Digital Orthodoxy Can the group that would rather type than touch compromise the future of humanity?
Boupha Nouth’s fascinating new exhibition Exploring subcultures and people’s response to them is interactive and groundbreaking. Get a hint of what to expect from it here.
Delicate strutures What does it mean to live in a disposable home?
Anarchistic Primitivism What do you do when everything has been ‘done’? Get an app for that or start again?
Savage Reclaimers Are Savage Reclaimers the hope for the future? A look into the subculture that has vowed not to buy anything new.
Botany returns Examing the life and work of Hans Staudinger, ensuring the preservation of flora.
What happened to subculture?
WITH EVERY MINUTE CHANGE in government and politics, a new scene is born. A group of people react to the shift in policy and everything from their fashion, music and speech is influenced. We call these “subcultures”, they distinguish themselves from the majority, they want and think and feel different things. Great art movements, such as the PreRaphaelite Brotherhood of the 1800s began with a few like-minded people who were dissatisfied with what was “normal”. Subcultures are a bold statement, a call for change, an expression of individuality and - often - a symbol of youth. Subcultures sometimes gain a following, they become commercialised and consequently, obsolete: once a subculture is filtered down to the mainstream, it’s unique significance is lost and it becomes nothing more than a fashion trend. What begun in the 1970s as an anti-establishment and left-wing ideology, Punk soon became more about safety pins and mohawks. The sexual liberation and exploration of altered consciousness of the Hippies became psychedelic prints and unkept hair. At the turn of the new millennium, subcultures became less meaningful. Any twelve year old who shopped in Claire’s Accessories could
buy into the Skater look, without having to adopt any of the lifestyle. The public became more passive, and often united in their opinions. In 2004 the largest protest in history occurred, against the Iraq War, where millions of people spoke out together. No one group made a statement, everybody did. In the 2010s, Indie and Hipster cultures became prevalent, but were not taken as seriously as their predecessors: their manifestos often unclear, they were accused of being “fake” and “wannabes” - and it became difficult to understand who the real Hipsters were. We then entered the Norm-Core period, where those who once strove to look different, tried harder to blend in. Everybody was the same, and the effect was dull. Youth could only be identified by their acne and the awkwardness, dressing the same as their parents, taking their place in the society without rebellion. And so, in the continuous cycle of life, we inevitably arrive in the present. In the immortal words of Mike & The Mechanics, “Every generation blames the one before,” and focuses their efforts on being different to the people who brought them up. We are entering a new wave of subcultures, reacting to developments in technology, politics, and fashion. The subculture has been reborn.
Knowing everything yet feeling nothing, a culture of tech-addicts has been born.
“
“
The longevity of this social breed is questionable, with a child-like aversion to strangers, how will they procreate?
THE DAYS OF TECHNOLOGY as a novelty are behind us; it is ubiquitous, ever present, unavoidable. There is nothing that can’t be done from the home, you can visit every corner of the galaxy without leaving your desk, you can learn everything there is to know without ever having to step outside into the world. Of course, there are some who choose to utilise their senses and do things the old-fash-
On the rare occasion they are seen wondering the streets, they have Google Glasses, 3D printed outfits and pasty complexions. Most of their time is spent indoors, roaming the deep web, no real understanding of what it is to be a person, to feel love, anger, admiration. They were conceived, but they live like robots, programmed to know only what
“Living like recluses, their every interaction performed through a webcam, visiting everywhere from China to Chile through a computer screen.” ioned way. People still have an innate wanderlust, an inexplicable urge to drink in the world first hand. But what about those who have embraced the digital age fully? Living like recluses, their every interaction performed through a webcam, visiting everywhere from China to Chile through a computer screen, with an encyclopedic knowledge of…everything.
technology wants them to know, feeling what the internet tells them to feel. The longevity of this social breed is questionable, with a child-like aversion to strangers, how will they procreate? The answer lies in 3D printing: the time when babies can be designed and delivered with the click of a button may be closer than we think.
There was once a time when human beings of a similar mind set would congregate over authentic experiences of music, art and politics. We called it culture.
OUT OF THE LAST 50 years has risen a terrifying and uncontrollable swell in technology, population, social stratification and control. Since the technological revolution of the 00s and the death of the authentic pub quiz, technology has totally and irrevocably been embedded within our lives. From the moment we wake, we consume, waste, opine, proclaim and abuse. Social interaction is being replaced with synesthetic, electronic forms of communication. Human interaction a rare novelty. From youth we have had access to wealth of information about everyone and every-
Society as it used to be, rich in personal disagreements and debate has gone flat in recent history, with agreement and disagreement being expressed in terms of a tiny pixelated thumbs up or down. However in recent months out of this loss of individualism and personal freedom has been born a new kind of lifestyle, existing on the fringes of modern living. Anarchistic primitivists we’ll call them, living on the outskirts of your city, rejecting every aspect of modern life, therefore going entirely unnoticed and undisturbed. Living on the land, making every aspect of their lives by hand with home grown
“They strive for an almost hunter-gatherer existence, a ‘rewilding’ of society .” thing, our opinions being based on those of others, our music taste and style a mash of rehashed and recycled ideas from a hundred years ago. There was once a time when human beings of a similar mind set would congregate over authentic experiences of music, art and politics. We called it culture.
materials and techniques (a kind of stylish Amish …), they have abandoned the whip of authoritarian structures, rejecting the abstract concept of power, integrated technology and thus, control. They strive for an almost huntergatherer existence, a ‘rewilding’ of society . Emerging from these ‘primitivists’ is an intriguing sense of style , something difficult to pinpoint during these times when there has been a worldwide rejection of ‘cool’ in favour of practicality and ease. Their clothes are made entirely from natural materials grown on their land; wools, leather and nettle fibres. Perhaps a little ‘dark age’ for some, but for them an expression of quiet rebellion. During an accidental one-off interview with a member of this obscure civilisation, the question of whether this ‘fashion statement’ was intentional or not was discussed. ‘Absolutely not. Our intention was to reject the influence such a synesthetic and lazy society has over the choices we make in our lives. I’ve found segregating myself very freeing, emotionally and creatively. Although so far there has been a lot of gardening and inadvertent nudity’. Perhaps out of this will come a revival in expression and inquisitivity. Or maybe just a large selection of free-range, eyerolling nudists - rich in fibre.
Designs by Aleksander Bucko
After years of irresponsible waste from previous generations, a small group have made a pact to never buy anything new.
“
clothes, material to build homes, all of it comes from waste disposals. Savage reclaimers have caught the attention of people who are not a part of the subculture, because of their strong sense of style. Although they believe in sustainable living, it does not mean they are not aware of aesthetics. It is hard to pin point items that are specific to the group, since everything is collected and therefore they depend on availability, but they have a very strong image. The positive effect of the subculture can already be noticed, with people becoming more aware of how much they are discarding and how much litter is produced each year. However, it is still not enough. Although some have been hooked by the allure of finding possible gems from wastes, it is still a minority who are moved by the situation and engaged towards re-shaping the future. There is hope, but only if we create it.
“
IT IS EASY TO look back to the past with nostalgia, imagining the 2010s and dreaming of a simpler life. A life where technology was present, but not as dominant in peoples lives as it is today. An easier living, more bucolic and grounded. But when looking to the past, we commonly do so through rose-tinted glasses, and the truth is, the past was not as good as it seems and the present is not as bad. Although many view the future with pessimism, there is a group shinning some hope. Savage reclaimers are a subculture very aware of the amount of waste that lives in the outskirts. Material that has been hoarding for hundreds of years and that have been left as useless scrap polluting the atmosphere. Savage reclaimers believe that such material should not be wasted, and they ensure that through choices that build their lifestyle. Under a strict policy of not buying anything new, they rummage through piles in order to find things they need. Technological devices,
Savage reclaimers are a subculture very aware of the amount of waste that lives in the outskirts.
Boupha Nouth examines subculture once more, but this time with different set of eyes.
BOUPHA NOUTH IS AN artist renowned for recording subcultures. She has, many times been the first to identify and expose modern groups. In a new exhibition that showcases extreme groups such as the anti-pacifists, known for their imperialist beliefs, Boupha is slightly shifting focus, and for the first time is examining also the audiences reaction to
The exhibition is set in individual booths containing images of the subcultures and that have different mood enhancing lights and music. After being processed by the bracelet, information on the feeling is sent wirelessly to the booth, which then introduces music and light to observe if the viewers mood changes. The exhibition is an example of how Boupha
After being processed by the bracelet, information on the feeling is sent wirelessly to the booth, which then introduces music and light to observe if the viewers mood changes.
“
“
these groups. This is how it works: before entering the exhibition, goers are given a bracelet, created in partnership with Google that must be worn throughout the visit. This bracelet is able to assimilate what the wearer feels when looking at these images. The range is huge, but some of the emotions include astonishment, anger, and sympathy.
is allying the study of subcultures and general culture, and will possibly establish her as the most socially-aware artist of the decade. About this new project she said: “I’m excited to see how people react to these exceptional groups, and how we can manipulate how they feel with the usage of external elements”.