After briefly shutting down due to the L.A. wildfires, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures has opened its doors again. They're hosting an exhibition called "Cyberpunk: Envisioning Possible Futures Through Cinema," which explores the enduring popularity of the genre, particularly its visuals. On show will be production materials, costumes, props and of course concept art from movies like "Ghost in the Shell," "Tron," "The Matrix" and "Blade Runner." (I'm assuming there will be a fair bit of Syd Mead renderings.)
"Cyberpunk: Envisioning Possible Futures Through Cinema examines the global impact and lasting influence of the science fiction subgenre cyberpunk on cinema culture. Featuring near-future scenarios set in worlds that resemble our own, cyberpunk films juxtapose technological advances with social upheaval, ecological crisis, and urban decay. Central to these stories are outcasts and rebellious characters who fight against corrupt political systems, technology gone haywire, global mega-corporations, and colonialism."
This component of the exhibition may be old hat to industrial designers, but may still be worth a look: They're featuring a mixed reality exhibition demonstrating how they do the visual worldbuilding, by scanning structures like the Bradbury Building and going from wireframe to fully-textured environment.
The exhibition runs until April 12, 2026.
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I think it's important to note that it seems like a lot of people miss the point that the purpose of CyberPunk was to be a cautionary tale, something to avoid, not something to inspire and work towards. William Gibson, one of the founders of the genre has spoken about this. I saw Syd Mead give a talk in the 90s as well where he talked about how difficult working on Blade Runner was because he had to create a cynical future that he didn't want to become a reality... I think a lot of people its the concept and instead come away with "hey, cool flying cars"... it does make for some visually iconic movies, but let's work toward the opposite, SolarPunk.