The retro futuristic style is one of my great sources of inspiration. I want to tell you a little more about this style to immerse you a little more in my creative universe.
It is a style that we find everywhere, in fashion, architecture, design, music, literature, but also and especially in cinema which brings together all these forms of art.
Retro futurism is a representation of the future , but from the perspective of a past era . It then takes on a form of nostalgia by evoking the memory of this anticipation.
It is a style that takes its inspiration from the futuristic style of the 70s and which shows the future in the years 2000 to 2020 which is our present . That's what I love about this style, being able to make comparisons with our time. I also see in these films a message of hope . Indeed, they often tell of a chaotic future; comparing it to our present, we realize that it is not so apocalyptic.
It is a style that emerged following all the technological advances and feats made during the industrial revolution. All this engineering will greatly evolve the work of designers, because it goes hand in hand with technology. Which will end up inspiring the world of art and cinema. So much for the formal inspirations, but in terms of the plot and the messages to be conveyed, this style takes its sources from different societal problems.
The different sources of inspiration for this style
This style allows us to realize the concerns of the time. For example in Soylent Green , Richard Fletcher raises the issue of overpopulation following the post-war baby boom. (which wasn't a problem then and still isn't).
It is also inspired by prophecies. In Terry Gilliam's Army of the Twelve Monkeys , we find the prophecy of the pandemic (the main character must return to the past to find the origin of the virus which has decimated a large part of the population). Isn't this prophecy coming to pass?
Retro-futurism also takes its inspiration from universal themes with which we can draw parallels with our current era, such as the increasingly important consumer society.
Universality is the key word of this style, it must be able to speak to all eras.
There may be elements reminiscent of the 70s, but the goal was to completely break away and offer timeless elements that can adapt to all eras. This is another point which demonstrates why I like this style, we find this notion of timelessness and minimalism.
Retrofuturism can have two starting points which are the future seen from the past or the past seen from the future.
The first axis is inspired by the imaginary future that existed in the minds of writers, artists and filmmakers of the time. These futuristic visions are refurbished and updated for the present, and offer a nostalgic image of what the future could have been.
The second axis is the inverse of the first. It begins with the retro appeal of old styles of art, clothing, and mores, then incorporates modern or futuristic technologies, creating a blend of past, present, and future elements. This kind of retro futurism instead gives rise to the style Cyberpunk, Steampunk... each referring to a technology from a specific period of time.
Retrofuturism of the first type is influenced by the scientific, technological and social consciousness of the present, and modern retrofuturist creations are not simply copies of their inspirations, on the contrary, they are given a new, often ironic twist from a point of view modern.
You will have understood, it is in the first type that I take my inspiration. Nostalgia, optimism, societal phenomena and timelessness.