate the color palette. Buildings and machines have organic shapes and integrate plants into their forms. Light, loose-fitting garments typify solarpunk fashion, although anything clearly DIY, repaired, or repurposed is included and encouraged. There are multiple blogs and Pinterest boards dedicated to solarpunk fashion. As of yet, cosplay has not yet played a large role as in steampunk.
Quotes
"Move quietly and plant things.” - Andrew Dana Hudson
"Imagine A Future Worth Fighting For" - Zabet (online user at solarpunk discord)
"The dreamer is the designer of tomorrow" - Felix the Cat
“We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begin in art, and very often in our art, the art of words.” - Ursula K. Le Guin
External links
- Solarpunk: Notes toward a manifesto
- Solarpunk: A Reference Guide
- On the Political Dimensions of Solarpunk
- Solarpunk community on Reddit
- Solarpunk hashtag on Tumblr
- Sunbeam City, a solarpunk instance on Mastodon
- A popular Pinterest solarpunk board
- Vincent Callebaut, visionary architect
- Gardens by the Bay in Singapore
Some popular Solarpunk fiction:
- Sunvault - Stories of Solarpunk and Ecospeculation
- Wings of Renewal: A Solarpunk Dragon Anthology
- Glass and Gardens: Solarpunk Summers
- Solarpunk - Ecological and Fantastical Stories in a Sustainable World
- Solarpunk Press
References
- ↑ http://kdhume.tumblr.com/post/108932813682/7-reasons-why-solarpunk-is-the-most-important
- ↑ http://missolivialouise.tumblr.com/post/94374063675/heres-a-thing-ive-had-around-in-my-head-for-a
- ↑ https://medium.com/@andrewdhudson/on-the-political-dimensions-of-solarpunk-c5a7b4bf8df4#.tryikgusv
- ↑ http://www.hopesandfears.com/hopes/city/life/215749-solarpunk