SolarPunk is very much about ‘aesthetics’ – and that can be very powerful:
The Power of an Aesthetic – Sidmouth Solarpunk
This is from a very stimulating piece which takes this idea even further forward:
Our media and popular culture strongly influence and define our understanding of the world as well as how we cope with it.
It’s far from surprising to see a trend of dystopian media such as Black Mirror or Squid Game finding quick success. Parts of this can be attributed to the fact that they often critique how far society is going with technology…
The biggest criticism of this kind of media is the fact that as much as it provides critique and attention to a large and urgent problem, it often fails to provide any sense of solution or call to action. There is nothing for consumers of this media to take away and gain a better sense of understanding as to how they could make a difference.
Enter Solarpunk – derived as an opposing aesthetic to cyberpunk, it emphasizes less on the idea of an existing problem and more on an idea of what we want our future to look like. It often involves greenery and solar panels and other modern technology being sustainably integrated into our consumption- aimed at showing us a brighter, more sustainable, and better future for ourselves and future generations.
Until recently, there hasn’t been a cultural movement that aims to shift and better the public’s understanding of the future we would want to have.
Explaining concepts and social messaging through popular culture and film is not a novel idea, it’s been done for years to inculcate a sense of unity and ideas of what is deemed socially acceptable in society for years…
There hasn’t yet been a clear example of popular media undertaking this kind of tone, but with the growing popularity of the movement, it is only a matter of time before we see something that can come under the solarpunk genre.
The question I believe to be asked here is if Squid Game and Black Mirror highlight the horrible future we don’t want, can solarpunk help in making media that portrays a future we do want?