Two Wolves
Solarpunk is a counter-culture movement that has an infinite possibility of merits and one glaring flaw: no one seems to be talking about it. Why? This article attempts to answer that and more, but first, we present to you a poorly made meme.
The two wolves meme came about around the end of 2018, with several ironic iterations keeping it alive through to 2019. While some versions still remain, it has become more or less obsolete. The origins of the meme are unclear, with some attributing it to the Christian pastor, Billy Graham in 1978, while others trace it to the Cherokee Native American tribe. The most popular version is framed as an elder telling a young listener a story about two perpetually fighting wolves. This article, however, will reference the version featured in the 2015 movie “Tomorrowland”, directed by Brad Bird:
“There are two wolves who are always fighting.
One is darkness and despair.
The other is light and hope.
The question is: which wolf wins?
The one you feed.”
It’s a valuable quote, but what’s the correlation? Well, when “Tomorrowland” was released, it was poorly received for a number of shortcomings, as well as not being able to compete with other movies being released around the same time, such as “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2”, and “Mad Max: Fury Road”, which were all highly anticipated by fans worldwide. Solarpunk crosses its paths with “Tomorrowland” down the line not for its imagery, characters, or cinematography, but for its message. What are the wolves we are feeding in our media today?
Cyberpunk vs Solarpunk
To understand solarpunk, one needs to understand cyberpunk, and how the two genres correlate and diverge.
Cyberpunk
Surely we’re all familiar with “Cyberpunk 2077”; a game set in the dystopian corporate-controlled metropolis Night City, where people live sunken into the chaos of frequent drug abuse, be it for recreation, escapism, or to shoulder the weight that experimental cyborg body modification bears on the mind. Essential healthcare is an expensive privilege, while the streets and airways are plagued by gang violence, crime, and debauchery. The government is overshadowed by mega-corporations that care not for the lives of the people, both figuratively and literally, beneath their towering corporate head-quaters.
Unsurprisingly, this game is based of the science fiction subgenre cyberpunk, which came to life during the New Wave science fiction movement in the 1960s, where sci-fi writers examined the impacts of technology advancement, drug culture, and the sexual revolution; all while avoiding the utopian tendencies of earlier science fiction, such as Blade Runner. A few other notable cyberpunk-themed pieces of media include Ghost in the Shell, Alita: Battle Angel, Akira and Rain World. In a very diminishing summary of cyberpunk, a Reddit user describes the aesthetic as “Times Square on steroids.”
Solarpunk
While cyberpunk is characterised by dystopia and societal collapse, solarpunk, on the other hand, embodies hope and looks towards a future where humanity succeeds in solving major contemporary challenges – especially those relating to sustainability, such as pollution and climate change.
Borrowing elements from utopian and fantasy genres, solarpunk embraces a future where nature and humanity are interconnected – rejecting climate doomism and working to prevent climate breakdown. Its “solar” represents solar energy, signifying a renewable energy source and moving away from fossil fuel usage. “Punk” is pulled from punk rock, which symbolises a rebellious, countercultural and post-capitalist outlook towards the future.
Though depictions and illustrations of solarpunk tend to include lots of greenery and biophilic buildings, this is not the case across the board. From Metropolis-solar that features skyscrapers and flying cars to Now-solar, which focuses on people “solarpunking” in our current times by using renewable energy and guerilla gardening, there is more than one definition for solarpunk, but a few core principles unify these visions:
- social justice – a world more fair and inclusive than the one we’re currently living in
- possibility – a sustainable future is not only achievable, but also desirable
- inspiring – solarpunk creations such as its art, stories and activism will inspire action in others and encourage people into making these envisioned futures a reality
a more post-apocalyptic depiction of a solarpunk society
In summary, the cyberpunk genre involves a society that has fallen into despair, serving as a cautionary tale for our current capitalist system, while solarpunk envisions for society a future of hope and optimism. But what other key differences set these two genres apart?
One of the main differences separating the two is individualism. In cyberpunk societies, levels of individualism are high. However, this individualism is a commodity. Devoured by capitalism, large corporations market unique body modifications and the latest high-tech devices, as tools to protect one’s individualism and identity. However, this individualism and culture are repackaged by these corporations and sold back to people, ultimately fueling corporate greed.
In solarpunk societies, social collectivism is emphasised, and individuality is recognised in this as an integral component to progress. Sociocultural differences and distinctions act as an impetus for change. And yet, despite solarpunk envisioning a better future for humanity, it remains the less popular genre.
Why Care about Solarpunk?
Cyberpunk and Solarpunk, through different methods ultimately aim to address the flaws of our current lifestyle and the systems we rely on. The latter’s greatest struggle to become recognised is identity, which it lacks in comparison to genres like Cyberpunk and Steampunk, with their own architectural aesthetics, excessively quirky technologies, and unique fashion. Solarpunk on the other hand, isn’t so much concerned with the visuals of its identity, as it is concerned with ideology – which is to create an ideal, sustainable future. Understandably, what that future would look like varies from person to person, and from experience to experience. The nuance and sheer knowledge required to design authentic examples of solarpunk makes it a challenging movement to approach amongst its contemporaries. The journey to realising a brighter future is one of addressing one contemporary challenge after another, and there doesn’t seem to ever be a shortage of things to address.
Many social movements that spread through the internet tend to feel inaccessible, but solarpunk addresses issues many countries struggle with. Since the 1990s in Malaysia, trends set by international bodies that have been susceptible to lobbyists for the free market have resulted in forested areas to be made into monoculture plantations, whilst still counting the plantations as forests. Monoculture plantations are plantations that feature only one or very similar types of crop, which is opposed to the biodiverse nature of a multicultural natural forest, such as rubber plantations and palm oil plantations. Monoculture plantations not only cause a lack of food and shelter for all manner of previously existing animals, but also makes the crops highly vulnerable to diseases and pests, which leads to the use of pesticides and harmful chemicals. On top of that, considering these plantations to be forests can very easily cause issues when acquiring data on Malaysian forests for the sake of environmental preservation measures. To oppose monocultures, many solarpunk agricultural visions implement permaculture—plantations, gardens, and forest preservation efforts that respect biodiversity. If this still feels rather abstract, many solarpunk stories envision guerilla gardening—the act of gardening in neglected public spaces as a form of reclaiming the lost social aspect of public spaces, as a popular way to feed communities at a low cost, as well as to cultivate healthier communities within cities. Activities such as guerilla gardening will only become more accessible as people begin leaving social media in search of more meaningful social interaction.
In the presence of so many nuanced issues with the way we manage our landscapes, would it not be crucial to push for movements that find innovative solutions, or at least familiarise ourselves with concepts that reduce the negative impact of poor design?
Conclusion
Solarpunk, as a movement, thrives on imagination and innovation, but it requires more voices and visions to fully shape its identity. In a world often overshadowed by bleak news and dire forecasts, the act of envisioning a brighter, sustainable future is not just hopeful—it’s essential. By collectively imagining and working towards this future, we can ignite the spark needed to begin the journey toward a more harmonious and sustainable tomorrow. Now is the time to feed the wolf of light and hope, inspiring action and progress in the face of uncertainty.
Written By: Fel & Sera
Edited By: Ashley