cyb3rg0th!
BlackX(X) from TURPID interviews a member of the “Cyberpunk” Community, FragmentsofaHologramDystopia(A), to gain insight on the Subculture
X: Thanks for coming to help us out with understanding the Cyberpunk community!
A: Thank you and good evening (well, here it is evening anyway). I hope I can be helpful!
X: Of course you can.
First thing's first: What is "Cyberpunk"?
A: Cyberpunk is born as a literary genre, a subgenre of science fiction. It became famous with William Gibson’s Neuromancer and the other books that create the Sprawl Trilogy. What really defines cyberpunk is the setting and the characters that can be found in such an universe: giant, unending cities are inconographically perfect to define cyberpunk, because of all sci-fi subgenres, it’s probably the most “urban”. It is dystopian, but it doesn’t have a relationship with dystopia comparable to the one visible in 1984 by Orwell, especially in terms of technology: orwellian technology serves a government bent on a total control, cyberpunk doesn’t have powerful governments, because most of them are puppets in the hands of megacorporationsthat control the world’s economy. A world controlled by megacorporations where rich people get more powerful everyday and poor people matter less and less sounds awfully real.
X: That is ultra mega fascinating! So what are some of the ideologies of the group? Any goals or ambitions shared by most members(ex:enjoyment, political/social awareness/protest, etc)?
A: Well, I don’t think cyberpunk is an unified group, but I believe that there are some common ambitions, interests and desires. From a political point of view the cyberpunk tries to use the technology that permeates life (it already permeates the life we live now, we can only imagine how deeper it will get in the future) for their own means, trying to use it to reveal dark secrets of governments and corporations not much different than the ones that produce the same technology - it’s an universe full of contradictions.
X: Going off on the fact or rather beliefs cyberpunk has on technology, how technologically adept is the average member? Is there a level of aptitude needed?
A: I don’t think so, because cyberpunk is generally an accepting community and certainly not everybody needs to be a hacker or a computer genius. I think the key here is curiosity, and the desire to try new things, the enthusiasm in seeing how prosthetics have evolved even if they don’t need one, the interest in seeing how technology is close to giving us the cyberware that is so popular in cyberpunk.
X: Speaking of the members, there seems to be many on the artistic side of cyberpunk, creating the beautiful dystopian technology encrusted landscape or science fiction stories. Are there any members like such you enjoy the works of?
Well, a lot of them or I wouldn’t be able to post on my blog on a daily basis! I don’t have the name of a particular artist in the cyberpunk field - I enjoy the works of Simon Stålenhag a lot, even if it’s not properly cyberpunk - but I have some requirements when it comes to art that I appreciate: I’m not a fan of absurdly depicted female characters or of settings that are too unreal to be real even in a fantastic, futuristic world. Cyberpunk has realism in it. A gritty realism, after all the cyberpunk “motto”, if we can call it that way, is “high tech low life”.
X: Just between you me and the readers, I am a huge fan of a lot of the detailed artwork that comes from the Cyberpunks, just because of how painstakingly detailed and realistic it is. I definitely will have to check him out. Could you take us through the life of a cyberpunk? Their activities, fashions, anything that they do unique to the culture?
A: Cyberpunk has a strong individuality, so everyone may look different and choose to express their cyberpunkness in a different way. In terms of fashions there may be inspiration from iconic movies or medias that depict what the person really strives for. The Fifth Element isn’t cyberpunk, but the fashion that the characters wear would definitely be perfect in a cyberpunk narrative. Fashion matters, and games like Cyberpunk 2020 like to highlight the importance of it, in the great role that appearance plays. I personally love such an aspect and try to bring it in my daily life, going for fashion and make-up choices that would look good in a cyberpunk universe. It’s a mean of self expression, after all, which is an important aspect for cyberpunk in terms of personal freedom. Activities may vary, of course, just like there are tons of different cyberpunk characters that lead different lives and so do the cyberpunk fans. Some may enjoy a wider social life, some may live behind their computer screens - and both are ok.
I need to add that a cyberpunk life is hard in my country, because it’s exactly the contrary of the giant cityscapes I like to post on my blog. Skyscrapers are hard to find, and it definitely doesn’t convey an image of cyberpunk (just imagine if you had to do a photoshoot, for example, good luck finding a suitable place, whereas if you need something Middle Ages related, it might realistically be around a corner).
X: That's unfortunate. Are there any other problems and/or prejudices that the community faces? Both online and off?
A: A non conventional look will always receive some unwanted comments, even if I tone it down. And a lot of people don’t understand science fiction in general here. When you think about sci-fi, it’s certainly not Italy the first country that comes to mind. There’s a rather sad tendency to judge literature that falls under certain genres (science fiction, noir, romance) as inferior and unworthy of consideration, especially in the academic field. Not everyone thinks like that, of course - I was lucky enough to meet a few sci-fi geeks as professors in my university - but it is a widespread attitude. Two famous italian authors called Fruttero and Lucentini once wrote that “a flying saucer cannot land in Lucca” (Lucca being a very beautiful, typically “italian” small medieval town) to say that italians will never be good at sci-fi and that Italy will never be a good setting for something related to that genre.
The hammer of justice is quite ironic on this matter, because every year in Lucca there’s one of the world’s biggest geek/nerd conventions: it’s called Lucca Comics & Games, it’s set in the heart of the town and for a few days it becomes literally filled with enthusiast. Everyone acts like San Diego Comicon is the alpha and omega of cons, but Lucca C&G is the second in the world in terms of attendees.
X: Well, hopefully we can do something to change these problems. (ps I would love to go to Lucca C&G)...Going back to a happier note, you said that cyber-geeky-ness, if you would, is a "widespread attitude". How big is the community?
A: Ah, I can’t tell numbers, I ignore them myself. Cons are a good way to measure that, in a certains sense, and I can tell you that there were probably half a million geeks at Lucca C&G during saturday. But it’s more geeky-ness that is becoming widespread, rather than the specific cyber one. I am glad to say that the geek community is quite heartwarming here (not everybody is perfect, it’s a big community that has its jerks) and very welcoming, never to discriminate towards sci-fi lovers.
X: Going back to the fashion of Cyberpunk, though you say every one is fairly individualistic, are there any trends or accessories/styles commonplace in each one?
A: Cyberpunk doesn’t have the immediately recognizable elements of other subcultures - think about how goggles immediately identify steampunk: it’s harder to pinpoint a similar element. Mirrorshades would be the obvious choice here, hell there’s even a cyberpunk anthology called Mirrorshades. Cyberpunk doesn’t have to be a black and white world in terms of fashion - you can’t always wear black leather à la Matrix, of course. I think that colorful hair, mirrorshades and, especially in situations like cons when there’s more freedom of expression, fake cyberware would be a great defining element. In terms of clothing it is often adopted an “urban” style. Colorful often, and with DIY elements. I think the DIY part is important, it is one of the aspects that was borrowed from the punk scene, besides the rebellious one.
The brand Cyberdog tends to be quite popular among cyberpunk, I own a few pieces myself, because some of its clothes can be worn even in an everyday routine.
X: I’ll check them out. Two more questions, if you don't mind; 1) Besides the Fifth Element, what other movies/media are admired/integrated by the Cyberpunk community?
A: Of course, I don’t mind at all. There’s Matrix, that is considered a typical cyberpunk movie, and other movies such as Blade Runner and Dredd depict cyberpunk situations and settings quite well. Akira is a must, too. In terms of games there’s Cyberpunk 2020 and Shadowrun - the latter one has fantasy elements that some purists may not enjoy, but I’ve played the new videogames linked to that universe, Shadowrun Returns and its expansion Dragonfall that despite the fantasy, they definitely are cyberpunk (and are greatly enjoyable, especially Dragonfall). Reading William Gibson’s Sprawl Trilogy is practically a requirement, because it contains the best elements of cyberpunk and it was written when internet and cyberspace didn’t exist the way they do now.
There are many other works that have cyberpunk elements without being “strictly” cyberpunk the way other works are.
X: Haha, I'm gonna be busy checking those out too!
For our last question, how has being part of the Cyberpunk community changed your life personally?
A: Well, without the cyberpunk community I probably wouldn’t be here being interviewed now! I’ve created my blog trying to find something inspirational and that could be an inspiration to other people too, and now there’s thousands of people who follow and reblog my posts. It’s a great opportunity, which is one of the reasons why I am happy to have the weekly question on different topics, to engage in a discussion and create even a bigger, stronger community. Talking with other people, as simple as it may be, it’s incredibly helpful and just… interesting. You never know what comes from exchange.
In terms of my personal life, cyberpunk was life-changing because I worked for month on my graduation thesis at the university, and it focused on the Sprawl Trilogy and the problems of the italian translation available, which is in desperate need of an update. Language is something I care a lot, training to be a translator and already having some translation experience, and the work on the Sprawl Trilogy gave me an insight on those books and in the way to read and experience a text that changed the way I read nowadays. I love having discovered such a genre because, together with the post-apocalyptic one, it has become my favourite and it fits with the kind of stories I love to write. If you have anything else to ask, of course feel free to do it!
X: Thanks! That is absolutely lovely. Congrats! And as for the translator aspect, I have no doubt that you will excel infinitely(your words here are flawless, I'd be honored to read/play a game translated by ya)!
Is there anything else that we didn't cover or you want to tell our readers about Cyberpunk or yourself?
A: About Cyberpunk? Well, to give it a try. As I’ve stated before, I recommend reading the Sprawl Trilogy because it’s practically the cyberpunk bible, but it can be hard to read - Gibson’s language isn’t the easiest, and if you read it in translation it may be even harder-. So starting from movies or other books may be a good way. An example: I enjoyed the book Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan, a cyberpunk detective story which makes it an unputdownable book, and it’s probably an easier start. But read Gibson, even if it’s hard. Because sometimes you have to take the hard path. I will start posting some reviews in my blog, so that people can search something in accordance to their taste and perhaps try something new.
About myself, I could say that I’m always happy to answer questions or debate some special issue, especially if it’s related to the blog, so feel free to message me!
And I am of course thankful for this interview that gave me the opportunity to talk about something I am so deeply interested in.
X: And their blog is http://fragments-of-a-hologram-dystopia.tumblr.com/, please check it out. I know I'm subscriber and it really is a fantastic blog and one of my personal favourites!
I can't thank you enough for coming in and agreeing to educate and talk to us! It's been huge fun and extremely enriching!
A: It has been fun for me too! Thanks again for this!
X: Anytime.
A: Thank you and good evening (well, here it is evening anyway). I hope I can be helpful!
X: Of course you can.
First thing's first: What is "Cyberpunk"?
A: Cyberpunk is born as a literary genre, a subgenre of science fiction. It became famous with William Gibson’s Neuromancer and the other books that create the Sprawl Trilogy. What really defines cyberpunk is the setting and the characters that can be found in such an universe: giant, unending cities are inconographically perfect to define cyberpunk, because of all sci-fi subgenres, it’s probably the most “urban”. It is dystopian, but it doesn’t have a relationship with dystopia comparable to the one visible in 1984 by Orwell, especially in terms of technology: orwellian technology serves a government bent on a total control, cyberpunk doesn’t have powerful governments, because most of them are puppets in the hands of megacorporationsthat control the world’s economy. A world controlled by megacorporations where rich people get more powerful everyday and poor people matter less and less sounds awfully real.
X: That is ultra mega fascinating! So what are some of the ideologies of the group? Any goals or ambitions shared by most members(ex:enjoyment, political/social awareness/protest, etc)?
A: Well, I don’t think cyberpunk is an unified group, but I believe that there are some common ambitions, interests and desires. From a political point of view the cyberpunk tries to use the technology that permeates life (it already permeates the life we live now, we can only imagine how deeper it will get in the future) for their own means, trying to use it to reveal dark secrets of governments and corporations not much different than the ones that produce the same technology - it’s an universe full of contradictions.
X: Going off on the fact or rather beliefs cyberpunk has on technology, how technologically adept is the average member? Is there a level of aptitude needed?
A: I don’t think so, because cyberpunk is generally an accepting community and certainly not everybody needs to be a hacker or a computer genius. I think the key here is curiosity, and the desire to try new things, the enthusiasm in seeing how prosthetics have evolved even if they don’t need one, the interest in seeing how technology is close to giving us the cyberware that is so popular in cyberpunk.
X: Speaking of the members, there seems to be many on the artistic side of cyberpunk, creating the beautiful dystopian technology encrusted landscape or science fiction stories. Are there any members like such you enjoy the works of?
Well, a lot of them or I wouldn’t be able to post on my blog on a daily basis! I don’t have the name of a particular artist in the cyberpunk field - I enjoy the works of Simon Stålenhag a lot, even if it’s not properly cyberpunk - but I have some requirements when it comes to art that I appreciate: I’m not a fan of absurdly depicted female characters or of settings that are too unreal to be real even in a fantastic, futuristic world. Cyberpunk has realism in it. A gritty realism, after all the cyberpunk “motto”, if we can call it that way, is “high tech low life”.
X: Just between you me and the readers, I am a huge fan of a lot of the detailed artwork that comes from the Cyberpunks, just because of how painstakingly detailed and realistic it is. I definitely will have to check him out. Could you take us through the life of a cyberpunk? Their activities, fashions, anything that they do unique to the culture?
A: Cyberpunk has a strong individuality, so everyone may look different and choose to express their cyberpunkness in a different way. In terms of fashions there may be inspiration from iconic movies or medias that depict what the person really strives for. The Fifth Element isn’t cyberpunk, but the fashion that the characters wear would definitely be perfect in a cyberpunk narrative. Fashion matters, and games like Cyberpunk 2020 like to highlight the importance of it, in the great role that appearance plays. I personally love such an aspect and try to bring it in my daily life, going for fashion and make-up choices that would look good in a cyberpunk universe. It’s a mean of self expression, after all, which is an important aspect for cyberpunk in terms of personal freedom. Activities may vary, of course, just like there are tons of different cyberpunk characters that lead different lives and so do the cyberpunk fans. Some may enjoy a wider social life, some may live behind their computer screens - and both are ok.
I need to add that a cyberpunk life is hard in my country, because it’s exactly the contrary of the giant cityscapes I like to post on my blog. Skyscrapers are hard to find, and it definitely doesn’t convey an image of cyberpunk (just imagine if you had to do a photoshoot, for example, good luck finding a suitable place, whereas if you need something Middle Ages related, it might realistically be around a corner).
X: That's unfortunate. Are there any other problems and/or prejudices that the community faces? Both online and off?
A: A non conventional look will always receive some unwanted comments, even if I tone it down. And a lot of people don’t understand science fiction in general here. When you think about sci-fi, it’s certainly not Italy the first country that comes to mind. There’s a rather sad tendency to judge literature that falls under certain genres (science fiction, noir, romance) as inferior and unworthy of consideration, especially in the academic field. Not everyone thinks like that, of course - I was lucky enough to meet a few sci-fi geeks as professors in my university - but it is a widespread attitude. Two famous italian authors called Fruttero and Lucentini once wrote that “a flying saucer cannot land in Lucca” (Lucca being a very beautiful, typically “italian” small medieval town) to say that italians will never be good at sci-fi and that Italy will never be a good setting for something related to that genre.
The hammer of justice is quite ironic on this matter, because every year in Lucca there’s one of the world’s biggest geek/nerd conventions: it’s called Lucca Comics & Games, it’s set in the heart of the town and for a few days it becomes literally filled with enthusiast. Everyone acts like San Diego Comicon is the alpha and omega of cons, but Lucca C&G is the second in the world in terms of attendees.
X: Well, hopefully we can do something to change these problems. (ps I would love to go to Lucca C&G)...Going back to a happier note, you said that cyber-geeky-ness, if you would, is a "widespread attitude". How big is the community?
A: Ah, I can’t tell numbers, I ignore them myself. Cons are a good way to measure that, in a certains sense, and I can tell you that there were probably half a million geeks at Lucca C&G during saturday. But it’s more geeky-ness that is becoming widespread, rather than the specific cyber one. I am glad to say that the geek community is quite heartwarming here (not everybody is perfect, it’s a big community that has its jerks) and very welcoming, never to discriminate towards sci-fi lovers.
X: Going back to the fashion of Cyberpunk, though you say every one is fairly individualistic, are there any trends or accessories/styles commonplace in each one?
A: Cyberpunk doesn’t have the immediately recognizable elements of other subcultures - think about how goggles immediately identify steampunk: it’s harder to pinpoint a similar element. Mirrorshades would be the obvious choice here, hell there’s even a cyberpunk anthology called Mirrorshades. Cyberpunk doesn’t have to be a black and white world in terms of fashion - you can’t always wear black leather à la Matrix, of course. I think that colorful hair, mirrorshades and, especially in situations like cons when there’s more freedom of expression, fake cyberware would be a great defining element. In terms of clothing it is often adopted an “urban” style. Colorful often, and with DIY elements. I think the DIY part is important, it is one of the aspects that was borrowed from the punk scene, besides the rebellious one.
The brand Cyberdog tends to be quite popular among cyberpunk, I own a few pieces myself, because some of its clothes can be worn even in an everyday routine.
X: I’ll check them out. Two more questions, if you don't mind; 1) Besides the Fifth Element, what other movies/media are admired/integrated by the Cyberpunk community?
A: Of course, I don’t mind at all. There’s Matrix, that is considered a typical cyberpunk movie, and other movies such as Blade Runner and Dredd depict cyberpunk situations and settings quite well. Akira is a must, too. In terms of games there’s Cyberpunk 2020 and Shadowrun - the latter one has fantasy elements that some purists may not enjoy, but I’ve played the new videogames linked to that universe, Shadowrun Returns and its expansion Dragonfall that despite the fantasy, they definitely are cyberpunk (and are greatly enjoyable, especially Dragonfall). Reading William Gibson’s Sprawl Trilogy is practically a requirement, because it contains the best elements of cyberpunk and it was written when internet and cyberspace didn’t exist the way they do now.
There are many other works that have cyberpunk elements without being “strictly” cyberpunk the way other works are.
X: Haha, I'm gonna be busy checking those out too!
For our last question, how has being part of the Cyberpunk community changed your life personally?
A: Well, without the cyberpunk community I probably wouldn’t be here being interviewed now! I’ve created my blog trying to find something inspirational and that could be an inspiration to other people too, and now there’s thousands of people who follow and reblog my posts. It’s a great opportunity, which is one of the reasons why I am happy to have the weekly question on different topics, to engage in a discussion and create even a bigger, stronger community. Talking with other people, as simple as it may be, it’s incredibly helpful and just… interesting. You never know what comes from exchange.
In terms of my personal life, cyberpunk was life-changing because I worked for month on my graduation thesis at the university, and it focused on the Sprawl Trilogy and the problems of the italian translation available, which is in desperate need of an update. Language is something I care a lot, training to be a translator and already having some translation experience, and the work on the Sprawl Trilogy gave me an insight on those books and in the way to read and experience a text that changed the way I read nowadays. I love having discovered such a genre because, together with the post-apocalyptic one, it has become my favourite and it fits with the kind of stories I love to write. If you have anything else to ask, of course feel free to do it!
X: Thanks! That is absolutely lovely. Congrats! And as for the translator aspect, I have no doubt that you will excel infinitely(your words here are flawless, I'd be honored to read/play a game translated by ya)!
Is there anything else that we didn't cover or you want to tell our readers about Cyberpunk or yourself?
A: About Cyberpunk? Well, to give it a try. As I’ve stated before, I recommend reading the Sprawl Trilogy because it’s practically the cyberpunk bible, but it can be hard to read - Gibson’s language isn’t the easiest, and if you read it in translation it may be even harder-. So starting from movies or other books may be a good way. An example: I enjoyed the book Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan, a cyberpunk detective story which makes it an unputdownable book, and it’s probably an easier start. But read Gibson, even if it’s hard. Because sometimes you have to take the hard path. I will start posting some reviews in my blog, so that people can search something in accordance to their taste and perhaps try something new.
About myself, I could say that I’m always happy to answer questions or debate some special issue, especially if it’s related to the blog, so feel free to message me!
And I am of course thankful for this interview that gave me the opportunity to talk about something I am so deeply interested in.
X: And their blog is http://fragments-of-a-hologram-dystopia.tumblr.com/, please check it out. I know I'm subscriber and it really is a fantastic blog and one of my personal favourites!
I can't thank you enough for coming in and agreeing to educate and talk to us! It's been huge fun and extremely enriching!
A: It has been fun for me too! Thanks again for this!
X: Anytime.