Steampunk is an unusual hybrid of Victorian science fiction and goth. Once, it was an exciting new subculture threatening to burst through onto the world stage. However, this explosion never seems to reach further than goggles mounted on top hats and bargain bins full of scrap clock parts. Nevertheless, regular conventions and devout followers suggest this remains an exciting new subculture.
What is Steampunk?
Imagine the “science fiction” of H.G. Welles and Jules Verne. Or rather, science fiction before science fiction was a thing. The many interpretations of these classics repeat the same image. Leather, brass, rivets, and dark wood quite far from the shiny shrink-wrap of JJ Abrams. The Victorian fascination with exploration, technology and science remains the key to the joy of science fiction, yet the aesthetic is rarely repeated.
Add into this alternative history. Imagine zeppelins as viable transport, steampower over diesel and the lack of the wars of the 20th century. In fact, why not remove the racism just for good measure? The effect is something between Heath Robinson and Leonardo. A romanticised past of inventors, ship captain pilots and ambassador Lord Spocklington von-Vulcan.
Steampunk is a place where the imagination can roam free. The undeveloped genre means there are few existing formulae, whereas fantasy genres seem always to lean to a particular author like Tolkien. Victorian London? Dystopian New York? Mars? Mining Outpost XVII in the fifth quadrant of System Abraham? Anything can happen. You just need to write, act, model or play it. The only problem is, people currently aren’t.
Steampunk in Film
The genre has not yet grown to a full audience. While books and games fuel the canon, there is not yet significant take up in large scale feature films. It is generally agreed that the only true ‘Steampunk’ film to be commercially released was the 2003 League of Extraordinary Gentleman, starring Sean Connery and based on Alan Moore’s graphic novel.
Drip-through elements appear in films like the Golden Compass and Hugo and films of originals like the Time Machine are aplenty. But no one seems to have dived headlong into the universe as yet, beyond talented Youtube shorts and Kickstarter campaigns.
Steampunk Fashion
Therefore, for now Steampunk remains a largely grassroots phenomenon, fuelled by enthusiasts applying made-in-China gears onto everyday objects. While some of these are truly impressive, many criticise the obsession with superfluous decoration. Why do corsets and top hats need gears?
The lifestyle and role-play efforts vary. Half-hearted high street shirts and polyester waistcoats are well outgunned by full fitted frock coats and uniforms and shed-creations of brass cyborg parts. But these are few and far between. Rarely does a convention resemble a Pinterest board. And of course, one person’s Steampunk doesn’t necessarily match someone else’s Steampunk.
Steampunk Music
Like any subculture, music is an important anthem. While the ‘Chap-hop’ of Mr B the Gentleman Rhymer seems rather 20th century, Professor Elemental has a catalogue of pith-helmeted tracks like ‘Cup of Brown Joy’.
The undisputed leaders of the canon are the Men That Would Not be Blamed for Nothing. What started as a joke with an unpronounceable name actually held a stage at last year’s Download Festival, with fast and loud punk-inspired tracks like ‘Isambard Kingdom BRU-NEL’ and ‘Goggles’. However, what defines them is not their subject but their skill, accompanied by the fact they don’t take themselves remotely seriously, and this is what Steampunk is lacking.
The films are B-movies and the fashion lines synthetic and ill-fitting. But the Pinterest projects of redesigned computers with typewriter keys and whole rooms embracing modern items with Victorian design offer the kind of artistry that offers strong hope for a brassy future.
The post London Style: Let’s Talk About Steampunk appeared first on Felix Magazine.
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