Mood: Historic
Music: Hearing Damage, by Thom Yorke
As you have probably figured out for yourself by now, I hold SteamPunk as my favorite type of art and free expression. Also, the SteamPunk era, (around the time of the industrial revolution, predating electricity), is one of my favorite times in history to study. The innovations created by scientist from this period are stunning, not only encompassing full functionality but also a beauty of design and an appreciation for mechanics.
SteamPunk is a difficult thing to define. Wikipedia calls it "a sub-genre of science fiction and speculative fiction, frequently featuring elements of fantasy, that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s." Where as Dictionary.com calls it "a genre of science fiction set in Victorian times when steam was the main source of machine power." So basically, it is based around the questions "What if technology had evolved around gears and steam, rather than electricity? What would happen? What would life be like? What would our technology look like?"
(For more info on defining SteamPunk, I would recommend the Wikipedia article. It does a great job of summing up the definitions as well as discussing the art forms evolution and siting examples of SteamPunk art and Fiction.)
Find it at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk
SteamPunk has really branched in the last few years. As the movement has grown music, movies, books, websites, and clubs have risen from the dust and have become increasingly popular.
The French Techno band Daft Punk even composed a song called "Steam Machine" in honor of the art form.
Click below to listen to it.
Great Song!
Several movies have even been made including the incredible anime "Steam Boy" (pictured here) This movie centers around a giant "Steam Castle" and a crazed scientist turned "steamborg" (you heard right, he becomes a SteamPunk cyborg.) bent on using his incredible invention for world domination.
SteamPunk has also become a global phenomenon in terms of fashion. Several stores online have dedicated themselves to SteamPunk clothing, art, jewelry, goggles, watches, and tools. I personally recommend oldjunkyardboutique and steampunkdesign on Etsy. Oldjunkyardboutique sells great stuff for reasonably cheap and have some incredible stuff for sale, including goggles, gas masks, costume guns, and glasses. If your willing to spend more, then steampunkdesign should be your first choice. Their handcrafted goggles, watches, and monocles are top of the line and created from the finest brass, iron, copper, leather, and glass.
oldjunkyardboutique is available at http://www.etsy.com/shop/oldjunkyardboutique?ga_search_query=oldjunkyardboutique&ga_search_type=seller_usernames
steampunkdesign is available at "http://www.etsy.com/shop/steampunkdesign?ga_search_query=steampunkdesign&ga_search_type=seller_usernames
In short, SteamPunk in an incredible art form and a wonderful form of free expression.
Happy Engineering!
(This post originally contained a sound clip. To listen to it, please go to www.grooveshark.com.)
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