Seapunk
Seapunk is a subculture and internet aesthetic that began as a joke on Tumblr in 2011, when DJ Lil Internet coined the term in a tweet about a "seapunk leather jacket with barnacles where the studs used to be". Half meme, half genuine nostalgia for the early web and 1990s pop culture, it built a liquid fantasy of dolphins, shells, and tridents over 1990s 3D net art - neon geometry floating above digital oceans - in turquoise, purple, and pink. The aesthetic spawned a small electronic microgenre mixing 1990s R&B and pop with Southern hip hop, chiptune, and new-age shimmer, played in a Chicago club scene; musician Ultrademon released an album named Seapunk in 2012. That same year Azealia Banks' "Atlantis" video and Rihanna's "Diamonds" performance on Saturday Night Live carried the look to mainstream audiences before it vanished back into the internet.
Defining characteristics
- Aquatic iconography: dolphins, mermaids, seashells, tridents, waves, palm trees
- Turquoise, cyan, lilac, and aquamarine color, often in holographic gradients
- 1990s 3D net art: neon geometry and rotating shapes floating over digital oceans
- Nostalgic web ephemera: screensaver graphics, clip art, glitter GIFs, yin-yangs and smiley faces
- Lo-fi digital collage, deliberately kitsch and self-aware
- Rainbow-dyed hair, shell jewelry, and plastic sunglasses in the fashion wing
Key figures
- Lil Internet — DJ who coined the term 'seapunk' in a humorous 2011 tweet
- Ultrademon (Lilium Kobayashi) — Musician credited with originating the movement; released the album Seapunk in 2012
- Azealia Banks (1991-) — Rapper whose 2012 "Atlantis" video brought seapunk imagery to mainstream audiences
- Rihanna (1988-) — Singer whose 2012 Saturday Night Live "Diamonds" performance referenced seapunk
Example works
- Seapunk — Ultrademon (2012)
- Atlantis — Azealia Banks (2012)
Sources
- Seapunk - Wikipedia encyclopedia