How to Build a Safe Space for Earnest, Feminine Cyberpunk

The art collective cybertwee exists to destabilize the "nihilistic and cynical ethos [of] punk, and replace it with earnestness and a pronounced DIY aesthetic. The ASCII art-heavy opening text of the group's Kickstarter campaign asks, “What if virtual reality spaces were made with tenderness?” As co-founder Gabriella Hileman explains in an interview with Broadly, "There was a need for those things in the cyberpunk genre and the masculine-dominated tech world.” The goal of the Kickstarter campaign is thus to create a headquarters for the collective in a virtual space, and the first event to be held in the virtual headquarters is a juried gallery show of prominent cybertwee artists.

Exploring a virtual world of cute. Screencap via the author

Along with a group show, the cybertwee team explains on their Kickstarter page that they hope to “continue collaborating with artists to create a series of exhibitions and virtual events that you can visit through your phone.” In the future, they’re interested in organizing a virtual artist-in-residence program to encourage "gURLs to work in digital mediums like virtual reality, 3D modeling, and coding environments that they may or may not be familiar with.” Backers can receive everything from temporary tattoos to lenticular images, and they’ve even designed their own virtual reality viewer (for use with smartphones) for a $50 pledge. They aim to make the virtual space as accessible as possible, so this won’t just be available on Oculus Rift, but will also find a home via iOS and Android.

The cybertwee collective walks viewers through their project goals. Video via the cybertwee HQ Kickstarter

To donate to the cause and keep merging the worlds of tech + cuteness, visit cybertwee's Kickstarter campaign.

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