KEEPING IT GROUNDED
Jessica Woulfe on the making of her high-tech artwork
Do you think solarpunk is a growing trend, or could it be too optimistic to resonate with people given the current state of the world?
A lot of people seem to look at the future with a sense of hopelessness, and even apathy. Solarpunk seems to be an unlikely future to many people, no matter how beautiful and desirable it may be. However, if the movement gains greater momentum with games and movies based around it, I think it will be incredibly important to change people's attitudes.
What research did you do to create your artwork?
I did research on different types of wind turbines, the latest green energy technology, and I researched the traditional Norwegian farmhouse. I am always inspired by Hayao Miyazaki, and Studio Ghibli, and the way they are able to capture the simplicity of living in touch with nature, but with added fantastical elements that create a sense of wonder. I also love games like The Last of Us, which has a very grounded, human story, and is deeply invested in realism.
How did you come up with the wind turbine design? These airborne wind turbines actually exist! As it stands, multiple proposals for this technology exist but no commercial products are currently available. Hopefully, my artwork will inspire more people to consider the idea seriously, and potentially as an alternative to clearing acres of land for standing wind turbines.
made structure has been reclaimed by nature. It was therefore a natural progression for her to take an interest in solarpunk. “I had actually never heard of the genre until I discovered Atomhawk’s contest to create a solarpunk artwork in 2019,” says Jessica. “As I read more about it, I realised it mirrored a lot of my own artistic inspirations. Emphasising a deep connection to nature is an integral part of my artwork. I also love the idea of building towards something sustainable rather than fixating on all the negativity and bad news in the world.”
Dramatic and large-scale buildings feature heavily in solarpunk artwork, but this look is by no means necessary for a scene to embody the values of the movement. Not everyone will be living in cities in the future, and green technology can be visible and integrated in our surroundings without being outlandish. These considerations formed the basis of Jessica’s thinking for her entry to the Atomhawk contest, which won first prize. “I wanted my image of a solarpunk future to be very grounded in reality, something that could actually happen in the future,” she says. “There are a lot of great solarpunk futuristic cityscapes, and those definitely inspire awe. However, I
I love the idea of building towards something sustainable rather than fixating on the bad news in the world
wanted my image to be closer to home, with our shared humanity being at the centre of it.”
The story behind her image is about a father and daughter, the old generation and the new generation, and is set in 2060 so is an achievable target within our lifetime. “The government subsidises farmers to allow wind turbines to fly above their farms, while still allowing for use of the land for crops and livestock,” says Jessica. “The floating wind turbines
are the new technology, juxtaposed against a very traditional Norwegian farmhouse. It represents the coming together of old and new, past and future, to build towards a sustainable future integrated with nature.”
OBTAINABLE WORLDS
A feature of the solarpunk genre that speaks to its organic nature is that, like the Black Panther team, some artists are creating work that falls within the theme without knowing about the term or the movement. Requinoesis is one such artist who found a very natural path to it, having created many stories and artworks about optimistic human futures before actually discovering the genre.
“I have always really liked worldbuilding in which there is a civilisation in harmony with nature and artificial intelligence technology,” he says. “So I got to know about solarpunk when a friend recognised that it was close to my interests. From there I discovered the anthology 'Ecological and Fantastical Stories in a Sustainable World' by Gerson Lodiribeiro, a fellow Brazilian. I also took a lot of inspiration from the architect Vincent Callebaut and his visions of Paris in 2050.”
Requinoesis believes in the value of creating artwork that inspires hope. “I think today's young people are thinking: why dream, if the world will soon be uninhabitable? The Netflix series Euphoria demonstrates this feeling very well.” Optimistic media could be the cure for this feeling.
Leon Tukker is a concept artist specialising in architecture, science fiction and environment design, who has always favoured bright and lively work over the dark and dystopian imagery that warns us to change our ways. Solarpunk was a natural fit. “I'd say most of my cities are inspired by modern architecture,” he says. “Architects like Santiago Calatrava and Zaha Hadid were early inspirations and organic architecture styles are really appealing to me, as are modern architects trying to blend nature with the built environment.”
“The great thing about solarpunk is that there is so much to explore within this genre. What if we combine solarpunk with Art Nouveau, or Brutalism, even? As long as the artist envisions a positive society where nature and man-made structures coexist instead of nature being pushed away, it works.”