Understanding Futurism: Past and Present

• Futurism is a movement that began in 1909 by Italian poet Filippo Tommaso Marinetti.
• It focuses on imagining the future, especially how technology, speed, and innovation will change the world.
• It is about looking ahead and imagining what the future will be like, often inspired by new technologies and trends.

Origin of Futurism (1909)

• Futurism started when Filippo Tommaso Marinetti created the term.
• Marinetti envisioned a future filled with speed, danger, and beauty, inspired by the fast and efficient automobile.

Futurism Then vs. Now

• Marinetti’s futurism focused on technology like cars and the excitement of modern life.
• Today’s futurists look at advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), space travel, and human-machine integration (e.g., cyborgs or brain-computer interfaces).

Futurism vs. Science Fiction

• Futurism predicts and imagines real-world future possibilities based on current trends and technology.
• Science fiction is more about storytelling, often set in imaginary worlds or futures, and doesn’t always aim to predict real outcomes.

Value of Past Futurist Predictions

• Some futurist ideas from the past never came true (e.g., flying cars everywhere).
• These works might inspire new ideas or help with creative thinking about the future, even if wrong.

Giacomo Balla | Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash (1912)

• The painting depicts a small dog on a leash being walked by a lady
• The dog’s legs, tail, and the leash are blurred, showing movement.
• It is a futurist artwork capturing movement, speed, and energy in art.
• Balla wanted to show how things look when they’re in motion, not just frozen in time.
• The blurry, repeated lines give the feeling of the dog wagging its tail and scurrying along.

Umberto Boccioni | Unique Forms of Continuity in Space (1913)

• The figure looks like it’s moving through space, with its body appearing to stretch and flow.
• The smooth, curved lines give the impression of speed and energy, as if the figure is cutting through the air.
• The sculpture doesn’t look like a realistic human, instead, it’s made up of flowing, almost melting shapes.
• Boccioni wanted to show the essence of movement, not just a static body.
• The artwork is a perfect example of Futurism, an art movement that celebrated modern life, technology, and speed.
• Boccioni used abstract shapes to show movement in a way that had never been done before in sculpture.
• It reflects the early 20th-century fascination with speed, machines, and the future.

Afrofuturism

• Artists and writers began using its focus on technology and the future to explore themes of liberation and empowerment for marginalized communities.
• Afrofuturism combines African culture, history, and identity with futuristic ideas, often imagining a future where Black communities thrive.
• It is a cultural movement that blends African traditions, science fiction, and technology to imagine empowering futures for Black people.
• It began during the Space Age (mid-20th century) when Black artists and thinkers used futuristic themes to address issues like racism, colonialism, and identity.
• Examples:
• Sun Ra | Space is the Place (1973): A film and album by jazz musician Sun Ra, who used space imagery to explore Black liberation and identity.
• Marvel’s Black Panther: The comic (1977) and movie (2018) imagine Wakanda, a technologically advanced African nation untouched by colonialism.
• Grace Jones | Nightclubbing (1981): A music album and persona that blended futuristic fashion with bold, empowering Black identity.
• Flying Lotus | Galaxy In Janaki (2010): A music track that combines electronic sounds with cosmic, futuristic themes.
• Kendrick Lamar | Black Panther (2018): A soundtrack that merges African rhythms, hip-hop, and futuristic sounds to celebrate Black culture.
• Cyrus Kabiru | Miyale Ya Blue (2020): A sculpture using recycled materials to create futuristic, Afrofuturist art.

Solarpunk

• Solarpunk is an optimistic vision of the future where technology and nature coexist harmoniously.
• It focuses on sustainability, renewable energy, and eco-friendly design, imagining green cities, solar-powered buildings, and community-driven solutions.
• Unlike dystopian futures, solarpunk is hopeful, showing how innovation can create a better world.
• Examples include arcologies (self-sustaining mega-structures) and real-world projects like solar-powered homes and urban farming from the Game SimCity 2000.
• Some solarpunk ideas are already happening, many remain aspirational.

Solarpunk-Inspired Works:

• Hayao Miyazaki - Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984): A film about a princess protecting her world, emphasizing harmony with nature and hope for a sustainable future.
• Gojira - “Global Warming” (2005): A song addressing climate change, urging awareness and responsibility for the planet.
• Blizzard Entertainment - Overwatch (2016): A game set in a futuristic world where technology and diverse communities coexist, reflecting solarpunk optimism.
• N. K. Jemisin - “The Ones Who Stay and Fight” (2020): A story about a utopian city fighting for justice and equality, embodying solarpunk’s community-driven ideals.
• Common - “Imagine” (2021): A song reimagining John Lennon’s Imagine with a focus on unity, peace, and environmental justice.
• Christian Holland - Wind Farmer (2022): An art piece imagining a future powered by wind energy, highlighting solarpunk’s focus on renewable solutions.
• Free Lives - Terra Nil (2023): A game about restoring ecosystems, showcasing solarpunk’s vision of healing the planet through technology.
• Utopian Art Machine - “SolarPunk Anthem” (2024): A musical celebration of solarpunk’s optimism, creativity, and community spirit.
• Lynn D. Jung - “We Cast Our Eyes to the Unknowable Now” (2025): A story exploring humanity’s relationship with nature and technology in a hopeful, utopian future.

Atompunk

• Atompunk is a retro-futuristic style imagining a world where the Atomic Age (post-World War II) continued to thrive.
• It blends 1950s-60s aesthetics with futuristic atomic technology, exploring both the optimism of progress (clean energy, advanced gadgets) and the dangers of nuclear power (war, destruction).
• Songs:
• Sons of the Pioneers - “Old Man Atom” (1945): A song personifying the atom, reflecting both the wonder and fear of atomic power during the early Atomic Age.
• The Golden Gate Quartet - “Atom and Evil” (1946): A song warning about the dangers of atomic energy, blending humor with serious commentary on nuclear weapons.
• Five Stars - “Atom Bomb Baby” (1957): A playful song comparing a lover to an atom bomb, capturing the pop culture fascination with atomic energy in the 1950s.
• Tom Lehrer - “So Long, Mom (A Song For World War III)” (1965): A satirical song about nuclear war, highlighting the dark humor and anxiety of the Cold War era.
• Video Games:
• Fallout Series (Video Games and TV Show): A post-apocalyptic world shaped by 1950s retro-futurism, where atomic technology led to both advanced societies and catastrophic destruction.
• Reflects the Atomic Age’s cultural and technological impact, blending mid-century aesthetics with futuristic ideas.
• Shows both the excitement for atomic energy’s potential and the fear of its destructive power.