Memes
What is the proper tone for Solarpunk?
If you think about Cyberpunk, the prevailing tone is probably sarcasm. (Or possibly grimdark). That makes a lot of sense when you think of the Gen X mentality that spawned it. Carrying this tone forward into Solarpunk wouldn't be a good match.
I think more often of Dadaism. If you're not familiar with that art movement, here's a brief primer on youtube. It's an intentionally-absurdist style of art that was spawned in reaction to the horror of World War I and the 1918 plague. This movement sought to challenge what art is, and what art could be.
All of this reminded me of the dry nihilism that Gen Z has been forming and also of... memes. This is a great video by Zenya Hendricks that does a deep dive comparing memes to Dadaism. I think it's really important to hear from Gen Z about this, but I was actually a bit surprised that there weren't a lot of other academic articles that I could find about it. This other one about "Ignorant Tattoos" by struthless is also very interesting and touches on a lot of adjacent themes. Memes have always fascinated me, and the whole "this is not art" vibe that causes it to be ignored by art theorists. It also really reminds me of Dadaism.
But the big difference... the big big difference... is that memes are a ground-up movement. They're a style of communication from people who aren't trying to make art. And that makes it even MORE perfect for Solarpunk as a vibe.
