Art of the Surreal - The Rise of Internet Aesthetics

[@Jason_TCR]

My guy said "Windows 96 pop ups" and the slipped disk in my lower back began to throb.

[@Slimely]

In my opinion, no internet aesthetic will ever beat liminal spaces. It seemed like it just created itself. liminal spaces came at a perfect time when we were all stuck inside. Truly a gem of an aesthetic. also cool seeing you in opposer vr cresendex :)

[@Cresendex]

Cool seeing you in there too :D

[@ishitatiwari6056]

​@@Cresendex What's the name of the music that you used at the beginning of the video?

[@skytan4394]

true

[@griefer5846]

liminal spaces are kinda part of internet aesthetics, especially frutiger aero liminal spaces

[@cherryhazard8002]

Just wanted to say your videos are very unique and that you bring something to the table that most youtubers do not which I love. I really hope you get big!

[@Antics456]

May not be big to all yet, but big to us.

[@oiltycoonbillionaire]

​@@Antics456insane riding

[@robotomo4249]

Internet aesthetics definitely produce a feeling that can barely be described in words. For me, vaporwave hits all the marks of each internet aesthetic. Its so palpable to me. I wasn't born in the time that the vaporwave aesthetic resides upon, however much like you, I too feel a sense of nostalgia, or in this case, anemoia. My first exposure to vaporwave that stuck with me was a few years ago when, out of nowhere, I came across a Windows 95 desktop screenshot. The wallpaper looked like an ameture photo of a random backyard pool, although "Vaporwaved up" with the colours and such. I'm not sure what it is, but the combination of 90s technology and the real life really give me an indescribable feeling. Absolutely love your videos! Each one has its own unique twist to it that no other KZbinr seems to have.

[@Poodleinacan]

A E S T H E T I C But vaporwave is pretty good

[@JazzSicaa]

Just want to give more context about "biblically accurate angel": Not every angel from the old Bible where wheels with eyes or wings with eyes. The angels with wheels are called Ophanim, and the ones with wings are Seraphims. But humanoid angels still existed in the old versions of the Bible, but they were from different classes. Just wanted to give more context and avoid any misconception. Great content as always 👍

[@Cresendex]

You're right! My mistake, apparently biblically accurate angels were also only mentioned in the testament and not in the actual bible, goes to show my lack of knowledge when it comes to Christianity, however I support all who follow it ❤.

[@thishandleistacken]

@@Cresendex Another friendly correction "The Bible" is New and Old Testament of the Christians. The Bible to the Hebrew Faiths is just what Christians would call The Old Testament. In reality though since Jesus was Jewish the whole of Christianity was just a sect of Judaism until Paul got the vision of Christ to go out to the gentiles. For academic sources on YT I'd go with Religion For Breakfast, Lets Talk Religion, Esoterica and their associated friends.

[@Numinon]

I've seen Akira last year with a friend and it was just pure nostalgic bliss. It was as if I was back in the 90s again. That anime aesthetic from back then is something else.

[@Vailskibum]

vaporwave is peak aesthetic for me, nice vid 😎

[@alexandroslazaridis9318]

What are the chances

[@Cresendex]

I used to watch your videos when I was younger lol

[@ZaTheLean]

No way

[@crypticoolkid]

one time, i walked around an airport when it was completely empty. we missed our connecting flight so we were stuck there until morning. it was the best feeling there, with nobody at all.

[@GasGiantMoon]

As soon as I was done with Astrophobia, I came to realize you uploaded just right now. I hope for your channel to reach a broader audience and grow exponentially. Filled with so much joy as I'm currently typing, I'm glad people had to see the space simulator you featured along with all the sourced footage you used. You're an underrated channel & you are good at what you're doing :)

[@GasGiantMoon]

Oh I forgor, the space sim is known as SpaceEngine. I highly recommend.

[@MillywiggZ]

I’m old and remember two are movements: ‘Net Art’ and ‘Internet Art’ movements during the late 90’s and mid-2000’s. This is back when the internet was new. An animation company called ‘Shynola’ (who made that Queens Of The Stoneage red and black video) pioneered Windows menus in their work. This was a period when pixel art was new, it was so common place on computer screens but nobody had thought to put it in graphic design until the 90’s, check out some dance music albums from that era. The ‘Pictoplasma’ art books would be of interest to you guys too, might be an eye-opener looking back considering how ahead of the curve some of the designs were in there. Liminal spaces wern’t anything new since they were used by The Designers Republic and an artist called Rut Blees Luxemburg used brutalist and industrial architecture, the aesthetic of the 90’s and 2000’s was more factory, industrial and brutalist than the Y2K look all you kids are into. It’s weird seeing this stuff come back around again and shoot off into it’s own thing. Appreciate what’s around you now and maybe hold onto some mundane things, you never know when they’ll be back…

[@Mr.Mo_6]

How have you not yet blown up in popularity, your voice is calming and your content is interesting

[@TheGreatFoxDeity]

I believe the use of Greek statues in vaporwave comes from the album Floral Shoppe by Macintosh Plus, that album cover and music kind of set the whole look and feel of vaporwave going forward

[@THETANEMOIA]

Brutalism is an aesthetic in my eyes, and my favorite form of Architecture.

[@HSTMachine]

Check out Boston City Hall if you're unfamiliar. Fantastic example of early brutalist architecture.

[@RBLXProd]

This channel deserves to be recognized and become popular one day. And with only 13.8K subscribers, you produce content which made me think you had around 500K. Keep up the work, Cresendex

[@mind-of-neo]

It's funny that the three most popular aesthetics refered to with a -core suffix rn are weirdcore, dreamcore, and traumacore, because these all have an incredible amount of overlap. Traumacore just sort of delves deeper into the ideas of a lost or yearned for childhood that dreamcore and weirdcore include. Personally I'd love to see a full video on traumacore too

[@oiltycoonbillionaire]

Traumacore sounds retarded

[@Bleats_Sinodai]

I feel like Vaporwave is more of a celebration and critique of promises of a grandiose capitalistic future that never came. It celebrates the ideas, but critiques it's shallowness by distorting the iconography and sounds of the era.

[@Ds_D_D]

Ya know the crazy feeling when you see your child hood play ground at your favorite park in a KZbin video

[@Moistmochi_]

Your videos are really well done man. Your channel deserves more attention and I hope you keep up the great work.

[@EliTheGhost]

You've become one of my new comfort channels. Thanks for unintentionally curating to my hyperfixations and for the wonderful content! ❤

[@Jajawa]

Almost every image you use here I could stare at for an hour

[@looselytelling]

It feels like everyone uses surreal as an adjective without discussing the history of surrealism in art which delved into dreams and psychology translated into painting and sculpture. That sums up dreamcore and trauma core but personally I think Luis Bunuel put it best, quote; 'The surrealist's aim was not to establish themselves in the annals of art and literature, but to change the world and transform life itself'. Today, we have subgroups of people who find beauty in loneliness and abandonment, who go out and photograph their finds, their world has changed. Look back in art and you will find liminal spaces, dreamcore and traumacore of a bygone era, look at Rene Magritte's paintings and you will find liminal space, look at Gordon Clark's buildings and you will find liminal space.

[@brutalwares]

It makes me so happy to see someone else make a connection between Brutalism and Vaporwave-adjacent aesthetics. The two have a lot more in common than one would imagine at first glance! Great video :)

[@Robstar664]

You’re so underrated. I HAD to share my channel with my friends and they love you! You deserve so much more views and subscribers and all that other stuff. I love your videos! Keep it up❤

[@pineapplequeen13]

It's always cool to hear people mention Dalí when talking about dreamcore and weirdcore. I think his brand of surrealism attempted to bottle a very similar feeling, only for those born nearly a century before in the early 1900s. It's fascinating to see how this specific idea of being on the brink of a dream you can almost remember has shifted as our culture and technology has, as well. Very cool video!

[@9cater]

This dude only had 13k subs but is better than 90% of the channels on Yt bro is actually amazing

[@AllergicToMango]

This dude deserves a million subs. I can see his hard work in making these videos, and actually capturing our thoughts of abstract thoughts. Thank you for bringing such wonderful content.

[@SharkCat-yj8vl]

My favourite KZbinr (Broogli) explains that liminal aesthetics are an escape, and we find comfort in them because they reflect how we feel.

[@benmcreynolds8581]

Man at 5:08 there's a playground identical to one i grew up with called "Wildcat Park" in Corvallis, Oregon. I grew up thru the 90's. They tore it down and built a bland lame one in it's place. That feeling is the main feeling i get from this concept.

[@n0ttsweet_]

Same EXACT playground I had in Amherst, Ohio... weird.

[@Kiwiz5109]

Keep up the great work you’re really doing a great job. I hope you get recognized in the future as a pretty good and big KZbinr.❤

[@cosmocat17]

15:06 accually, word brutalism doesn't come from word 'brutal' nor 'brutality' but from French 'raw concrete' 🤓

[@thishandleistacken]

The roman statues are because in the 90s those statues were on CD Rom covers all the time, with the advent of 3D rendering it was a way to show off (I was born pre 92)

[@DexyD20]

Like you said about liminal spaces, I believe an aesthetic is kinda like a feeling made to feel real in some way and that speaks to your individual soul

[@tslodemi]

I suggest a new title for this video, "gen z collectively learned a new word, aesthetic." This video serves as the official announcement.

[@darkonyx6995]

You should make a video about Maidcore, which is a musical aesthetic on youtube that i think it deserves to be talked about too! Seriously, it's a big rabbit hole that would be fun for you to explore!

[@DjDeadpig]

The rise in surreal/abstract internet horror has been welcome rise in my opinion. Topics like Astrophobia arguably have been popularised by Internet aesthetics and edits with low rez games or pictures of space becoming an aesthetic almost.

[@mind-of-neo]

I've always just thought of it as when someone refers to something as being "aesthetic" what they really mean is that it fits well within a particular aesthetic that they have an interest in. An aesthetic is just a particular style or school of art that portrays a common set of ideals or concepts. It can be any form of art, the field of Aesthetics covers the nature of beauty and taste in all art forms.

[@suobset]

I love coming back to your videos. It’s my comfort zone.

[@catdownthestreet]

Ooh! Another internet aesthetic video. I really love these videos, it's cool that you have so much to work with when it comes to weirdcore, traumacore, phobias, etc. How do you not have more subs?

[@EcchiGamingYT]

I found out about an aesthetic called "Mizuiro" a couple days ago and I really like it. It's similar to dazecore (another aesthetic that I like), but the tones of mizuiro are brighter. It really makes me think of the mid 90's-early 2000's when blue was in. I also found out about an aesthetic that I was already very much aware of, but never knew it had a name. The aesthetic being "Global village coffeehouse". Back when I was a kid, I remember pretty much every café having this aesthetic. It created a certain jazzy atmosphere that I haven't felt from a real life space since around 2004. The type of vibe you got from listening to Highway Blues by Marc Seales on a Windows XP computer back in the day.

[@compookiie]

Greek statues were an overplayed trope of class and luxury in the 80s and early 90s

[@Itty-Bitty-Freakitty]

Your videos go so hard dude

[@gturtlem8074]

So glad you made it so far

[@peacefulfungoloid8624]

I love the frutiger aero world depicted in the early 2000s and 2010s, would those be considered as such.

[@romanglinnik8073]

Just a minor correction. There only was Windows95. Windows96 is a Vaporwave artist but also sometimes used as a joke against corporatism of which Vaporwave makes frequent use of.

[@Cresendex]

Damn you're right lol, didn't even notice

[@teal-dev]

Windows 98 (and 98 SE too if you go as far as to count it) are there too.

[@Robot257onlinehue]

Most of the time, what I see people call "internet aesthetics", like dreamcore traumacore and others you have mentioned, usually have landscapes you could/have/will see in a dream (Dreamcore just amplifies it to the max). So even stuff like liminal spaces and the rest have what I call "Dream-like Design" Which I feel is a much better descriptor these "aesthetics" than just calling them "internet aesthetics", cuz even irl stuff can have "internet"-like aesthetics.

[@DesTheMagicDog]

5:07 - this is a picture of a Kid's Kastle in Highland Village, Texas. I use to go to the one back in my hometown of Pell City, Alabama. The architecture is very distinct from most playgrounds as you can probably tell. (and yes anything that was made of rubber and metal in that place was very hot in the summer.)

[@n0ttsweet_]

Same EXACT playground I had in Amherst, Ohio... weird.

[@someoneontheweb4303]

Great video man! You're underrated af

[@mileshunt4096]

For me 'Aesthetic' is about association. The images, sounds and general things we associate together that have meaning to us. It's how we make sense of the world. Some aesthetics are personal to us and some are cultural. Consumerism exploits cultural aesthetics to convey the meaning of a product. Nostalgia is a big part of aesthetic because they are born out of reflection and hindsight. Enjoy the aesthetics your brain makes for you and use them to fuel creativity, but be careful not to get lost in endlessly striving to perfectly create them. It will close your perception to the future aesthetic of now.

[@Cutthecamerasdeadass1899]

Internet Aesthetics basically gives the feeling of Nostalgia...Most aesthetics are nostalgic

[@Dominus5505]

This is why I subbed amazing videos like this

[@wewladstbh]

wake up babe another obscure well made video essay on internet aesthetics just dropped

[@ShlomoRaz69]

another banger video. keep going my guy!

[@schwabrizen098]

Lets hope this channel will neber be kicken into the mainstream❤

[@strayiggytv]

Seeing gumball referred to as an old cartoon turned me into a pile of dust.

[@Kurfudo]

Thanks for the great vid, I liked listening to you discuss in the background while I did other things :]

[@shadw4701]

12:09 this actually is the same even if you do fully remember a dream. In fact the feelings you get from familiar dreamlike imagery may be stronger than that. Anemoia can also be created from false dream memories

[@yagirl177]

I get that all the time

[@hydrailce3404]

I once took a picture of an empty hallway in my school,it was sorta liminal.

[@yrworks6002]

I love your videos man! U always bring a good surprise when you make a new video!

[@jrmorales86]

the Internet is the collective unconsciousness of humanity

[@carloskoo7844]

I was happy to see a new video posted 💯🙌

[@lee-lv8zo]

11:10 i actually live literally right beside this train station, its redhill station in singapore and im a neighbouring resident. i guess this photo will serve me some nostalgia in the future lol, but its still an actual station and isnt really an 80s thing

[@NoThanksX]

Those of us who were around and remember the real 80s and 90s can only WISH it looked like Vaporwave aesthetic. Teal and pink were only ubiquitous in select settings from maybe 87 to 91. Beige and brown can't be empathized enough. Maybe some pops of primary colors. I personally love the concept despite my age because its almost like rewritting the narrative from a fresh perspective outside of myself, but to be fair I'm a kind of a wacky, creative driven sort of person overall.

[@EPWillard]

1:22 i think it would be more accurate to say that the word aesthetic used to have a much more closely defined meaning. even going back to the 1800s you will find the word aesthetic being used as an adjective. now it's extremely loose compared to how they would use it in adjective form.

[@ivanpetrov5255]

I think the difference between "aesthetic" and "beautiful" is that "aesthetic" is made, created. The fjords are beautiful _nature_ but the city was *built* by humans. This is what came to mind, when you showed that example.

[@littleBMO]

My interpretation is that an aesthetic is something that creates an atmosphere, where everything fits and compliments each other perfectly

[@The_Dinosaur_Heretic]

But aesthetics like desertcore romanticise nature. I don’t think your interpretation really works

[@ivanpetrov5255]

@@The_Dinosaur_Heretic First time hearing about desertcore. His examples were man-made, that's why I got that conclusion. Back to square one then 😅

[@jeshirekitenkatt1212]

the thing with greek statues/pillars etc makes more sense when you consider archetecture from the time period - many elements of this were often brought in in "high end" living spaces in magazines. i think it just came off as classy at the time, and it definitely feels more like a rich people thing. but the nostalgia present in vaporwave isn't for what was actually normal, but the remnants left behind. we don't have the same cultural context for why those things are present tho, so i think that gives a weird, mismatched vibe - because when these things were made, the space was new and greece was old. now when we look back at this idealized depictions of the 80s, they both are, and so they seem to clash. we'll probably feel the same way about the 80s/90s and midcentury aesthetic booms not in a few years. "why are all these time periods mashed together???" because the past repeatedly becomes trendy through our refusal to let go of it, it's not new.

[@queenarby6866]

Left a like purely for your choice of music. (But I am enjoying the video so far, as of writing this too!)

[@trn3420]

Great video man. I need a playlist of the music you used in the video!!!

[@Gmcking75]

He’s gonna have millions of subs soon‼️🙏 love the content bro

[@Cheesebowsfromheaven]

Being born in 1967 I am going to have to say it. You are completely wrong in your assumptions that ONLY people born in the 80s-90s get it. I was in high school in the 80s when "VAPORWAVE" was an actual IRL thing,it was everywhere. People my age and older are the ones who started it all.

[@pxulden]

Wow somebody who is literally still In high school has less cultural capital then a person who is pushing 60. You show this high schooler what it was REALLY like. Fucking boomer 💀

[@benjaminbergmann8396]

That's not exactly what he said but I get your point.

[@codykolis7577]

I was born in 2001 and it works very well on me too.

[@-lcarv5-]

I found this comment before watching the video and thought it sounded a bit harsh but maybe true, now that I have watched the source material I can say with complete certainty that this is not only harsh, but incorrect, I don’t know where you got the word “ONLY” from, he never said that, also it doesn’t matter who started a certain aesthetic, nobody cares about that, stop gatekeeping stuff from “your time” that the youth just “wouldn’t understand” if you’d like these beautiful aesthetics to keep living, let the youth enjoy them, or they’ll fizzle out and die.

[@zakdoekflesje]

he means MOST people your age don't get it

[@jester_bee]

Woah, the ending was actually quite deep

[@hydrailce3404]

I’m into liminal spaces,and for fashion, I’m in a cutie pie aesthetic phase (I’m too lazy to fit in one style). I’m not into any particular ‘core’. Including music,cause I listen to almost all genres as long as it fits my interests. I would say I’m an npc…is that an aesthetic? I don’t know. Edit: Channel recommendation: Liminal AI,this person created liminal space using AI tools,very interesting look in how AI perceives this aesthetic. Edit 2: I once made a webcore edit for a university project (it’s a photo editing group project). I was fascinated by how much this aesthetic reminds me of maximalism,combined with early internet design,with hard-to-navigate UI,and pop-ups everywhere. The picture was really fun to make. It was unlike any other project I’ve ever done. I’m still very satisfied at the poster I made. Webcore refers to 2000’s old websites,fyi.

[@khalilanarchy]

frutiger aero has always been my favourite one

[@MemeLordCthulhu]

I had no clue surreal memes turned into a whole thing

[@sumas7]

6:17 didn't know a screenshot from a sonic game could be dreamcore lol

[@RainbowLimenade]

i'd love to see you cover nostalgiacore

[@Masked_One_1316]

9:38 I have those chairs for my kitchen table!😅

[@Willow_498]

You should cover everywhere at the end of time!

[@Conquistador629]

I would have thought that vaporwave peaked 2016-18 and died shortly after, by the time the pendemic came around the movement was on its last legs from what I could see, the cassette trend was dying down, dream catalogue and 2814 distance themselves from vapor and all the big artists effectively disappeared all that was left were artists (both musical artists and art artists) that knew what made this genre but not why so you got a monotanas stream of new but very similar vapor that brought no new experiences or new stimulating thoughts or feelings. I will say some of the ones coming out in 2019-20 were alright to good, most felt like cheap copies

[@Conquistador629]

Also I know you've kinda done a video on this type of game but I think you should check out broken reality, it was a small vaporwave indie game that was quite good

[@LunaticStruggler]

Pixelart is one of my favorite aesthetic

[@Mega__00F]

Oh brother we got ourselves a yapper (i love your videos they are awesome and very interesting)

[@K4D3N42]

My day gets better when cresendex posts 😌

[@TheDarkLadyOfTheNight]

I think the most popular aesthetics with -core would probably be cottagecore, kinda disappointed it wasnt even mentioned

[@Turknauf_47]

Never had bricks make me that queasy

[@jUQMtDmf]

What a lovely video! It was really enjoyable, but there were a few moments that might use a little more attention. For instance, there was a mix-up between Microsoft Windows 95 and the artist Windows96. Also, when it comes to the Greek marble element, it wasn't because it clashed with the neon 80s style; it was a very popular design feature in the 1980s and early 1990s. You can spot it in things like interior design, movies, graphic design, music videos, and early CGI from that time. On the topic of "Brutalism," it's good to know that it has no connection to the word 'brutal' and originates from the French "béton brut," meaning "raw concrete." I'm also not entirely sure how this segment was relevant to the rest of the video, but maybe I'm just dumb. Also, I don't think people being at home in 2020 has much to do with the popularity of these aesthetics. Vaporwave and internet aesthetic was already at its peak around 2012/2013 I would say, it was huge then! If anything, it's not that popular anymore these days. Just some friendly thoughts!

[@Cresendex]

Actually very valid criticism, I'll take that all into account, thanks!

[@rickc2102]

makin me feel old, kid

[@onionseed8884]

Vaporwave makes me feel like Las Vegas vibes

[@Scallywag_Gilbert68]

i see an "aesthetic" as a style of art i guess, like dressing a certain way or typing a certain way or a certain look to architecture like a city then i see it as all art in some way

[@edd9581]

You should make a video about the "Frutiger Aero" aesthetic.

[@pedroq_]

Great vid.

[@ermtea]

take a shot every time he says 'aesthetic' in the video

[@mellowanimations7237]

God that opening song was a perfect punch to get the video into the mood. mua 👄👌

[@bl333dingcrest]

what song is it?

[@Bleeeaaoop]

You know these have been around since waaaay before the "pandemic" right?

[@armanduchi2705]

Really cool, you should cover frutiger aero next

[@sunny__41]

9:06 HE DID IT HE MENTIONED YUME NIKKI

[@SuminatorAnimation]

I like Internet Aesthetics.

[@chrisbenavides3176]

Judging by some of the old anime you highlighted I'm guessing you're a fan of Soulsearchanddestroy's mixes. If so, you have good taste.

[@Ilov534]

underrated video

[@DarkuuArmati]

Liminal space doesn't mean "abandoned place" A liminal space is a place that briefly inhabits our mind, areas of passage, places that our brains don't devote a lot of time too or a place transition. (airports, bus stations, car rides, schools, malls) can be liminal spaces. Abandoned places as well COULD be, as like in an exploring sense but the key detail is not that its abandoned but that it's an area of transition.

[@TodayILookInto]

This is amazing

[@shayanojaghlou3]

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥