#solarpunk aesthetic week

[the-bramble--patch]

You know how companies used to make flour sacks with pretty flower patterns on them because mothers would make dresses out of them for their daughters? We should bring that back. Paper bags designed to be reused as wrapping paper. Jars of jam designed to look nice filled with pencils or homemade sauces. Fabric that's high quality enough to use as a patch.

Give things a second life!!

[thecassafrasstree]

Had a few folks interested in how I made the patches I posted for Solarpunk Aesthetic Week, so I thought I'd give y'all my step-by-step process for making hand-embroidered patches!

First, choose your fabric and draw on your design. You can use basically any fabric for this - for this project I'm using some felt I've had lying around in my stash for ages.

Next, choose your embroidery floss. For my patches I split my embroidery floss into two threads with 3 strands each, as pictured. You can use as many strands in your thread as you prefer, but for the main body of my patches I prefer 3 strands.

Next you're going to start filling your design using a back stitch.

First, put in a single stitch where you want your row to start.

Poke your needle up through the fabric 1 stitch-length away from your first stitch.

Poke your needle back down the same hole your last stitch went into so they line up end-to-end.

Repeat until you have a row of your desired length (usually the length of that colour section from one end to the other). Once you have your first row, you're going to do your next row slightly offset from your first row so that your stitches lay together in a brick pattern like this:

Make sure your rows of stitches are tight together, or you'll get gaps where the fabric shows through.

Rinse and repeat with rows of back stitch to fill in your patch design.

When you're almost to the end of your thread, poke your needle through to the back of the fabric and pull the thread under the back part of the stitching to tuck in the end. Don't worry if it looks messy - no one's gonna see the back anyway.

This next step is fully optional, but I think it makes the patch design really pop. Once your patch is filled in, you can use black embroidery floss to outline your design (or whatever colour you want to outline with - it's your patch, do what you want). I use the full thread (6 strands, not split) of embroidery floss to make a thicker outline.

I use the same back stitch I used to fill the piece to make an outline that adds some separation and detail. You could use most any 'outlining' stitch for this, but I just use back stitch because it's just easier for me to do.

Once you're finished embroidering your patch, it's time to cut it out!

Make sure to leave a little border around the edge to use for sewing your patch on your jacket/bag/blanket/whatever, and be careful not to accidentally cut through the stitches on the back of the patch.

If you have a sturdy enough fabric that isn't going to fray, you can just leave it like this. If not, I recommend using a whip stitch/satin stitch to seal in the exposed edges (I find that splitting your embroidery floss into 3-strand threads works best for this).

And then you're done! At this point you can put on iron-on backing if you want, or just sew it on whatever you wanna put it on. Making patches this way does take a long time, but I feel that the results are worth it.

Thanks for reading this tutorial! I hope it was helpful. If anyone makes patches using this method, I'd love to see them! 😁

[omg-physics]

So, like, universal basic income.

One of the things I’ve heard people say is how, you know, you need income as a motivation to make people work. And I’ve heard some great arguments against that.

But also.

There are a lot of low-paid jobs that actually make the world a crappier place. Like, if we could just pay everyone in the fast fashion industry to stay home and not go to work, the world would be a much better place. If we paid people enough that they didn’t need to work in factories, then large-scale manufacture of crappy stuff wouldn’t be feasible anymore.

Like, we’re basically in a post-scarcity society. We have more than enough food and clothing for everyone. This manic capitalist mindset where we force people to go to jobs they hate to remove value from the world is insane, right?

And maybe if we instituted this we’d lose fast food corporations and stuff. But I bet they’d be replaced by small restaurants run by people who are passionate about what they do.

[roboticchibitan]

For Solarpunk aesthetic week I finally after like a year of putting it off mended a pair of threadbare pyjama pants I wear constantly. They didn't have holes yet but you could see my fingers through the fabric when I put my hands inside them. It took me most of the afternoon because I kept getting distracted. So I finally put on an audiobook and then hyperfocused so hard I missed my chance to take the bus to therapy. The ADHD has been bad today but! I got something I had been putting off done!

I used size 10 crochet cotton because it's what I had that wasn't embroidery floss (which I didn't want to use because it's not as durable since it's meant to come apart). The fabric was scrap fabric leftover from one of the shirts I made into a crop top this summer.

Patch leg one (inside and outside)

Patch leg two (inside and outside)

It's hard to tell but the second patch has much neater stitches. I also stitched down the ends of thread in the second one.

Finally! I have done the thing! Next is a shirt I found a small hole in, but since the hole is small I am going to just use embroidery thread to fix it.

[solarpunkani]

Solarpunk Community Playlists

So we've got the community playlist for Solarpunk Aesthetic Week, right? It's nice and big, but I wanted to make more community playlists with specific vibes in mind! I've already added a bunch of songs to each, but the goal is to let everyone contribute to them and enjoy them!

Solarpunk and Chill is for lofi/chill beats! The aim is to have it be mostly lofi, or generally just good music to chill to while studying or working on projects!

Solarpunk Sunny Beats is for songs that are pretty upbeat and just feel solarpunk to us--whether its the subject matter of the song, or just the way the instruments sound! It's meant to be the middle ground between the lofi playlist and the next.

Solarpunks Fight for Our Future! is for songs that are punk/punky/rebellious-feeling! The kind of playlist you would bump to on the way to a protest, or do some action--what's the soundtrack that plays in your head if you were to guerrilla garden or do other rebellious acts? Add it here!

I hope you enjoy! I can't wait to listen to everyone's contributions!

[owlphibiansprite]

screenshots of a cartoon called supa team 4 based in Lusaka, Zambia. aesthetically very solarpunk don't you think?

we got the classic tree-in-buildings! (only really doable in theory because where would the roots go?) we have many trees and colourful buildings!

this is the school shown from above

bonus hoverboarding from one of the protagonists

anyways go watch it i guess; s2 just came out on netflix and it's 4 schoolgirls doing superhero-type stuff!

[solarpunkaestheticweek]

Hello, everyone, and welcome to Solarpunk Aesthetic Week... two!

The hosts for this event are @fennopunk, @solarpunkani, and @modern-solarpunk! We'll be reblogging and chatting from those blogs about the event as well, so feel free to drop a follow!

What's Solarpunk Aesthetic Week (Two)? Simply put, its a week to celebrate the aesthetics around the Solarpunk genre and movement! As Solarpunks, we look forward to a hopeful future, and this event is meant for all of us to take part in visualizing that future, and working towards making it step by step!

"But you guys!" You say, "It's winter! There's less sun in the sky and not much solarpunking to be doing this time of year!"

We firmly believe that solarpunk looks different in different times of year--whereas in spring and summer we might be growing tomatoes and dreaming of greenhouses and sunny communities, in winter we might be doing lots of work--mending up clothes, or making new ones, planning future gardens and actions, reading and writing to help visualize the future we want to achieve. There's plenty to do, and you can take part any way you'd like to!

But also, we aren't forgetting about our friends in the Southern Hemisphere! For you all, it's summer, and we're excited to see what you do to celebrate!

Solarpunk Aesthetic Week Two will be taking place on the 51st week of the year, so December 18th - 24th! Feel free to share anything you do to the tag #solarpunk aesthetic week, or submit to the blog!

Any questions? Ask away! Our inbox is open!

[freshsneezes]

happy solarpunk aesthetic week y'all

[slightlyloomingone]

Solarpunk Aesthetic: Brazilian Clay Water Filters

I dithered a lot trying to decide on something to post about for Solarpunk Aesthetic Week, but at the end of the day I'm a Brazilian and I like to talk about Brazilian things... so here are some Brazilian Red Clay Water Filters! These are considered to this day one of the most reliable water purification systems in the world, and used to be very popular in the past all over Brazil before the rise of mineral water coolers in the 90s and early 2000s. The Red Clay keeps the water cool and they use a ceramic candle to filter water.

Nowadays, Red Clay filters live mostly in our memories of Brazil in the 80s or 90s (and in memes like "this represents Brazil more than Samba or caipirinha"), although there has been a bit of revival as design pieces, which is why these pictures are all decorated or integrated with planters. You can still find functional models like this for sale, however. But I believe Red Clay Water Filters belong in a concept of Brazilian Solarpunk for two reasons:

Although I couldn't find sources for the claim, it's widely believed here that this model was created in Brazil, with some speculation that the use of Red Clay and the characteristic shape of the filter originate from the use of red clay in ceramics by different indigenous cultures in Brazil (there is a type of water jug called moringa that evokes the idea of a red clay filter and has been around for centuries)

Brazil has a long history of water insecurity and poor sanitation all over the country, but personally I am more familiar with this issue in Northeast Brazil, where a combination of a challenging environment (especially in the sertão) and historical neglect by the government means the population in the rural areas was constantly facing intense droughts every dry season. In this context, I consider the existence of a reliable system of water filtration an essential aspect of Northeast Brazil's culture of resistance

This got a bit long, but I hope it made for an interesting read for anyone taking part in Solarpunk Aesthetic Week, or who just ended up here by chance. I mostly engage with Solarpunk through original fiction (still unpublished), but because of my introduction to it it's very hard to separate the aesthetic and movement from my own culture. Here's to continuing to imagine a future together!

[coppersunshine]

I've shared my battle jacket before but it's been updated since so sharing again for solarpunk aesthetic week

By far my favorite piece of clothing, though it's too damn hot to wear it right now. I embroider all the patches by hand, so it gets added to very very slowly.

[ID: A green army jacket covered in studs, safety pins, and colorful embroidered patches]

[roseredsnow]

Interest check.

So I was thinking maybe something along the lines of a Solarpunk fashion week.

Probably around the same time as Paris Fashion week with it not being too close to solarpunk aesthetic week and it being around the same time as Paris one I think would just fit for showing a more sustainable side to fashion.

Basically showing off clothes/accessories that are:

Handmade (whether by yourself, bought or comissioned)

Second hand

Repaired

Altered

Held onto and used for years

I've meant to put togther outfits for both solarpunk aesthetic weeks and forgot but if it's a week for it I'm more likely to remember.

I know personally I've got several outfits that are fully secondhand and don't even realise that the full thing is at times.

I think it'd be a fun way to help show the sustainable side of fashion and also anything you've made or repaired yourself and haven't had the chance to show off.

Edit:

Forgot to mention when I came up with this I was also thinking if you didn't want to share pictures of yourself you could just share the clothes itself or if you don't have some but have sketches or even just describe ideas it'd be some more accessible options.

[the-bramble--patch]

solarpunk aesthetic week day 2!! Have my patched sweater. Some of the patches cover up holes and some stains. I still have some stains to go.

The method is swiss darning :) here's my zine if you wanna learn how to do it.

[jasperthehatchet]

Some necklaces and bracelets I made a while ago. Thought I'd post them here for solarpunk aesthetic week 🌿☀️🌻🌿

[Image ID: the first image is of three bracelets. One made of three silver metal beads in between one reddish wood bead (thats the pattern), the second is completely made out of safety pins and the last one is made of green wooden oval beads that I weaved yarn through to connect them so they all lay vertically next to each other.

The next image is of a large piece of twine layered over itself, a necklace, with random colorful glass, wood and metal beads scattered all throughout it about an inch apart from each other. They're held in place on the twine with knots so they don't slide around.

The third image is a necklace with a light colored leather cord, with varying colors and shapes of wooden beads on both sides of the pendant. The pendant is an aged gold colored metal sun with a black crystal center. The colors of the beads include dark brown, light brown and in between, with two different sized sphere shapes and lighter tube shaped ones.

The fourth image is of two necklaces almost identical to each other. Both have five small wood beads on both sides of the pendants near the bottom, and multiple small green wood beads tied onto the thin twine cord almost an inch apart from each other. Both pendants are smooth stones, one is a yellow triangle shape and one is a dark grayish blue sharp tooth shape.

The next necklace is on a light colored leather cord. The pendant is a light pink jade donut shaped stone and the beads are varying sizes of wooden beads that are light brown and green with some metal ones in there. The bead closest to the pendant at the bottom holding both sides of the cord together is a white plastic bead with a black spiral design and there are two metal tube beads splitting the cord into two sections, then the rest of the beads are strung up from there

The final necklace is made of varying colors and shapes of steampunk gears. There are bronze, silver and green oxidized copper ones all about the size of a quarter. Some are a little bigger than that. They're all attached to each other in a chain linked together with large silver jump rings and the part that hangs it from the neck is made of silver necklace chain. End ID]

And here's two soda tab arm cuffs I made as well

[Image ID: two images of large bracelets/arm cuffs I weaved out of silver aluminum soda tabs, using black cord. I don't really know how to describe how I made them but it's the same method people use to make soda tab belts as well. End ID]

I have a hard time describing things or wording stuff correctly so I hope my image descriptions are sufficient. If anyone reading my posts can do better, please don't be afraid to add more detailed ones in the reblogs or comment, I will reblog them and/edit my posts to add them as well <3

[fennopunk]

Okay, you know what, screw this. It's early morning and I was going to write a post about some people viewing aesthetic part of solarpunk as a bad thing and how that angers me.

But I'm going to let impulsiveness lead me for once, so

I'M GOING TO DECLARE A SOLARPUNK AESTHETIC WEEK

That's right, a week of solarpunk aesthetic acts! Can be practical/political/etc too, but aesthetic is the main goal.

I propose 25th week, so 19-25 of June (mainly because it's Midsummer week, and Juhannus is one of my favorite holidays)

Do I have any experience on organizing an online event and will the daytime me be horrified at this decision? Nope and most likely yes.

Also, I don't want this to compete with Solarpunk Action Week, nor do I view practical acts inferior. We need both aesthetic and practical acts to move forward, and both are just as important.

[solarpunkani]

I think one thing that would be nice to see explored a bit more in Solarpunk art/aesthetic posts is how Solarpunk will likely look different depending on where you are, what’s feasible in that area, weather patterns, etc.

Like its almost 5am so I’m gonna be rambly but like. A lot of the most common features of Solarpunk art so far are a bit of an art-noveau type look, with lots of stained glass. Heavy emphasis on solar power and windpower and trees. In no way, shape, or form am I going to pretend this is BAD! I love this look, I think its great and inspiring and I love the color green I just.

Maybe Solarpunk doesn’t mean ‘green’ for everyone everywhere. Solarpunk might be more… yellows, and reds, and oranges. If you live in a desert, where there aren’t a lot of trees. I’m thinking places like Arizona, New Mexico, Niger, Chad, Libya. What would solarpunk fashion look like in these places—I feel like embroidered jean overalls won’t be common here. Traditional wear from these places is GORGEOUS, and I’d love to see more of a highlight on it and these biomes in Solarpunk. What would the housing look like—how would you keep cool indoors and out? I’ve seen a few ideas put into practice, but what would you dream up? How would you make them fun?

Similarly, how about coastal communities? Sure there’d be lots of green—but green may stand for seaweed just as much as it would trees. Not to mention the vibrant blues of the sky and seas, and the rainbow of colors from coral and seashells and glittering scales. What would a solarpunk community look like along the coasts of places like Florida, Hawaii, Jamaica, etc.? How are some of these places already Solarpunk? Wind and solar power could be an option, but we can also use hydropower as well—what would a solarpunk hydropower system look like in your wildest dreams? Fish-shaped spinning turbines underwater, swimming like sharks? Would houses float and bob along the water? How would gardening be handled with mostly salt water around—rain water capture would be critical, I feel—or desalination of small amounts of salt water. What would the fashion look like HERE? What does it look like already?

What does solarpunk look like in snowy places—like Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Russia? When green comes around in spring and summer, but fall and winter brings expanses of snow and ice? Solarpunk fashion here would be a LOT cozier than the solarpunk fashion on a Florida beach. I’m imagining lots of furs and layers. How would traditional practices be used to stay safe and warm, how would energy be captured and stored during long and dark winters? Would communities here be more nomadic, traveling further south during the coldest months, or would they stay where they are and construct homes that easily stay warm with little output?

Its actively 5am now so if I don’t make sense by all means. I guess I don’t make sense. But this has been on my mind for a few days now and I guess as we get closer to Solarpunk Aesthetic Week, this can be a fun and interesting thing to keep in mind! Let this inspire your art, your music, your fashion, your stories, your musing, and how you reach out to others about the ideals of Solarpunk.

[roobiedo]

Happy Solarpunk Aesthetic Week and Winter Solstice! ❄️

While we do celebrate here, we don't actually experience winter in my region, or any of the classic four seasons! The weather here is basically a coin toss between searing heat and torrential rain lol. So while I was musing over how to adapt a solarpunk aesthetic to a tropical lifestyle, I came up with this!

Lengthy explanations and chaotic ideas below:

Disclaimer: I am not a science-y person, so I'm not sure how any of these would technically work or what materials would go into making them. Hopefully one day someone could figure it out, but I'm just having fun sharing these ideas for now :)

-----

What works well both in harsh sunlight and heavy downpours, plus is already something that people here use everyday? Umbrellas! How cool would it be to have an umbrella that absorbs sunlight during the day, and turns it into a personal spotlight at night? Or perhaps it could absorb and store large amounts of rainwater, to be re-used later or released somewhere more useful?

My main inspiration for this is the bamboo. This plant already plays a huge role in our lives here -- culturally, economically, and from what I recently learned, ecologically too! Our region suffers from floods often, and bamboo can help to control the flow of water, for example through their roots providing a barrier against soil erosion, or their ability to store large amounts of water and release it gradually during drier seasons. (And that's just one of the many reasons why bamboos are awesome and solarpunky!) I thought it would be cool to have water stored in the 'bamboo nodes' of the umbrella shaft, which could then be detached and used individually, or as components in other tech!

I chose the Amazonian lily pad as the canopy design because 1) it looks big enough to cover a person, 2) it has a wide surface for solar panels to 'photosynthesize' energy, 3) its container-like shape looks as though it could hold rainwater like a funnel while it trickles into the shaft, and 4) it just looks really pretty! Realistically, this canopy might not be able to do everything at once, so I'm hoping for this tech to be modular and highly customizable -- as in, you could replace this 'lily pad' with something else that serves a different function! I did play around with some other designs, here they are hehe

Hibiscus: Our national flower! Have these bad boys growing in my yard so I thought why not. Not sure what functions it would have yet... perhaps the pistil could be a sensor for gathering weather data? Or maybe the anthers are little lights? Maybe it attracts BEES???

Mushroom: Not familiar with the fungi in my area yet so I went with the classic Amanita. Though now I'm kinda regretting because! Wouldn't it be so cool and lunarpunky to design it based on a bio-luminescent mushroom, so it would make sense for the umbrella to glow in the dark? AGH missed opportunities ;;

-----

Anyway while I was designing the umbrella I thought about giving the model a cool fit too, so tadaaa! A customizable pair of pants that can be worn as a shorts + half-skirt/sarong combo during hot weather, or extended to become a full pair of jeans during colder/rainy times! I used zippers as the connectors because they seem easy to sew on and I like the punky vibe it adds to the outfit. HOWEVER, I'm realising that might be inconvenient or way too time consuming for some people. Maybe buttons, magnets or hook-and-loop fasteners would be easier?

As for the shirt, idk that was just for fun. Maybe it changes colour/design based on the surrounding temperature?

-----

So YEAH that was my longer-than-expected idea dump for this week! Thank you for reading <3 If you have any thoughts or ways of expanding on these ideas please please please share them with me I'm just really excited to see what people think waaaaa!!! ok bye stay hydrated