[GT Points] [Dev's Talk] The Silkpunk Aesthetic

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Article Publish : 08/18/2022 20:00

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Edited by jumpscared at 08/18/2022 11:41

Dear Seekers,

For more than a month, since the Eastern Odyssey community has been officially operating, we have shared our worldview settings and development progress through our artworks.

We pay close attention to your feedback, and we have noticed that you guys often associate our designs with these styles or elements: adventure, futuristic, oriental, steampunk, cyberpunk, Japanese samurai, and pirates ......

But, if we use only one word to summarize our art style, what term should we use?

In fact, our style is based on the silkpunk aesthetic.

The term was invented by a very talented Chinese-American science fiction writer Ken Liu, who further defines Silkpunk on his blog:

“Silkpunk” was the shorthand I came up with to describe the technology aesthetic I wanted for the Dandelion Dynasty series as well as the literary approach I used in composing the books. In creating the silkpunk aesthetic, I was influenced by the ideas of W. Brian Arthur, who articulates a vision of technology as language.

[...] In the silkpunk world of my novels, this view of technology is dominant. The vocabulary of the technology language relies on materials of historical importance to the people of East Asia and the Pacific islands: bamboo, shells, coral, paper, silk, feathers, sinew, etc.

The grammar of the language puts more emphasis on biomimetics – the airships regulate their lift by analogy with the swim bladders of fish, and the submarines move like whales through the water.

[...] Finally, the “-punk” suffix in this case is functional. The silkpunk novels are about rebellion, resistance, re-appropriation and rejuvenation of tradition, and defiance of authority, key “punk” aesthetic pillars.

So to sum up, for silkpunk, form is just as important as function.

In this context, it is to exaggerate and magicalize the engineering technology of the ancient East, adding rich mythological and fantastic details for polishing, instead of being completely faithful to real history.

Therefore, our art, which can be associated with Silkpunk, is both a possibility for a tribute to traditions and an attempt to break them, all at once. This is also where we see Punk -- a kind of re-appropriation and rejuvenation of tradition.

To give you some more visual understanding, we are sharing with you the making process of this illustration in Eastern Odyssey:

💭 BONUS QUESTION:

What do you think about the Silkpunk aesthetic? Do you like it?

🎁 Share your opinion in the comments, and we will select the 5 most informative or interesting comments to gift the authors 200 GT points each!

■ Time: 20:00 AUG 18 - 20:00 AUG 25, 2022 (UTC +8)

■ Results: SEPT 1, 2022

(Eastern Odyssey project team reserves the right to final interpretation of this activity.)

Thank you all for coming to our community and enthusiastically giving us your support and advice.

We hope you can now get to know more about the fantasy world we are creating!

If you are interested in Silkpunk style, you may also check the following links:

What is “Silkpunk”?

Silkpunk: What It Is And What It Definitely Is Not | Book Riot

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👑 Here's the winner list from our event for introducing the west:

100 GT points: