Retrofuturism

For the Triple H album, see Retro Futurism.
"Retrofuture" redirects here. For the Tiger Army album, see Retrofuture (album).
Retrofuturistic depiction of a flying locomotive, visually based on the Nebraska Zephyr, in a dieselpunk style reminiscent of the early 1940s
Proposed high-speed ocean express ("Ozeanreise im Jahre 2.000") as in the year 2000, 1931 (Hamburg - New York in 40 hours)
Hotel on tracks ("Reisehotel") as in the year 2000, work of 1898
Sailing ship airborne ("White Cruiser of the clouds"), 1902

Retrofuturism (adjective retrofuturistic or retrofuture) is a movement in the creative arts showing the influence of depictions of the future produced in an earlier era. If futurism is sometimes called a "science" bent on anticipating what will come, retrofuturism is the remembering of that anticipation.[1] Characterized by a blend of old-fashioned "retro styles" with futuristic technology, retrofuturism explores the themes of tension between past and future, and between the alienating and empowering effects of technology. Primarily reflected in artistic creations and modified technologies that realize the imagined artifacts of its parallel reality, retrofuturism can be seen as "an animating perspective on the world".[2]

  1. ^ Elizabeth Guffey and Kate C. Lemay, "Retrofuturism and Steampunk", The Oxford Handbook to Science Fiction, Oxford University Press, 2014, p. 434.
  2. ^ Robert Lanham, "Introduction", The Oxford Handbook to Science Fiction, Oxford University Press, 2014, p. 14