What is Steampunk?

Steampunk Style: Mad Max meets Jane Austen
Originally published in the Santa Cruz Sentinel March 2011 

   2011 Nova Albion Exhibition moves to the South Bay

Photo by Gar Travis/www.garphoto.com

Photo by Gar Travis/www.garphoto.com

If you’ve ever been to a Renaissance or Dickens fair, you know the feeling of being almost transported back in time. There are always those anachronistic incongruities: patrons in jeans, vendors accepting Jacksons, paper plates and plastic forks at the food court. But for the most part, it’s a fun chance to pretend.

For those who love Victoriana, the upcoming Nova Albion Steampunk Exhibition (March 25-27, Santa Clara Hyatt Regency) will attempt to transport you to that period from 1839 to 1901 when industry was redefining the work world and Queen Victoria reigned over much of the planet. Or at the very least, it will give you a taste of 19^th century style under 20^th century conference room lighting.

Photo by Gar Travis/www.garphoto.com

Perhaps the Silicon Valley hotel venue is oddly appropriate, though, because Nova Albion Steampunk Exhibition isn’t trying to be a quaint Dickens Christmas fair. Steampunk is not about quaint. It’s more of a 19^th century time machine to the future—a fantasy of technology to come, as viewed through vintage brass goggles.

For those unfamiliar with steampunk, it’s a sci-fi subculture that offers a fresh, romanticized view on technology by making it retro. Steampunk style has been around for more than 20 years and takes its inspiration from the science fiction of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne (the fathers of science fiction) and cyberpunk. It’s a unique combination of romance and technology, fantasy and history, or as writer/crafter Jean Campbell puts it, “Mad Max meets Jane Austen.”

Neverwas Haul entertains crowds with their fabricated
 steam-powered art pieces at the 2010Bay Area Maker Faire

Steampunk has influenced all aspects of pop culture, including fashion, films, literature, bands, music videos, video games and comics. Notable steampunk bands include Rasputina, Dresden Dolls and Gogol Bordello. Movies with a distinct steampunk style include “Steamboy,” “The Prestige,” “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” and “Wild Wild West.” Annual creative gatherings like Burning Man, Maker Fair, and Dragon Con are showcases for amazing steam-powered machines and other retro contrivances.

Nova Albion draws steampunk fans with differing passions. Santa Cruzan Savi Savinovitch was attracted to the costuming at the Renaissance and Dickens Fairs. “My wife and I both worked the Renaissance Fair and there was a [steampunk] theme party at my booth,” says Savinovitch, who leads the Volunteer Security Team at Nova Albion. In 2007 he and his wife also attended a New Years Eve steampunk-themed party in Santa Cruz. “We jumped right into it after that,” says Savinovitch. He’s also “heavily into Star Wars,” and says he loves to tinker and use his imagination.

Vanessa Applegate, also from Santa Cruz, is likewise a fan of bay area costume fairs, but is even more drawn to the aesthetic and crafting opportunities of steampunk. “I’ve always been interested in things made of metal, and more solid construction.” To her, the steampunk aesthetic abhors the built-in obsolescence of modern products. “I like making things that are solid, built to last and that draws me towards the whole steampunk thing,” says Applegate, who is Director of Operations for this year’s exhibition. “It’s both hard and expensive making things out of good materials,” adds Applegate.

Photo by Gar Travis/www.garphoto.com

Modifiers of gadgetry and other steampunk artisans typically create their wares from uncommon materials. In the forward to “Steampunk Style Jewelry” by Jean Campbell (a great DIY introduction to all things steampunk), writer Paul Di Filippo says that the steampunk artist instinctively seeks materials for which the modern day counterparts are often “inferior or ugly”: cast-iron and wood instead of aluminum; silk and linen instead of polyester; brass, glass and rubber instead of plastic; welding instead of superglue; buckles, buttons and laces instead of Velcro; decoration instead of utilitarianism.

When searching for found objects for steampunk jewelry, Campbell suggests bead shops, hardware and thrift stores, flea markets, Ebay and Etsy. Large craft stores sell suitable charms and findings under the names “Industrial Chic,” “Altered Art” and “Lost & Found.” Some antique stores have baskets of dismembered dolls, dismantled clocks or small toys.

Classic steampunk bling uses watch parts, skeleton keys, gears, compasses, and vintage charms made from copper, brass, pewter or tarnished silver. Steampunk fashion sticks to a muted palette of browns, blacks, grays, purples and reds—reminiscent of the Queen’s dark mourning attire after the death of her beloved Prince Albert.

Photo by Gar Travis/www.garphoto.com

Ariane Wolfe, co-chair of Nova Albion, says that when the event started in October 2008, it was the first of its kind. “There had never been a steampunk exhibition anywhere in the U.S.,” says Wolfe. “Since then, there have been 10-12 opening up across the U.S.” Besides conventions, other steampunk gathering places include nightclubs and tea houses.

Last year’s attendance was about 1,200, and “80% got dressed up which is really phenomenal for that kind of event,” says Wolfe. “We had all ages, from infants to very elderly people.” The event has moved from Emeryville to Santa Clara this year to accommodate a larger crowd. Wolfe attributes the exhibition’s growing attendance to the wide appeal of Steampunk. “It has a literary following, who show up to see their favorite authors, which is something you don’t usually find in sci-fi fandom,” says Wolfe. “Then there is the DIY contingent and the alt history folks, into things like Civil War reenactments.”

To keep everyone’s creative juices flowing, the theme for the 2011 Exhibition is “Wild Wild East.” Savi Savinovitch admits coming up an Asian-flavored steampunk costume has been a challenge. “I’ve been thrown for an absolute loop,” he says, but has been searching through books for ideas. Motifs to avoid? Savinovitch says goggles have been overdone. “I stopped wearing mine completely,” he says. Vanessa Applegate says the quintessential steampunk cliché is clothing covered with gears. “If it’s covered in gears, I want them to do something,” she says. “I like functionality.”

The term “Nova Albion” comes from an early name for northern California, bestowed on the region by the explorer Sir Francis Drake after he landed somewhere north of San Francisco in 1579. (Albion, literally “the white,” was an archaic name for Great Britain, referencing the white cliffs along the English Channel.)

The Nova Albion Steampunk Exhibition is a regional event, moving closer to Santa Cruz this year (from Emeryville) for a larger venue at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara, March 25-27. The three-day event will feature hands-on workshops, music, a museum of curiosities, venders, speakers, outdoor kinetic and steam-powered device demonstrations, featured artists/makers/mad scientists, and a Victorian ball. For tickets and information go to steampunkexhibition.com

Steampunk style films (from “Steampunk Style Jewelry”)

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)

Around the World in 80 Days (1956, 2004)

The Great Race (1965)

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)

Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

The City of Lost Children (1995)

Dark City (1998)

Wild Wild West (1999)

League of Extraordinary Gentleman (2003)

Hellboy (2004)

Van Helsing (2004)

Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)

The Prestige (2006)

Stardust (2007)

The Golden Compass (2007)